A journey from professional life to student life
Hemraj
An investment in education is something that never gets wasted. I must say, the journey towards higher studies (especially for an experienced professional) is not quite an easy one. The meandering path has its risks, doubts, challenges and inevitable hurdles that might drain and derail us from our track. We are pushed to the limits, being questioned of our abilities/reasonings and continually shoved into a “non-comfort zone”. And eventually, it is the motivation or the notion “Why did you start in the first place??!!” is what drives us to finish what we had started.
I knew that being glued to my laptop for my work had partially impaired my traditional reading style. And that’s why it took me a while to warm up to reading endless print-out notes of Journal articles, Conference papers, Conference proceedings, E-book, Web page, Thesis, Tech reports, Dissertation, Case study, and Audio-visual material. However unsettling this transition from professional to student life was, it made me more curious, patient, analyze deeply, take the lead, plan accurately and be more focussed.
One of the fascinating things about education is that we are pushed to critically think, analyze, broaden our perspective and examine a case from different vantage points. I could never forget those sleepless nights as my brain continually thought about different approaches and standpoints. The experience couldn’t be more rewarding than being involved during class assignments, seminars and group presentations with the qualified and diverse classmates (Program Manager, IT Managers, Project Managers, IT Technician, Senior Business Analyst, Senior Developer, Service Delivery Managers…) and highly learned lecturers/professors.
It goes without saying that without my family, friends, and trust in God, I couldn’t have dreamt, let alone complete this journey. And however shaky this journey would have been, the final accomplishment makes it worthwhile. In the end, nothing could be as fulfilling and gratifying as the moment when my name was called out on the stage, during the graduation ceremony. And nothing can come close to the feeling of sheer pride and joy when I walked towards the Chancellor of New Zealand amidst the claps of the audience.