Let me guess, you're here because you are thinking of enrolling a master's degree, or maybe you are already into it (or maybe you're intrigued with the title). Probably, you're in your 20's and still confused with what to do next. You might want to know how other fellow young master's degree holder live their life now. Well, I don't consider myself as an expert yet, but let me share with you my story and hopefully, this will inspire you to keep moving forward and keep pursuing excellence.
Here's my story.
I just recently finished my Master's in Business Administration. I marched just last month, April 6, 2018. It was a memorable and unforgettable moment in my life. I never really thought that I will have this kind of opportunity in life. During the graduation, I was only 23 years old. After a month, I decided to write this, and by this time, I am already 24.
It took me three years to complete my MBA journey. Two years in academia and one year solely devoted to the thesis study. If you have read my previous article, you might have known already that I am a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT) graduate. My master's degree is quite off course with my undergrad degree, but the good thing about mastering Business Administration is that this degree is very flexible. Anyone who has a bachelor's degree in any undergrad courses can actually pursue MBA. Schools are there to help you and guide you on the things that you should learn, but how much you will learn still depends on you.
So Why take a Master's degree?
I finished my undergrad course in the province. I spent most of my childhood memories in the province of Mindanao and Visayas. I never really had any idea that there is such a thing as a Master's and Doctorate Degree in any field except for the medical field. My family belongs to an underprivileged family. I've studied in a public school since elementary until college. Money was a major concern in our family.
When I was about to graduate from high school, I had this fear of not being able to pursue college. I would tell my friends that I will just be taking vocational courses which usually took around one to two years, then I will apply in a BPO company, save some money, then pursue a bachelor's degree. That was my initial plan.
Fortunately, my parents wanted differently. They want me to finish college and have a better career opportunity in the future. They enrolled me in a state college in the province where we were residing at that time. I was very interested in computers that time, so I decided to take BSIT. However, after a year, I was not into it anymore. I wanted to shift to other courses, but the school only offers BSN and BSHRM, and it's not what I want as well. Transferring to other schools which offer courses that I like would cost a lot and that would also mean that there will be a big difference in the tuition fee since nearby schools in that place are mostly private schools. I was left with no other choice but to finish BSIT and just get rid of my emotion.
Finishing a course which you don't really like might make you feel frustrated, which would lead to being unproductive, but I finished that course with flying colors (Thank God). Sometimes, you just have to convince yourself to finish something you've started and finished it in the best way you can. I was a Student Council President for two years and a President in other organizations as well. I obtained good grades all throughout that four year degree. I received a leadership award and other awards due to the different activities and organizations that I joined in. I would say, it was still a success.
A week after the graduation, I started working. My superior that time was a Guidance Counselor who happens to be our Adviser in one of my college organizations. It was she who gave me the idea how important it is to pursue a higher degree. She inspired me to pursue more since life doesn't end by just finishing a bachelor's degree. Accordingly, in the real world, a degree really matters. It'll be hard to battle with giants when you don't have the right armor for the war. Every year, there are a lot of new college graduates, but how would you differentiate yourself from them? You might say that you already acquired work experiences compared to the new graduates, but usually, work can be taught and learned easily.
From then on, I kept on dreaming and thinking of achieving more in life.
How did I support and finished my Master's degree?
It was in my fourth job that I decided to enroll for a master's degree. I was only 21 years old that time. I was a Data Analyst in a private firm in Metro Manila when I enrolled for MBA. I started in the company around April and in June of the same year, I enrolled in MBA in a private institution. I passed the entrance exam and submitted all the necessary documents. My office work starts at 8:00 AM and ends at 5:00 PM so I took the 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM classes, but on the following years, I took the weekend classes. In my first year, I had three classes every week. Travel time from my office to the school would take 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the traffic. I informed my superior that I enrolled for a master's degree and they were very happy and very supportive of it. They allowed me to leave early and would remind me about my class schedule if they noticed that I stayed too late at work.
The company offers a scholarship to those who wanted to study a higher degree, but one of the qualifications is that the employee must be a resident of the company for a year. Unfortunately, I was still new to the company that time, so I supported myself financially for a year. I never really asked for any financial support from my parents right after I graduated in college because that's how it should be. You have to take the responsibility, start supporting yourself financially and stand on your own feet.
After a year, I was already eligible to apply for the company's scholarship. I passed the interviews and submitted all the required papers. The process was that I have to pay my tuition first, then the company will reimburse it. That's what I did every end of the semester. I finished the remaining two years of the three years duration for my MBA with the support of the company where I worked, and currently, I am still connected with them. In exchange for that, I am obliged to abide by the contract which means I have to stay with the company for two to three years after graduating from the degree. Well, it's not a big deal for me because I love the company and I would be happy to spend more time with them.
That's how I supported and finished my MBA. As to how I managed to cope up with all the lessons and lectures at school considering that I am a BSIT graduate, well, that is something that you can do through studying and researching. Master's degree is more on reporting and researching. It is more about applying what you've learned at school in your workplace and then sharing some thoughts and experiences that would be helpful for your fellow MBA's as well. Getting their thoughts and opinions is also a very good tool for growth. You will learn how to deal with people and how to deal with business. Everything, including the projects and research studies, were usually done individually, so you will really be pushed to work hard.
I was one of the youngest in my batch, so hearing some lessons and experiences from people who were way older than me really helped me a lot in making decisions whether for work or for a personal life. I have learned to be more rational in my decisions and plans in life.
My master's degree opens a lot of opportunities for me. I can feel the respect of other people. My words and opinions now matter when it comes to making decisions at work and outside work. The effort you've exerted will really pay off. Education is something that cannot be stolen from you. It will always be on your record and wherever you go, you can always have that assurance that searching for a job will no longer be that hard.
So what's next for me?
Having a Master's Degree at your 20's is something that you can be proud of. You might be young in age but somehow, your mental and emotional state is becoming mature. Though I have to study and work at the same time, I was still able to do the things that I love to do, like traveling and being with my friends. It is just a matter of managing your time properly while staying to be socially active.
Presently, I am still a Project Manager in the same company. My journey in pursuing excellence doesn't stop here. I will soon be enrolling for a Doctorate degree in Business Administration, probably this coming June. I recently passed a government exam, which is an addition to my credentials. I can always apply to
Having a master's degree entails a greater opportunity and responsibility. Management levels and other supervisory levels - these are the levels that suit you. You can choose to be a college professor as well if you prefer the
What's next for me? I will soon be a Dr. In Business Administration before I turned 30 years old. With God, everything is possible. Let me share with you this very nice verse in the bible and I pray that you'll be inspired to do more and achieve more in life as well. This is one of the favorite verses of my grandma.
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." - Jeremiah 33:3
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