Courtesy of snipergirl
In slightly over three weeks, I will be flying off to Melbourne to continue my education. I will be reading a Masters in Arts Management at the University of Melbourne, specialising in modules related to art history, museum history and philosophy as well as audience development, finance, strategic planning, organisational management and cultural policy.
This has been made possible through a scholarship courtesy of my organisation, which comes with a three-year bond. Looking at the financial situation as it is, it may not be that bad a deal although it did take me some time to mull over it.
While I have been working in the cultural field for coming to six years, I have never received a formal education in the arts before. My undergraduate degree was in life sciences (specifically botany), followed a couple of years later by a postgraduate diploma in marketing (done part-time).
I have considered various other options like pursuing an MBA or a Masters in Communication or Marketing (which is directly related to my work). However, I believe that those options are probably too similar to what I am familiar with to do me any major good. I also needed something that will stretch me mentally while providing the right context for my work, and this course seems fine.
As US's new president Obama has chorused, we need change in our lives. With this sabbatical, I hope to engage my grey matter in a refreshing manner, and to be imbued with fresh insights on work and life in general.
Will there be any changes to this blog? Well, I am still a marketer and publicist, and will be sharing my observations of what works and what doesn't from down under. I'll be away from Singapore from mid February all the way till end December (or later) but I'll still be updating my blog, facebook accounts and checking emails periodically so you'll know what's happening in my life.Labels: education, melbourne university, personal musings
