The pursuit of education

I just attended my last class this semester. In a couple of weeks, i'll be sitting for the exams & then i can declare that i am onto my last semester in NTU.

I was out with dad for dinner last evening & he posed me a question which got me thinking. He asked if i really LEARNT anything from taking up this course. Hmmm........ looking back, i suppose i'll have to agree that my pursuit of education started out as an innate urge to complete a Masters Program to achieve a personal goal/ milestone that i had when i left the doors of NUS. However, close to 3 semesters in NTU, i have to agree that much of this "pursuit" is spent rushing to class, struggling thru intensive projects, aiming to do whatever it takes to just make a satisfactory grade & juggling a hectic worklife. Did i really immerse myself in the scholarly environment & actually engaged in "learning"?

I am ashamed to admit that very often, i could have done much more for my projects -analysising the task from various angles, engaged in more intensive research, speak to more scholars & professionals to obtain more detailed industry feedback etc. Instead, i adopted a "just get it over & done with" attitude (like many of other part-time students). I truly believe that at the masters' level, education is not only abt the pursuit of knowledge but also the interaction and the dedication to the subject matter. Alas, everyone only has 24-hours a day & so do i. Well, i can only be proud to declare that i really did put in my best effort for every task, despite the limited time and energy.

I kinda concluded that to really concentrate on the "learning process", one has to dedicate the time & energy to it. This CANNOT be achieve as a part-timer. If anyone were to ask me if they should commence on a part-time education, i'd ask what's their objective. If it's for intellectual pursuit and to "learn", my suggestion will be to put aside one's career & dedicate the energy and time to the education. I really believe so, without a doubt.