I love learning. Learning new things keeps me inspired and motivated. I couldn't imagine myself having zero interest in learning new things at any point in my life. When I graduated college, the initial plan was to work for three years and proceed with my Master's degree.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen. I started to enjoy the freedom to do and buy things from my paycheck. I also started investing in real estate, which required me to have a steady flow of income. Did I regret not having it sooner? No. The initial plan was to take up a master's degree in the field of Biotechnology. I thought I wanted a research career. However, as I spent more years in the industry, I saw much more love in operations and quality management.

I am currently taking up a Master of Science in Management Engineering. Before COVID-19, it was almost impossible for me to enter grad school because there were only face-to-face classes back then. When the pandemic hit the Philippines, all universities closed, and all programs are offered online. I took this opportunity to take my long overdue master's degree finally. As of now, I have two trimesters left before graduation. The question is, did I regret it? So far, is it worth it?

The straight answer is yes, and here's why:

1. I learned a lot from classmates coming from different industries with different perspectives.

My Master's program gave me opportunities to meet and work with different professionals coming from different industries. I met several leaders and managers and exposed myself to fresh perspectives and solutions to existing problems in my workplace.

2. It keeps me competitive

My writing, researching, and analyzing skills really improved with my master's degree. Not only do I need to keep up with my competitive classmates, I too have standards and expectations set for myself. Because I am paying for my own tuition fee, I have more accountability to get "my money's worth." These keep me motivated to perform well in all subjects.

3. It made me appreciate my time more

Juggling work and school (and my other hobbies) is tough. Busy people often get things done. Why? Because they value time more than anyone. It made me say NO more often and narrow down my list of priorities for the day. I used to think that it's good to keep all doors open but later on in my career, especially now that my master's program is taking up most of my free time, I always make sure that I say YES to things that my time is going to serve my priorities.

4. I stopped multi-tasking

My habit of multi-tasking started after I finished my bachelor's degree. It was just multi-tasking is much easier when tasks do not require so much thinking and analytical skills. However, multi-tasking can easily lead to unproductivity. With my master's degree, I relearned my focus and became more productive with my day.

5. In-depth Knowledge about my field

This is perhaps the most important objective of a master's program. The knowledge is specialized in my own field, and it helped me build expertise on my current abilities. It also helped me see real, practical solutions from real-life problems handed from my professor, with industry experience, and from my classmates with different work experiences.

I have to admit that I am struggling with getting enough sleep to meet school requirements and deliverables deadlines. However, these struggles are inevitable, and I always knew I would have to go through this before enrolling in the program. With my graduation only a few months away, I know everything will be worth it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR