Living in the UK: Some of my Favourite Villages/Towns/Cities

I arrived the UK in the first week of March 2014 to begin my Msc at the Business School of the University of Bedfordshire. During the fifteen months that I have lived here, I have travelled quite extensively throughout the Country and even within the rest of Europe.

The University organised some of the trips, while I booked others by myself. The key to travelling within the UK is to use your railcard and NUS cards extensively. These cards gave me excellent discounts which were very useful for a someone like me living within a tight budget.

Below are some of the photos I took from visiting the following UK villages, towns and cities. They are listed not in any particular order.

Luton
London
Hitchin
Oxford
Cambridge
Edinburgh
Bristol
Henley

The Royal Mile of Edinburgh

Stunning Bristol

Henley

London Eye 

Hitchin

Luton Carnival 2014

Punting in Cambridge

Oxford

Carpe Diem

It has now been one month since I finished my largest piece of work. Since that time, I have attended two university events which were organised as a goodbye event and an opportunity for networking between businesses and the business school, respectively. The great thing about being in an academic environment is the broad range of amazing events which seem to be consistently ongoing. This is such a hub of everything; from a symposium following the Charlie Hebdo incident in France, on to a guest lecture about electric cars and infrastructure, to meet and greet for women interested in make-up. There is certainly something for everyone.

However, with this comes the inevitable blues of next steps when one's sojourn in academia is over. Since my last blog, I have attended two interviews, paid rent twice, and become even more broke than ever. For some people, this is a great period of "in-between" to decide on next steps. But when you are a 32 yr old self-funded postgraduate student who has tried to build a career in an industry and is used to certain comforts, you really do not have that luxury.

Graduating class with professors at goodbye event. Source: Personal photo

In essence, I am saying that there really is no price tag that can be put on education. It is an incredible asset that opens doors for the rest of one's life. Having said that, it is absolutely essential that anybody considering on embarking on this journey thinks it through. I think that the biggest challenge is finances. One must approach academia as though it is a job in itself, but only after making arrangements for finances for the entire period and perhaps six months afterwards. With the risk of sounding bleak, I have to say that it is extremely difficult to find a job. I have looked, and I do not mean jobs in pubs or KFC. I mean jobs in project management and international development; areas in which I have actual experience.

There must be hundreds of equally qualified people searching for the same jobs. What sets you apart? Setting apart must also be looked at from two viewpoints; what sets you apart positively, and what sets you apart negatively? I have now learnt to highlight the extras which I have going for me, and minimise other things which may be perceived as not so extra in my CV and during interviews.

Job Interview.Source:www.boston.com

Finally, besides having your finances sorted before academia, and highlighting or non-highlighting your extras/baggage during the post-study job hunting process, spend time during which you are not studying on actual tangible activities which may find you a job at the end of studying. It may be worth spending some time at networking events instead of slugging away 24/7 in the library( although excellent grades are important, so is a well rounded experience). It may be worth spending some time at a symposium organised by the faculty on business practices instead of hanging out indefinitely at the social space. I found it worth my while to intern at the University and celebrate that in my applications (and receive some payment as well). I did not everything I recommended above, I wish someone told me this before I started.

Carpe diem. Source:www.juliepowell2014.wordpress.com

As I always say, I am glad that I embarked upon this journey, but the job hunting process and "being broke" has me feeling blue. I hope that June brings me some good news, sunshine and happiness. I do home it brings the same to you.

Carpe diem!

It Is Finished

Or is it? I just turned in my 15,000 word research paper which is my biggest body of work towards the fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Science in Project Management. For the first one hour after the submission, I was thrilled. There is an overwhelming sense of relief that comes from knowing that something so large was finally finished. Then the adrenalin slows down, and you realise that this is really only the beginning. You see, I have been told that I tend to over-analyse things.I laugh when I hear this because I know that it is true.

Graduates. Source:www.telegraph.co.uk

My research was on Knowledge Management in virtual project teams. these are two areas that are certainly emerging, under-researched, and more than anything else, not integrated in the literature and barely in practice. I consider myself a bit of a knowledge management expert right now as I researched KM for the last three years.I found that people are very quick to link KM to technology, whereas it is really about people and knowledge acquisition and distribution for the realization of an organisation's objectives. It is so diverse and could mean so much in so many different forms; strategy development, governance and transformation. I am very pleased that this body of work in finished.

|Furthermore, I received an email from the university informing me of a date for my graduation ceremony (all provisional of course pending the confirmation of my grades). My slot is July 21st. When I received the email, I quickly rang my parents to check that their flights had been booked. I spoke to a few friends about graduation and we all seem to have the same dates. People were talking about dresses and shoes and hair styles for the day. I am really not thinking about those things at the moment, I am still obsessing about results, as I always do.  

