Reflecting on my time in education thus far

Exactly ten years ago, I made a deliberate and conscious decision to transition from the corporate world and join the world of academia. My time in academia involve teaching, program management, campus management as well as research. During this period, I have worked and taught in many countries including England, France, China, Singapore, Germany, Dubai, USA, Nigeria and Ghana and met students from almost every part of the world. 

Working in the education space, especially the teaching side can be challenging in that you have to be continuously on top of your game. In the field of marketing for example, the business environment dynamics are constantly evolving characterized by such issues as ethical consumption, automation and technological advancements as well as globalization. The job also involves teaching students with varying levels of capabilities and motivations and there is the constant requirement to find a balancing act that ensures all students learn to the best of their abilities.

On the campus management front, there are challenges pertaining to ever-changing and increasing student expectations, factoring and balancing the requirements of employer expectations from graduates, dealing with regulatory requirements and the constant presence of fierce competition in the industry.

However, working in education is also extremely rewarding in intrinsic terms. Seeing first-hand how my students transition from being introverted young men and women in their first year to capable, confident and well-rounded seniors ready to meet future challenges is indeed most gratifying and priceless!

Reflecting on my journey thus far, I strongly believe that I made the right decision to work in the education space. This is because the job in education resonates with my very own personal values – impacting lives positively by sharing and caring for one another. I share my knowledge and experiences with students in my teachings and show high levels of care in guiding them to achieve their personal and professional aspirations.

Today, teaching transcends beyond just imparting knowledge to students. I believe that it is also about inspiring them to believe and challenge themselves to reach higher heights, inculcating in them growth mindsets, transforming their behaviours and shaping their characters so that they become global citizens who will contribute positively towards the betterment of our beautiful yet troubled world!

I believe that true success in the education space is best measured by how successful I make my students in terms of their growth. Seeing so many of my former students on LinkedIn at varying stages of their professional journeys can only mean that those of us who teach and work in education are positively impacting on the lives of so many people.

My sincere appreciation and gratitude to all the people I have met thus far along my journey. I have learnt from you all and you helped in solidifying my believe that sharing knowledge is the best gift one person can give to another.

“Our net worth is not ultimately defined by dollars but rather how well we serve others” Paul Allen