Emirati earns MBA at 75, fires up netizens
dubai — An Emirati man has proven that age is just a number by getting his master’s degree at the age of 75 from a university in Dubai.
Ali Mohammad Naji was all smiles at the Swiss Business School’s graduation ceremony that took place on October 19. Photos of the event racked up more than 1,200 retweets after his son posted selfies with his father on Twitter, saying how proud he was of him.
Naji, a former chemist and head of laboratory for Adnoc, had always dreamed of getting his master’s degree after earning his higher diploma from Scotland in 1980; however, he couldn’t return to university due to work obligations.
Now, he decided to get his Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) to further educate himself so he can help his family in their upcoming business — a medical centre in Abu Dhabi.
“One of the things (we need) to manage and handle the responsibility of a medical centre is to be educated and have the knowledge, which is why I chose business administration,” Naji told Khaleej
Times. “My first target is to set an example for my family, children and grandchildren. Also, as a father in this age, to tell all children that they shouldn’t miss a chance when they get it, they should try to do it. They are lucky to be on this land. It is a land of chances, dreams. I’m not saying this because I’m a national, I’m saying this to everyone who is on this land. I’m proud to be a national.”
Naji was one of Adnoc’s pioneers who helped establish its first refinery in the UAE in 1976. He was also sponsored to study in Scotland shortly after, where he received his higher diploma for chemistry.
Pursuing studies again after 38 years, Naji said students today should take advantage of all of the resources they have, especially the Internet and other technologies — something he wishes he had back then.
“I did find a lot of difficulties during my MBA, but, with determination and by digging for the knowledge, you can accomplish anything. Before when we were in the college, we suffered a lot when we were getting our education,” he said.
“When we were at the refinery, there were people who don’t give you the knowledge ready-handed. They were telling you to go to books and you wasted a lot of time digging for knowledge through these books and trying to find the right ones. Now, you can Google and get any knowledge you want within seconds. So, people now are very lucky and they should utilise these facilities, which was not offered to us during our time. We struggled in getting information. Now, information is on the tip of our fingers, just by pressing a button.”
Naji felt “proud and happy” on the night of his graduation and had majority of family present, cheering him on. However, what the Naji family didn’t expect was the online support they received after posting selfies of the ceremony.
Naji’s son, Fahed Ali, posted two selfies of him and his father and wrote: “My father at age 75 years old decided to continue his education. Today (is) his graduation ceremony & (he was) awarded a Master’s Degree. Proud of you father.” This tweet has been retweeted 1,200 times and liked over 2,200 times as of the evening of October 20.
Support poured in from Twitter users, as well. One user said: “The strongest factor for success is selfesteem. That is what your dad did it is a glory”. Another user posted: “Congratulations to both of you! That’s the spirit of learning for all of us- continuing education”.
Ali told Khaleej Times: “They were just personal photos, I had no idea it would go this big.”
When Khaleej Times asked Naji what he had planned next for himself, he said he is thinking about going after a PhD. “My dean recommended me to get my PhD. He said he would be sending me all of the information,” Naji added.
As a father in this age, (I’d like to) tell all children that they shouldn’t miss a chance when they get it, they should try to do it.”
Ali Mohammad Naji, MBA graduate, former chemist