Sample offer of employment. Source:www.documetica--forms.com.

Back to the submission of my biggest piece of work. With it has come feelings of melancholy and the big what next questions. I suppose in some ways I know exactly what I want and where to go from here, but sometimes those next steps require time, work and patience. This course has prepared me for project life cycle work, end to end project design, implementation and close out.I just have to find the opportunities and grab them with both hands. So the next steps really is to find an excellent job within project management in international development. My search begins tomorrow really after the fantastic party planned by the University for students who just finalised their final projects. I sent my RSVP in for that already. I am really looking forward to unwinding and enjoying the gathering of friends, faculty, food and drinks at the PG centre tomorrow. Photos from that at the next post.

But today, I shall reward myself with some wine, a good movie and a good night's sleep.Keep well everyone

My Business School Experience: Linking Academia to Practice

For the last couple of weeks, I have been working in a team of six to deliver a real life project; akin to one which I could be tasked with as a project manager in the future. This project involves an external client and the project mandate requires that an event is designed which has 150 medium and large businesses in attendance. Our responsibility lies in assembling a Project Initiation document (PiD) which speaks to the business case, and within that identify quality, risks, stakeholders, work breakdown structure, and all that good stuff associated with delivering a project. Thereafter, deliver the project.

It has been an eye opening experience working in a diverse team of people with varied expectations and skills set. Add the pressure of dealing with a demanding client, and the complications of working sometimes in a virtual team, and what you have is an excellent preparation for working on project teams. In executing this project, we are utilising the PRINCE2 methodology and it feels good to use something which I only recently studied and wrote the qualification examinations for. This is the first time that I have developed a quality management strategy, a risk management strategy, and a stakeholder communication and management plan for a real life project, and it feels very fulfilling. This is the best part of my time here I think; the business school’s attempt to link students to actual practice.

One can feel far removed from the business world when buried in theories and research, this project serves to bridge the gap between academia and practice. It is an opportunity to try out the many methodologies which we have worked through. In addition, we are engaging with senior managers and CEOs of companies who have offered great advise and suggestions on how to take our career forward after the master’s, and what the market is like at the moment. In the coming weeks, I shall post updates on the milestones we have set and how/if we have met deadlines or not. 

In the interim, keep well.

PRINCE2, Internship and Next Steps

For the last couple for months, I have been searching for a job within the Luton and Beds areas. To yield more results, I extended my search to London in the hopes of finding a good student opportunity which could build my experience and provide a little bit extra cash (every student needs some extra cash). Anyway, I did find some opportunities and attended a few interviews, but none of them was the right fit for me; too long a commute or more hours per week than I could manage. 

Fortunately, the University has an internship scheme; a 75 hour placement either within the university or within a business in the Luton, Herts and Beds area. I sent my CV in to the Internship office, attended a few excellent workshops on tips for CV writing and interviewing, and voila, yours truly is now commencing a 75hr placement within the university. The best part of this is that I have flexible hours so that my academic workload isn't suffering, and I get paid for my time. Good times. If you are at the university already and have not taken advantage of this scheme, you should! Go to the International office in the Library at Luton campus, and speak to the internship scheme. You only have to be a student here, it does not matter if you are undergraduate, postgraduate, Home, EU or international student.

In other news, as someone who has worked as part of many project teams, and is presently studying for an Msc in Project Management, it was only natural that I felt the need to acquire a deeper understanding of the methodologies used worldwide to manage projects. I began my methodology journey with the PRINCE2 certification examination (Projects In Controlled Environments) which is the recommended methodology developed by the UK's Office of Government Commerce, for managing projects. I wrote the foundation examination yesterday, and I passed. It is very exciting to see one's journey unravelling in the best ways, you make gains, you learn new insights.

These months are the final few which I shall spend here before I am awarded my Msc in Project Management and to be honest, I have learnt so much here that I am considering making continuous development programmes a part of my life, twice yearly. There is something full of wisdom and rewarding about being here. I am glad I embarked upon this journey, and although there have been lots of stumbling blocks and things that quite frankly, I have been disappointed about here, on the whole, it is proving to be one of the most rewarding journeys that I have embarked on my life.  In my next post, I shall discuss some of the challenges, how to be prepared for them and the benefits which quite clearly, outweigh them. Keep well everyone.

