DONE

After having a 50-minute viva, I'm done! Yeayyy! Well I still have some corrections to do but Ya, I'm in Cloud 9..
Thank You to my darling husband and my beautiful daughters for their support and understanding in the last 4 years. Mama's coming home soon...!
Thank You to everyone who's been reading my ramblings for the past 2 years or so. Well, now that I'm about to go home and work (back to reality), there is a BIG possibility that I won't have the time to write as frequent as I want. Plus, I probably cannot write as freely as I want (in terms of topic)..so never say never, but there'll be less of me.

It really has been a pleasure...

Salaam

Life

Life has been busy in the past one month (hence, the absence of post). First of all, I am very pleased to announce that I did it! I’ve finished and submitted my thesis in under 4 years (Alhamdulillah) and now I’m waiting for my viva. I don’t mean to brag but a few of my colleagues asked me how I managed to do it considering I also have a family to look after i.e. being a full time mom and a housewife.

Well, I must admit it was not easy and without the help from my husband, I don’t think I could manage (Thank You, Abang!). But most importantly I guess, is to keep on doing your work, every day. If you ask me, I don’t have any pattern. I would do my work anytime of the day, whenever and as long as I could (this ranged from only 15 minutes to 2 hours per day). If I had to follow a pattern, say only night time or early in the morning, I don’t think I could finish. What is also important I think is that once you start doing your work, you need to focus. When your concentration is gone, then stop doing your work or try to do something that requires very little or no thinking. There has to be some quality with the work you’re doing. There’s no point in sitting in front of a computer for 5 hours if nothing comes out of your head. You only end up bidding for handbags in ebay (which unfortunately happened to me a few times :p) and become upset when you don’t win them.

Oh and don’t forget to pray, du’a to Allah S.W.T to give you the understanding, the memory and to be always full of ideas and thoughts that can assist you in your study.

Anyhoo, I would like to say to those moms or would-be-moms out there who are now studying or who are thinking of going back to school, you can do it! Insya Allah, God will help you.

Salaam.

"Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what you have taught us. Verily,
it is You, the All-Knower, the All-Wise" (Baqarah 2:32)

ALMOST THERE

This is just a quick post. I’ve been busy in the past weeks to finish my work. Alhamdulillah, the first draft is now ready. So I just have to wait and see what the supervisor says. If it goes well then this heavy burden (of 3 and a half years) will finally be lifted off my shoulders (I mean this literally and metaphorically!). In the mean time, Ramadhan Mubarak!

Salaam

MBA vs PhD

For those of you who are contemplating to do a PhD in economics, think twice! This is what Grew Mankiw wrote in his blog regarding MBA vs PhD:

I believe that from a purely financial standpoint, an MBA is a better
investment than a PhD. An MBA is only a two-year program, whereas a PhD is
typically four to six years. The extra time for a PhD probably not yield the
extra income needed to make it a good investment of your time. A typical Harvard MBA gets a starting
salary a bit over $100K; the typical econ
PhD does not start much higher than that.

But the issue is not entirely pecuniary. The question you should be asking
yourself is what kind of job you want to have when you conclude your education.
A PhD makes sense if you want to consider the possibility of being an academic.
You may pursue a PhD and then decide along the way to pursue a different path
than being a professor. That is okay: Many PhD students leave for the private
sector when they are done with their degrees, and they get very good jobs there.
But if you are sure from the beginning that you want some kind of private-sector
job, then the MBA is probably the better route.

Ooppss! What have I got myself into?
But they also say "PhDs rule, MBAs manage" hehehe.

Salaam.

Ps. No matter what, I hope I'll get out of here, alive!