Investing in the future

Growing up, my parents often sounded like a broken record in saying that a good education is the only thing we can expect to inherit from them. I wasn’t born into wealth but my parents worked hard to give me and my siblings the best education they can afford. It also helped being a product of the public school system and private scholarships which opened a world of opportunities.

Being all ‘grown up’ and reflecting on my career so far, I realise how education profoundly affects opportunities. Professional education in particular can build specialist knowledge, skills and competencies that contribute to career advancement and lifelong learning. Indeed, education is all about ‘investing in the future’ as my parents would say, and I acknowledge the wisdom of their words as I recently finished my Diploma in Business Continuity Management at Bucks New University.

I decided to study for the Diploma last year precisely for that reason. My current role leading the research function at the Business Continuity Institute (BCI) requires specialist knowledge of business continuity (BC). This specialist knowledge comes from rigorous academic study which should complement prior credentials and professional practice. Being part of the Diploma programme since last year involved a steep learning curve – not to mention foregone weekends – but it represented a worthwhile investment.

In the Diploma programme, the first two modules provided a proper foundation for BC practice and contextualised the discipline with relevant academic theories and current issues. The final module, which required independently produced research output, put our knowledge to the test. In the nine months that we were part of the programme, we were investing our time into building knowledge, skills and competencies that would serve us well in promoting resilience within our organisations.

I can say with certainty that I am a better professional now than when I began the programme. My colleagues from the course would probably say the same, judging from their status updates and appending the ‘DBCI’ to their names. I would say that it was definitely worth the effort!

Having finished the course, I am certainly grateful to my parents for instilling the importance of education and encouraging me to pursue further qualifications. I also wish to thank the BCI for offering this fantastic opportunity. My tutors – Angela Vernon-Lawson, Phil Wood and Gavin Butler – also deserve special mention for their hard work. Looking into the future with a DBCI qualification, I am convinced that this investment in professional education will pay dividends to our members, my career and hopefully the discipline.

(Note: This was originally published in the BCI blog site. The photo was taken from https://education.ucsc.edu/.)