Views from the higher ground

It’s my second week at the University – and it has proven to be a very interesting experience. Somehow I’m glad that I return here after I have gained years of experience elsewhere so I have the wisdom how to handle varying situations and the variety of personalities. On the other hand, I wish I had joined when I was younger – most of the Masters students are younger than me and are yet to experience the ‘real world’. They may be booksmart, but I wonder whether they will survive out on the streets as well.

My spot is much better than my old desk at the previous company though, I have a desk facing the window that overlooks the parks to the north of the CBD – as well as the train tracks and the parking lot that mar the view. There are three other students in the room with me and one is already pretty close to withdrawing from her program due to the pressures she is facing. Another one faced intense scrutiny from the panel when she delivered her proposal earlier this week. They started their Masters degree six months ago so now they are in the period where they have to submit their proposal and then defend it. Strangely enough, the pressure, the politics, and anything and everything related to academic life did not faze me. Perhaps it’s the Year of the Tiger, or more certainly it is probably the grace of God that has made me brave enough to tackle the possibilities of such pressure heaped on me in the future.

I was busy coding some Microsoft Excel Visual Basic macro last week and for the earlier part of the week for an important meeting next week. The task given to me has refreshed a lot of my memory regarding coding and programming and has allowed me to hit the ground running. I didn’t know Visual Basic at all but I had used Basic many years ago so it didn’t look entirely foreign. My first ever programming experience was with my sister’s Apple II computer when I was a wee lad.

Because of the macro, I’ve been exposed to a lot more people at the organisation and some people have already called me ‘The Excel Macro Guru’. Haha. Now that the first phase of the software is done and that the user guide has been written, I can commence my reading and getting to know my journals intimately.

So, the view from the higher academic ground is: it can be stuffy, it will certainly be a tough slog, but I am excited to face the challenges ahead!! 🙂 By the grace of God, bring them on! 😀