For nearly thirteen years, I was a single parent, raising my son while working and building a future for us.
During that time, I decided to study for my MBA. There was a problem, though: I didn’t have enough money. The programme was expensive. The university explained that because it was a part-time MBA over two years, I could pay the fees over those two years.
That made it possible. Not easy — just possible.
After work there was cooking, cleaning and looking after my young son. My books had to wait until he was asleep. When the house finally went quiet, I could begin studying.
I still remember exam mornings when I got up at four o’clock to do the last bit of preparation before an exam. It was a tough time.
Meanwhile, the instalments continued. I paid the final amount just before graduation.
Three letters — MBA — fit neatly on a CV. But those letters don’t show the cooking, the cleaning, the tired evenings, the early mornings, the worry about money or the responsibility of being a father.
My son was young and asleep while I studied. Someday, perhaps, a photograph from those years will sit alongside this story. For now, the memories are enough.