Full-time MBA: the journey to achieving my dreams

Full-time MBA participant, Kofi Aboagye, shares his journey to studying an MBA and explains why he chose to join WBS.       

We have come from all walks of life in search for our true selves. Warwick Business School (WBS) presented an opportunity for all of its Full-time MBA 2019/20 cohort, consisting of 119 people from 40 countries, to achieve their individual aspirations. To some, it was in search of greener pastures or acquiring advanced academic knowledge, whilst others wanted to change career.

We all had a reason for joining WBS and you may be wondering what brought me here. To answer that, I would like to tell you a little bit about my journey. Attaining higher education has always been my goal, as it was an opportunity to escape poverty. I grew up in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana – a West African Country – where most young adults prefer to venture into petty trading, I strived to pursue a career in Accountancy. 

The early stages of my education were through community public schools, where students rarely make it to the top. However, at an early age, I was encouraged to recognise the benefits of education, from people I consider role models in my community and I was determined at every stage to put myself into a position that enabled me to further my education. My granny, of blessed memory, was my biggest cheer leader. I made it through my undergraduate studies and the further I went, the more respect I gained from my community. This was a major motivator and I eventually became a Chartered Accountant.

Education took me out of poverty and introduced the world to me. After visiting other parts of the world a couple of times, I became quite self-conscious and realised how lucky I had been. But it didn’t just happen – it took hard work and God’s favour. As part of my dreams, I have always wanted to be part of the global business leaders, be the best I could be and impact on my community. I believe that a dream can be achieved if you work towards it. Did I ever think that I would be where I am now when I first started out in my local community school? No, but as we move forward in life, opportunities come our way and we dream bigger.

I came to WBS in search of world-class education. An education that could put me in a position to pursue opportunities and dreams beyond my original boundaries. But such journeys do require a cost - in terms of both time and money! But the Full-time MBA at WBS, with its diverse cohort has been a game changer for me. The learning environment has enabled me to study from the experiences of 119 dynamic people. I am learning the cultures of 40 different countries in one location, an experience that could have taken years, if not longer to acquire.

The world-class educational facilities and the depth in knowledge of the faculty members has added to my learning experience. The style of teaching has been thought-provoking and something that will stay with me for years to come. Most of all, the effort to develop the soft skills of students has made a huge difference in my life. There have been moments where I have felt like I am on a leadership programme one day and a strategy course the next and all of these elements of the course create a rounded learning experience.

Tomorrow, I step back into my world feeling more confident and I can look back and say that I started in a third world setting but ended up in a first world educational environment. It is not where we start but where we end up that makes the difference. For the Change Makers.

Find out more about the Full-time MBA.