Decision

It's been a long day yesterday. I woke up 5 in the morning, to give the stool sample for the annual physical exam, then supposedly to have breakfast with someone. My co-worker did not go to work the night before, so I just stayed until about 10 in the morning.My friend Pao invited me to watch a movie, but then cancelled for a reason I would never and not interested to know.

At the start of the day, I decided to have my objective that at the end of the day, I must have a final decision on whether I would like to go for the master of business management program, or not. Perhaps the perceived time made it longer.

* * *

The reasons for taking the master's program by June are strong. I have the desire and the enthusiasm today. Also, I think I still have more knowledge today than what I would have in the future, about a year later. Time is also not on my side - better take it now and get the results later. It cannot work that I have a promotion now and have the master's later. Also, I need to do this as soon as possible if I want to be a professor.

A long-term point of taking the master's is that it would eventually strengthen my character and personal skills. This is going to be a tough road if I take it this term. I have to enrol this summer pre-requisuite subjects so that I could minimize subjects that I have to take by Graduate School proper. Summer class is taxing - 2 hours per day, everyday. Taking the master's would put out my social life immediately. And I have some personal tasks - tasks I have committed myself to for other people.

And the Character point is supposed to be an encouragement for me. But a challenge is something that I enjoy and I am for some reason drawn to it.

* * *

The points of not taking the program this June are certainly entertaining. Time is not on my side, a point I have mentioned earlier, works also against doing the program. I am wondering if taking the program as a challenge would rather be a nuisance instead of a challenge. Can I really do it? I am not certain of the things. I have a very predictable schedule, but I do not know what my graduate schedule would be like.

Finance would also strangle me - I want t get a PDA for my master's, but my finances are not adequate. I have planned the monthly expenses, I wonder if there is something that I could do. The finance capaability is partly cause of the weakened social activity - I don't have a great social life, and this would even nullify the existing one. I would have little maneuver room for my finance.

This would also put me to a 2 to 3-year committment. For a 9-unit semester, with another subject to be added, it is 2 years. Can I really commit myself to such a plan? (I have actually tried to relate this to a relationship - I don't know the answer, but I would know with this plan.)

Another drawback of doing it this semester is the lack of pre-requisite subjects. For some reason, I forgot to take some subjects I could and should have taken the semester before, like Econoimics 11 and Accounting 1. My lack of planning and waste of time in Cable diverted my attention to other things.

Now, Master of Business Management is the primary important thing in my schedule.

* * *

In the end, it was a long decision-making process. I thought I finally decided, "YES!" but by 1 in the morning (I spent some time with a friend til that time.), I thought, There are a lot of things I might not be considering and I might end up failing with a bad fall, so I thought before going to sleep, "No."

When I woke up, I thought, A lot of people think I can do it. I don't know if they really believe me, but I know myself that I could do this. God has allowed me to graduate UP Manila, finish ROTC in Advance Course with Duty Medal. This is not impossible.

In my journal, I wrote, I am driven by and drawn to challenges. I don't want to go the easy way and way of the mediocre. At the same time, I remember an Overdrive (a book about crisis management) idea, crisis is subjective. A crisis for a mediocre person would be easy for a person having a high standard of performance. I am drawing myself into a crisis situation!
At this, I have made my decision.

* * *

The next question: Which school? There are three schools which I am considering: PLM, PUP and UP.

In order to answer the question, I have these specific concerns or sub-questions:

• How much is the tuition fee?
• What are the requirements? Are there interviews? What are the pre-requisite subjects that I might need to take for business-oriented master programs.
• How many units?

Only one thing could stop me from going to Master's program: Failure in the entrance exam. No, not motivation would fail me.

Bye, society.