Cum Laude

It was one of those days when one felt fulfilled. A good day at work and all the meetings had been exceptional; and your heart glows with immense delight. But as I finished dinner at the hotel restaurant and returned to my room to do a bit a reading, and perhaps watch a little TV, out from nowhere I thought it was finally time to start an MBA programme. Now with some solid years of work experience, a better understanding and grasp of the issues, constraints and possibilities in my work discipline , and with my own ideas and thoughts on the ‘how to’ and the ‘how might’ of instilling change, I felt that this was the time.

The new learning beginning
So the MBA journey began with gusto. Logged on at least every other day to learn and share experiences with fellow distance learning students from the world over. Debated, informed and was informed myself. Totally exhilarating. But as the deadlines rolled in for essay submissions, and I faced a thousand and one firm and client imposed deadlines at work, I quickly realised that this journey was going to be challenging even if exhilarating. In fact, what isn’t in life?

Module after module I had to ask for an extension for the submission of my essays. Module after module I waned in participating in the discussions as business travel took me to obscure nations with sporadic internet connectivity in less than average hotels. Module after module I spent deadline weekends battling to read up on eight weeks of course work in one weekend, chose and essay topic and then write the essay. I got into the flow of studying and thankfully, remarkably really, consistently scored merits and distinctions module after module. To all those friends that thought I was a geek, I say I probably was....

Bloody hard work, I tell you.

And I was juggling
Then came the period when I lost a colleague and also journeyed through a particularly difficult time in my personal life. And I knew I couldn’t even think about the MBA in amidst work pressures and these personal quest challenges. So I deferred on a couple of modules. Totally gutted to have had to do it but, to be honest, I had no other choice. Tell me, how do you juggle bereavement, bereavement counselling, therapy and a demanding work schedule with an MBA programme? Well, I chose to defer the latter pressure for some time.

But then I got back into the swing of things. Flowed again. Returned to the flow of studying. But the merits and distinctions were less consistent and it was even harder work to score a pass let alone a merit! But struggle on we must.

The end came on the modules and, I tell you, I was glad for it. An average of a merit. I was glad for that. Phew. I could have my life back again. Yes, the dissertation was next but les time pressures – at least I had much longer to crack this one.

Some three months into the dissertation period I decided on a topic and submitted my dissertation proposal – written from a hotel room in Abuja whilst on yet another assignment. There was an urgency to at least start thinking about this research, be assigned a supervisor and to develop a chapter by chapter submission plan. So I submitted the proposal. Three weeks passed and no response. Another week and no response. A week later I learnt that the proposal had been rejected. No supervisor nominated to supervise it. The proposal needed much more thought.

I was gutted, but not surprised. I took me another six months to revise the proposal. When I finally did, one of the tutors magnanimously agreed to supervise my work and tendered some tremendous advice on how to make the research more academically sound. I remember thinking at the time: this is a case of self-inflicted pain.

Motivation and resolve
It took another couple of months to send the first chapter, and in the middle of that, in an effort to motivate myself, I thought about the dedication section of the dissertation. It was uncomplicated to decide who this was going to be dedicated to. As I thought about what to write in my dedication to my late father, somehow I knew it wouldn’t be long before I would finish the dissertation. Remembering his life, his toil and dedicated resolve to better the life of his children in no uncertain terms, I was spurred. Chief, this one’s for you.

Good success
It was two days ago that I got the news. Out here on a short break at the serene and charming beach resort of Loumoon Lodge, I was informed of the news on my MBA. Yes, I had passed. But I had not only passed, I had passed with a merit.

With immense gratitude and immeasurable love, I thanked my Father and my father.