Photo sources:

1. University social spaces: www.beds.ac.uk

2. PRINCE2 logo: www.apmg-international.com

2015: New Year, New Resolutions & Steadfastness

Happy New Year everyone. 2014 went by really quickly, quite naturally when one is busy trying to study for and obtain an Msc less than sixteen months. I cannot believe we are already in 2015 and I find myself regularly putting 2014 down as the date, still. I suppose this happens to a lot of people in the new year. Anyway, I have made a quick but firm list of how I would like this year to play out. I know that this sounds like such a usual "New Year" talk, but I believe this is different. I shall tell you why. You see, as I got older, I got rid of the "New Year resolutions" which sounded like commandments; I shall not drink, I shall not eat junk food, I shall not spend money unnecessarily, and so forth. Instead, my resolutions have now become those things which I like to do, or where I see my life. I know it may sound like a load of new age talk, but it actually works. My resolutions last year in January included enrolling at a university for a postgraduate degree, finding love, learning to cook new healthier recipes, travelling, finding a job which is challenging and enjoyable, among others. I can tell you that everything I set out as goals for 2014 came to fruition, except for the job bit, but I think there's still time and that will happen once I have graduated.

source: www.franky242.net

For 2015, I would like to excel in the final units of my course and graduate with an excellent overall grade, I would like to travel some more hopefully within a job, and I would like to write more. The whole idea is to remain steadfast in the vision and goals I have for my life. Thus I must end on this note, lest I run the risk of sounding preachy or too new age; whatever your plans are, it helps to write them down and put dates and action plans beside them. If one of your plans is to study for a CPD, undergrad or postgrad degree, then this is the time. Begin your journey here today, it will be well worth it.

Have an excellent 2015

Happy Holidays

Growing up, I heard many Igbo proverbs from my father. I remember one that says "the lizard that jumped from the high Iroko tree said that it would praise itself even if no one praised him". I am feeling very reflective today and I am not even at the end of my master's journey yet. That proverb refers to the lizard; it is very well known for falling from very tall trees and nodding it's head in self-praise, as it lands on the ground. Self-motivation is absolutely necessary on this student journey, on any journey for that matter. But especially for an international student living and studying in the UK, from the heat of sub-saharan Africa, in the middle of the winter and with expectations which may have been too high.

A Lizard suns itself. Photo credit: www.southwestguidebook.com

I think that in order to have an all round experience, every potential student must be realistic with expectations for living and studying successfully in a new place. It is important to research your course, the career options, the lecturers who will teach you, the economy, employment rates, standard of living in the country, the university itself, and the town or city in which you will live. This will help with your expectations and budgeting in more ways than one. As with everything else, knowledge is power and an understanding of how the system works, will provide a soft landing for you and your SMART goals.

In some ways, I have to say that studying/living here for the last nine months has been a mixed bag of sorts. I was not totally unprepared, but the actual thing is an experience which one has to live through to actually understand and appreciate it. I have researched and written assignments in 24 hours, I have moved flats (carrying my clothes in their hangers since that's what students do), I have written exams running on adrenalin and mental caffeine (as I had to pull an all-nighter and I am allergic to coffee), I have had a bag of sugar thrown at me from a moving vehicle (I ducked, thank heavens, still not sure who they were or what that was about), I have attended interviews which have amounted to nothing much, and I have made some lifelong friends from everywhere. As I write this post,I have not slept for 48 hours; no thanks to an internship, a very part-time job, a new and exciting something, and a full day of classes at the university.

Books and coffee. Source:www.pnc.edu

To recall the Igbo proverb, I shall be like a lizard and sound my own drums. Yes, I have done a great job of juggling it all, so far. Invariably, my time here so far has had its ups and downs, its disappointments and hardships, but I doubt that I will have it any other way. I still have about 5 months to go, before I complete my coursework, and I think it is time for a much needed break for me. The christmas holidays start in a few weeks and I have received a number of invitations from some friends to spend christmas here in the UK. I hope we get some snow; atleast for a few hours; one cannot live in England for the duration of a master's degree and not see some authentic snow especially at christmas.

Happy holidays to you. Enjoy all that turkey and see you in the New Year.