To study or not to study? That is the question.
I first came across this MA course in 2018, and my curiosity was instantly piqued. After working for several years as a Google technical support specialist, I was hankering for a change. Technical writing is an area that I have always been interested in but I had no idea how to get started in the field. A random Google search late one evening provided the answer. I have always been a keen advocate of academic learning, and two BSc. degrees (and an incomplete PhD) hadn't swayed my enthusiasm for returning to higher learning. If only for my firm belief that knowledge for the sake of knowledge is a reward in itself.
After reading the course content, I was certain that it was exactly what I was looking for. So, on a complete whim, I applied to the University of Limerick course intending to study as a part-time distance learner as I imagined that this would fit in perfectly with my personal and professional life. And that is how I found myself enrolling in the MA course that September - 16 years after I'd last left University - embarking on a new and exciting chapter in my life.
When I started the distance-learning course, I thought to myself, "Part-time student? No problem". Given that I was already working full-time, and a busy mother of four, I didn't envisage just how much work would be required to slot in the hours needed to cover the course material and keep up to date with the assignment deadlines. To say it was a baptism of fire is an understatement but I soon managed to make sense of the multi-tasking mayhem.
So much so that, after just one semester, it served to affirm my ambition to move into the area of technical communication. On a whim, I applied for an entry-level position in the technical writing department of Johnson Controls, whose global headquarters is based here in Cork in the "smartest building in Ireland". Based on my qualifications, experience, and the excellent reputation of this Masters course, not only was I offered a position, it was one grade up from entry-level and started as an Information Developer II in March, 2019.
It was the perfect fit for continuing with the concurrent Masters programme as I was able to apply the theories and techniques that I'd learned thus far into the practical side of the job; and the onsite training in various tools provided an invaluable technical advantage in completing college assignments. Having worked in the area for almost a year, this Masters course has been ideal in helping me transition into this new and exciting area and I have really enjoyed the challenge. After 30+ years of switching between various academic disciplines and professional duties, I finally feel fulfilled. Proof positive that you're never too old to start again...
________________________________________________________________________
"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think
I've ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams
After reading the course content, I was certain that it was exactly what I was looking for. So, on a complete whim, I applied to the University of Limerick course intending to study as a part-time distance learner as I imagined that this would fit in perfectly with my personal and professional life. And that is how I found myself enrolling in the MA course that September - 16 years after I'd last left University - embarking on a new and exciting chapter in my life.
So much so that, after just one semester, it served to affirm my ambition to move into the area of technical communication. On a whim, I applied for an entry-level position in the technical writing department of Johnson Controls, whose global headquarters is based here in Cork in the "smartest building in Ireland". Based on my qualifications, experience, and the excellent reputation of this Masters course, not only was I offered a position, it was one grade up from entry-level and started as an Information Developer II in March, 2019.
It was the perfect fit for continuing with the concurrent Masters programme as I was able to apply the theories and techniques that I'd learned thus far into the practical side of the job; and the onsite training in various tools provided an invaluable technical advantage in completing college assignments. Having worked in the area for almost a year, this Masters course has been ideal in helping me transition into this new and exciting area and I have really enjoyed the challenge. After 30+ years of switching between various academic disciplines and professional duties, I finally feel fulfilled. Proof positive that you're never too old to start again...
________________________________________________________________________
"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think
I've ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams
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