It’s never too late…

For at least the last few years, I’ve had this bug inside me, driving me to look for opportunities to return to academia.. even if I’m well into middle-age, with a family to support. Some well-wishers within my own family have wondered: someone with tons of responsibilities, how can he suddenly venture into this when the outcome is uncertain? Frankly, these thoughts were bothering me too. But, when circumstances conspired to leave me with a ton of time on hand last year, I reckoned that it was now or never. The pandemic and the way it has turned the world upside-down, and forced us to think along dimensions previously never conceived of, also helped.

I have finally taken the plunge and decided, that this is it. I have applied for, and received admission to a research-based master’s programme in my field of Quality Management at Vilnius University (Vilniaus Universitetas), the oldest university in the Baltic region and a top 400 university (as per the 2021 QS rankings). More to the point, amongst all full-time Master’s degree programmes delivered in English in Quality Management, this is one of the best anywhere in the world; which is why I opted to apply to this programme, and am thankful that I got selected.

My ultimate aim would be to continue my studies after I finish the Master’s & pursue a PhD in Quality Management, and subsequently make a career in research and teaching. However that is for the future, and hence by extrapolation, uncertain. It is certainly a thorny path I have chosen and I am fully aware of that. Not least of my challenges would be to live apart from my family. My daughter is all of 9, and while she is expressing happiness that I will be away and hence she can be much more naughty and indisciplined, in her heart of hearts she knows that she will be saddened by my relocation. My octogenarian dad apprehends that he may not be around the next time I return to town, and is hence rather melancholy. I will not have it easy either.

Well, as the song went, que sera, sera. What will be, will be.

I will be travelling, all things being fine, in the 3rd week of August. I hope too, to blog regularly from now. Once I am there, I plan to detail my experiences, to share the natural charm of the beautiful country of Lithuania, my experiences settling down etc.

Let’s see what life has in store..