Staying the Course: Conversations with Academics

In 2012, after eight years of working in the banking sector, Amirul Fadzil decided to pursue a part-time MBA. There was one hurdle, however. He was working literally 24/7 as he was involved with the global operations of his organisations.   

In this episode, I speak to Amirul about his journey in undertaking an MBA while pursuing a demanding career -- and how he balanced all commitments alongside raising a young family. We also spoke about how the MBA experience has benefitted him long after he has graduated.

Amirul holds an MBA and BBA from Victoria University - as well as a diploma in Fisheries from Universiti Putra Malaysia.  

'Staying the Course: Navigating the challenges of part-time study' is a podcast to help and inspire master's and PhD postgraduate students in successfully completing their graduate school journey.  

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Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/asrif

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Blog: https://www.asrif.org 

Disclaimer: This content is the opinion of the author and does not represent any affiliated organisation. The information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only.

Counselab is a marketplace for 1-to-1 advising sessions. In this episode, recorded 12 hours after their launch, I speak to Hazim Mohamad, the co-founder of Counselab. We discussed about the stories behind the founding of Counselab as well as the vision that he has for this movement. 

Hazim is a Chartered Financial Analyst with a Master’s in Finance (MFin) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of Warwick.  Learn more about Counselab at: https://counselab.com 

'Staying the Course: Navigating the challenges of part-time study' is a podcast to help and inspire master's and PhD postgraduate students in successfully completing their graduate school journey.  

Follow & Subscribe at: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/asrifyusoff

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/asrifyusoff

Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/asrif

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/asrifyusoff

Blog: https://www.asrif.org 

Disclaimer: This content is the opinion of the author and does not represent any affiliated organisation. The information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only.

One of the biggest challenges of part-time study is balancing time between one's commitments - be it family, work, or study. In this episode, I speak to Mohamad Norsazlan Salim about his experience in pursuing his part-time MBA at UiTM and at PhD currently at UniKL.  

We spoke about his journey in pursuing his passion for learning and putting theory to practice - from the classroom to the workplace. We also discussed about how his research became a household conversation subject with his wife who is an educator and a higher learning institution.  

Sazlan holds an MBA in Office System Management from UiTM, an bachelor's degree in Islamic Banking from UiTM and is currently a PhD student in Information Technology at UniKL.  

'Staying the Course: Navigating the challenges of part-time study' is a podcast to help and inspire master's and PhD postgraduate students in successfully completing their graduate school journey.  

Follow & Subscribe at: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/asrifyusoff 

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/asrifyusoff 

Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/asrif 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/asrifyusoff 

Blog: https://www.asrif.org  

Disclaimer: This content is the opinion of the author and does not represent any affiliated organisation. The information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only.

Pursuing an MBA at Harvard is a dream of many. In this episode, I speak to Luqzan Mustafa Kamal to unpack the process of getting into Harvard Business School (HBS) and get an insider's view on the famous HBS case study method and 'cold calls'.  

Luqzan holds an MBA from HBS and bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering - as well as business management and economics from the University of Queensland, Australia.  

'Staying the Course: Navigating the challenges of part-time study' is a podcast to help and inspire master's and PhD postgraduate students in successfully completing their graduate school journey.  

Follow & Subscribe at: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/asrifyusoff

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/asrifyusoff

Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/asrif

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/asrifyusoff

Blog: https://www.asrif.org 

Disclaimer: This content is the opinion of the author and does not represent any affiliated organisation. The information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only.

In this episode, I speak to Prof. Dr. Abd Karim Alias about the emergence of micro-credentials as a new form of learning or skills acquisition. Micro-credentials have shifted the world of higher education - especially coming out of the pandemic - and I am keen to understand how it can shape the way we learn for the long term. Does it compete or complement traditional higher education?  

Prof. Karim is a Professor of Food Technology at the School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Director of the Centre for Development of Academic Excellence of USM. He has been teaching at USM for over 27 years, and is a prominent advocate of lifelong learning.  His YouTube channel is: https://www.youtube.com/c/AbdKarimAlias 

'Staying the Course: Navigating the challenges of part-time study' is a podcast to help and inspire master's and PhD postgraduate students in successfully completing their graduate school journey.  

Follow & Subscribe at: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/asrifyusoff

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/asrifyusoff

Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/asrif

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/asrifyusoff

Blog: https://www.asrif.org 

Disclaimer: This content is the opinion of the author and does not represent any affiliated organisation. The information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only.

In 2017, with eight years of industry experience and a mechanical engineering degree as well as an MBA already under his belt, Amar Ariffin registered himself as a part-time student in the legal studies programme at UiTM -- an unconventional, yet interesting route of learning.   

