Managing class conflicts
If you’re thinking of taking a shot at a postgraduate programme while vying for a promotion at work, be prepared to juggle.
With rising living standards and demands, as well as the sprouting of universities and colleges everywhere offering degrees in multiple disciplines, bachelor’s degrees are getting more accessible and attainable by the day. As the education level rises generation to generation, being a first-degree holder is fast transforming from being a novelty to a necessity.
One step higher
Pursuing a postgraduate degree has always been a decision that result-driven individuals label as a ‘career progression’ move. An increasing number of employers nowadays are lending their unwavering support to their staff by allowing time off work (for weekend or evening classes), the option to work part-time or take a sabbatical to pursue their studies.
Multinational companies or organisations that require well-skilled and knowledge-driven employees go the extra mile by providing financial assistance via partial funding or reimbursement for classes and examination fees. The final piece of the puzzle lies in how much effort the candidate is willing to put in to work for that postgraduate degree, while still trying to meet their targets at work.
24 hours is not enough
You may have heard of how difficult it is to study and work at the same time, especially when it comes to pursuing a comprehensive postgraduate syllabus like the MBA. For Goh Siean Huei, a marketing executive at a growing job recruitment centre, it has meant giving up her weekends and even her social life. ‘I used to go clubbing every weekend, recover on Sunday, then go back to work on Monday, but nowadays I don’t even have time to linger over food.’
In her second year of an MBA programme, Goh admits that she is finding it hard to juggle school assignments, work KPIs and deadlines for both. ‘You will find yourself not having enough time to collect your thoughts even after sifting through tonnes and tonnes of research. Add to that the weight of work hanging over your shoulders day in day out, and you will feel like you are drowning in a sea of work.’
To work or not to work?
Despite Goh’s current situation − which may prompt most other individuals to quit either the programme or their job (in fact, a third of her class dropped out by the second year), − Goh still thinks that it is important for you to hold on to your job while you study your MBA, so long as it is relevant to your topic of study.
‘The MBA programmes in Malaysia are still very theoretical. For courses like the one I am taking which is an MBA in Marketing, the real-life scenarios that you are exposed to at work will help you filter out what works on paper and what works in real life. This helps you come up with workable answers that can be carried out in real working conditions.’ Goh credits this as an advantage she has over her peers who are pursuing their MBA full-time.
‘It really depends on what you want and what you can cope with,’ she summed up.
Coping mechanisms
As for dealing with what life throws at her, Goh said that it all boils down to personal time management, being organised and knowing where your priorities are. For students who have family obligations, like children, spouses or parents to support, they will need to find a right support structure financially, emotionally and mentally. ‘Having the right support structure from your family and friends will be very important especially when you reach your breaking point and you feel like throwing in the towel. Having someone to pull you back to reality can make all the difference in you going all the way or quitting midway through,’ Goh revealed.
Working in a team
‘It will also be helpful to find like-minded, dependable and hardworking study mates that you can trust to help cut down the time spent on research,’ said Goh. She exchanges notes with peers in her study group to save precious time. Bear in mind that this idea works only if the team mates have agreed beforehand that they will not duplicate each other’s work. ‘By working smart, and working together, you should be able to get the best of all worlds and still live to tell the tale!’ she joked.
This article first appeared in postgradasia supplement 2010.
