Working, studying, pregnant
Two women share their experiences in how pursuing studies in the midst of a career while also being pregnant only made them stronger
Priya Nair, 37, an Indian bid manager with AECOM in Abu Dhabi, was pregnant with her second child mid-programme for her two-year MBA in Strategic Management and Leadership from the University of Wolverhampton, UK. “I had to attend classes into my third trimester while working fulltime,” she said.
She completed the programme with distinction and top performer award. She had already done her Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism from Kerala, India.
As a manager she feels studying for an MBA gives her an insight into the practical application of theoretical concepts.
“But of course it comes with hardship. My weekends, for almost two years, had to be dedicated to attending classes, writing assignments and reading up relevant material. I often felt guilty of not having enough time for my two young children and an ever-supportive husband,” said Nair, who has been living in the capital for 13 years.
Aprille Batino-Falla, 34, Filipina, who works as a risk analyst with a private firm in the capital, is doing her MSc in Project Management from University of Alford, Manchester UK.
“It is tough,” she said of pursuing her master’s during her pregnancy. “I am actually working in Ruwais during the weekdays, so the travel and work stress, plus being pregnant, is more than enough to make me just want to rest during the weekends.”
Her husband’s support gives her the motivation, she said. She once had to finish two papers for her study and needed to have ten risk reviews and two reports finalised for work. “The feeling of having accomplished the deliverables on a tight schedule was awesome,” said Batino-Falla, who started her career as an administration assistant in 2008.
As an expatriate for almost a decade, she made investments back home. “But investing in yourself via education is the best investment of all,” she said.