In this episode, I speak to Amar about his motivation in pursuing a second degree and how it has benefitted his endless curiosity as a lifelong learner.  

Amar Ariffin holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, an MBA from UiTM, and is currently pursuing his degree in legal studies from UiTM.  

'Staying the Course: Navigating the challenges of part-time study' is a podcast to help and inspire master's and PhD postgraduate students in successfully completing their graduate school journey.  

Follow & Subscribe at: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/asrifyusoff

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/asrifyusoff

Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/asrif

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/asrifyusoff

Blog: https://www.asrif.org 

Disclaimer: This content is the opinion of the author and does not represent any affiliated organisation. The information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only.

In 2018, while accompanying his husband to do his PhD in Japan, Dr. Aliah Majid decided to take the bold step of pursuing a PhD herself. Three years later, she successfully graduated with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering -- which was self-funded from her part-time job. The achievement was also realised while she was raising three children alongside her husband. 

Today, Dr. Aliah is a Success & Productivity Coach and in this episode, I speak to her about her motivation and resolve in pursuing a PhD abroad while raising a family. We also spoke about how she has utilised her experience in balancing family, work, and study towards helping others who are trying to be productive while maintaining their self well-being. 

Dr. Aliah earned her bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees from Meiji University, Japan. She can be reached at the following links: 

Website - https://draliahmajid.com/ 

Instagram - https://instagram.com/aliah.majid 

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7AyRXimYERtt8bGYyAAvrg

'Staying the Course: Navigating the challenges of part-time study' is a podcast to help and inspire master's and PhD postgraduate students in successfully completing their graduate school journey. 

Follow & Subscribe at: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/asrifyusoff 

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/asrifyusoff 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/asrif 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asrifyusoff 

Blog: https://www.asrif.org 

Disclaimer: This content is the opinion of the author and does not represent any affiliated organisation. The information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only.

In 2014, eight years after beginning his career as an engineer, Ir. Yazid Ismail decided to pursue an MBA. The decision was driven by his motivation to become a more wholesome leader, and to feed his curiosity as a lifelong learner at the workplace and beyond. 

Today, Yazid has grown from an engineer into a multi-dimensional leader in digital transformation, change management -- while also dabbling in entrepreneurship. In this episode, I speak to Yazid about his motivations and challenges during his part-time MBA, and how the experience has contributed to his personal and professional growth. 

Yazid holds an MBA from the University of Nottingham Malaysia and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Follow him on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTHi1Q390XS-Pp-2Th3DGNg/featured

'Staying the Course: Navigating the challenges of part-time study' is a podcast to help and inspire master's and PhD postgraduate students in successfully completing their graduate school journey.

Follow & Subscribe at:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/asrifyusoff

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/asrifyusoff

Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/asrif

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/asrifyusoff

Blog: https://www.asrif.org

Disclaimer: This content is the opinion of the author and does not represent any affiliated organisation. The information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to speak at TEDxUTP. My first question to the organiser was, "How short do I have?"

I soon learned that the average talk is 18 minutes. Knowing well enough that no one would listen to me that long, I prepared a 7-minute talk -- which was already pushing my luck.

In this talk, I speak about my turnaround from having an aversion to studying in college to living a life of continuous learning as an adult. 

I hope I get to do another TEDx on stage one day.

'Staying the Course: Navigating the challenges of part-time study' is a podcast to help and inspire master's and PhD postgraduate students in successfully completing their graduate school journey.  

Follow & Subscribe at: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/asrifyusoff

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/asrifyusoff

Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/asrif

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/asrifyusoff

Blog: https://www.asrif.org 

Disclaimer: This content is the opinion of the author and does not represent any affiliated organisation. The information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only.

In this episode, I speak to Chuah Kee Man, an educator, researcher, and education technology innovator. Chuah is currently a Senior Lecturer at University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) -- and a PhD candidate at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).  

In this conversation, we discussed about the role of technology in enabling lifelong learning. The pandemic has truly transformed the way we learn, and we are keen to understand how it can improve access to quality education for all.  

Before starting his PhD in 2020, Kee Man did his Master’s in Learning Sciences and Bachelor’s in Teaching English as a Second Language both at UNIMAS. Follow his YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/c/KeeManChuah  

'Staying the Course: Navigating the challenges of part-time study' is a podcast to help and inspire master's and PhD postgraduate students in successfully completing their graduate school journey.  

Follow & Subscribe at: 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/asrifyusoff 

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/asrifyusoff 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/asrif 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asrifyusoff 

Blog: https://www.asrif.org  

Disclaimer: This content is the opinion of the author and does not represent any affiliated organisation. The information provided is for general informational and educational purposes only.