Why I Left My Job to Study Again
Leaving a well-paying job, spending a fortune for a Master’s degree, and taking a one-year ‘holiday’ in Cambridge.
This is the time of the year for reflection, and I thought writing this piece will be a perfect way to do that. Sooo, this writing is really personal, and I hope you might find it somewhat useful. If not, that is fine too 😉
When I first told people that I’m gonna leave my full-time job and pursue a postgraduate study, the majority asked me why. My family was not that supportive at the beginning. They think I have a great job; why would I leave that behind? Some of my relatives think that education for girls are a waste of time, especially that girls are going to eventually be married. So I asked myself back whenever I got that question. Why?
To be really honest, the decision to study again was not that difficult to make. It has been my dream to study in the UK. I found the right course. I got accepted into three outstanding universities. The timing was right, and I saved enough to fulfil my own dream. I was extremely excited to finally make a decision purely because of myself, not because of family, friends or just following the trend.
Now that my Master degree is done and dusted (yay!), I wanted to look back, to reflect, and to answer the ‘why’. Why I leave that well-paying job. Why I chose to study again. Why I dare myself to dream.
I was in my comfort zone
I had a great job. And when I said ‘great’, it is really one of the best jobs I could have asked for. I spent an incredible three years there, building a company from a three-people team to a family of over 70 people. Initially, it was challenging. I don’t have any experience nor knowledge about building a company, building a team, or doing whatever I was doing. But as time goes, I got better at what I was doing, and it became comfortable. I had the best boss, best colleagues, best work environment. Life is good. It was all very comfy. Then I started asking myself, am I being too comfortable?
I think I can do more
So I started looking for something more. I felt, and I trusted myself that I can do more. This is all amazing and comfortable, but is there more that I can do? Is there more that I want to accomplish? The answer was yes. I felt that I have the capability to do more, and it is time to realise that.
I want to prove to myself that dreams do come true
There is one thing that I want to accomplish that I have not done. I want to study in the UK. I got a scholarship to study at LSE back in 2014, but I decided not to do it for many reasons. And since then, I have that goal in mind. So, I started researching about the course I am passionate about and the potential universities to apply to. My dream got bigger when a good friend of mine told me to try Oxbridge. I honestly never thought that I belong there. That is just too far — too high for an achievable dream.
But in the end, I decided to just give it a go. No harm, I thought, who knows….
I think part of me wanted to prove that anything is possible as long as I work hard enough. After some (well, lots of) struggle, I eventually got accepted into both Oxford and Cambridge. Hey, dreams do come true.
New friends, new atmosphere, new environment
Getting the acceptance letter is like half of the battle. There is soooo much more struggle, much more uncomfortable and unfamiliar things that I have to face. For a start, I have never been out of Asia. I was alone, with my two pieces of luggage, taking a long-haul flight for the first time. It was exciting yet unfamiliar. I know no one, no friends, and know nothing about the UK (except its football, of course).
At the end of the one-year journey though, I found a new family, new friends, and new love for the country. And I visited the Anfield stadium(woohoo!). I also managed to travel around Scotland and England, and now I know that the two are very different.
All in all, I realised that things can be uncomfortable at the beginning. But because it is uncomfortable, I get to push myself to grow. I get to experience things that I had never imagined before. I get to do something that I thought was only a dream. I realise that when it is uncomfortable, that is precisely when we are learning and growing.
But because it is uncomfortable, I get to push myself to grow.
It was really about learning again
It is one thing about getting accepted. And another thing about passing the exam. Trust me, it is hard to start studying again after working for quite some time. Especially when you are studying something unrelated with your undergraduate nor your previous job. Plus, you are surrounded by a bunch of high achievers. But hey, I survived. Those one year was a year that I read the most books, wrote the most essays, and drank the most wine 🍷. I had no choice but to grow and to learn. It was a year of intense learning.
I think, in the end, it was a risk worth taking.
Now that I look back, I don’t know if I would have been better off if I were to stay at my previous job. But one thing I know for sure, I do not have any regrets for the past year. I enjoyed it very much. I got to take a really good break, got to learn new things, and got to meet a new and fantastic bunch of people. It was one of the hardest yet best decision I made. Precisely because it is a hard decision, it is worth the risk. And now I am ready for the new challenges.
Bring it on 2021.