Driven to be better

taylor’s university and universiti Putra Malaysia students share their thoughts on marriage and children

I’M finally getting a hang of achieving work-life balance. and now that I have managed to do that, I want to further my studies because the accounting field is very competitive. to be outstanding, I have to constantly upgrade my skills and knowledge. I decided to pursue a master’s degree before sitting for the association of Chartered Certified accountants (acca) professional papers. I want to focus on completing my studies and progressing in my career before thinking about marriage as it requires a lot of commitment and you have to be financially stable, as well. So, I’ve decided to focus on my goals first.

Auditor and Masters in Accounting student who only wants to be known as Veron, 27

I Want to finish my postgraduate studies. It’s crucial for women to be financially independent, whether they are single or have a family. there is a Chinese proverb that says, ‘knowledge changes one’s life.’ I believe that it’s only through education that we are able to gain more knowledge to help us in our future.

Master of Science (Agribusiness) student Sophia Ang Xin Tong, 26

IT’S tough balancing the demand of my doctorate course while having to take care of my family; I have two young children. My husband is a warehouse executive at a food and beverage company and because of the nature of his work, he works at night, which leaves me with the kids. I was working as a veterinary officer but decided to go on study leave because I just couldn’t manage. and I really want to give my all to my Phd. due to these factors, in addition to financial obligations, we decided to stop at having just two children.

PHD (Animal Production Economy) candidate Ummi Noorhakimah Abdullah, 36

as the eldest in my family, it is my responsibility to ensure that my parents and younger siblings are taken care of. after completing my studies, my focus will be on securing a job, building my career and finding ways to open a restaurant or a food stall for my parents to run so that they can earn some money. My mum loves to cook and has experience working in a restaurant. My dad is not as strong as he used to be but he can help my mum with the easier chores. My younger brother can help as he’s currently unemployed. there are a lot of things that I have to take care of before I can even think about marriage, which is expensive! I’m still young and have a long way to go before making such an important decision.

Bachelor of Agriculture Science student Mohamad Ariff Fikri Ali, 25