We sat down with Computer Science MSc student, Mariyah Akhtar, to talk about her experience on the course so far.
Mariyah is studying for her master’s part-time while also working full-time at St Mary’s in the Admissions department.
We asked Mariyah what it’s been like balancing her studies with her job and personal life, as well as the transition coming back into education.
What made you choose a computer science master’s at St Mary’s?
I chose to do a master’s part time in computer science because I was looking to progress my career into a new field, and IT and Computer Science are areas that I’m really interested in. There are so many careers in IT and AI nowadays, so I wanted to have the option to explore that.
I actually have a degree in marketing and I’ve done a lot of work with websites, so in a way it felt like there was always a pathway to me doing computer science - even if it wasn’t direct.
St Mary’s were also really happy to support me in doing my master’s as employers, so I decided to just go for it!
What has it been like doing a master’s while also working full time?
It has been quite hard at times, the first semester was really tough. I think the first couple of weeks were the hardest as I was getting to grips with being back in education while also balancing my full-time job and home life at the same time.
But overall, it’s really not been that bad. I'm so lucky that I've made some really nice friends on the course and the lecturers have been really supportive throughout.
Something that’s also really helped is my department and management at work are very supportive of me studying. So, I know I've been very lucky in that sense.
What are you enjoying most about your degree so far?
I've actually really enjoyed coming back into education. After doing my full-time job for so long now, it’s been a really nice challenge for me to go back into education and do a master’s. It’s been fun having some exposure to student life again.
While at times it has been hard and stressful, the topics are so interesting and I’m just focused on that end goal. So far we’ve had modules on networking, programming, and now we’ve just started one on artificial intelligence. Everyone says that you’re going to find programming hard and I definitely did struggle with it, but I’m glad I pushed through.
What would you say to anyone thinking about starting a postgrad while also balancing other commitments?
I'd say it really is doable. Don't get disheartened in the first couple of weeks because it does get easier and a lot of people are feeling the same way as you. That being said, I'd also probably say make sure you're ready to make that commitment as well.
My biggest piece of advice is to just give it time. A lot of people are in the same boat as you too, so it's important to talk about it and share when you’re struggling.
While it is a challenge, I think doing a master’s is definitely worth doing if it will help you in the future.