Not my PhD time yet

Since joining MAMPU in 2017, I’ve been aiming to pursue my PhD. Probably at that time I was still fresh after completing my Masters. After serving the minimum 2 years in MAMPU for postgraduate application, I still remember back in 2019, I prepared a PhD proposal on Society 5.0 Concept originating from Japan. My novelty contribution is related to the influence of national culture and a comparative study between Malaysia and Japan. I submitted the proposal for HLP through MAMPU for approval. To my surprise, the Director-General at that time thought I was still a junior in MAMPU and could not consider my application. I was definitely disappointed. However, there was a silver lining when JICA advertised their research degree scholarship. I tried my luck by submitting an application to MAMPU using the same proposal. Luck was on my side as they approved the proposal and it was sent to the JPA and JICA for further evaluation. Later, I attended interview sessions with JICA and National Graduate Institue for Policy Studies (GRIPS) Japan and received positive feedback. Although I was excited about the prospect of doing PhD in Japan, luck was not on my side when COVID-19 struck in March 2020. Borders were shut, nothing could be done on either side. The offer is valid only for 6 months. After that, I will need to reapply. That’s when I decided that it was not my PhD time yet.

I thought of doing a 2nd master’s degree with MBA in 2020 while Working from Home (WFH) during the pandemic. Again, due to the hectic schedule, luck was not on my side. Taking inspiration from the WFH phenomenon during the pandemic, I prepared a PhD proposal on Work from Home influence on task significance.

I had high hope for 2021 when I submitted the proposal to MAMPU for HLP. However, the Director-General at that time concluded that I am still young (<40). Priority was given to officers above 40. I was devastated again.

I wrote a fresh proposal in 2022 related to blockchain. I guess the topic should be relevant to MAMPU’s role as the national ICT agency and transformation agent. I asked for my professor’s feedback on the proposal and she gave some encouraging feedback. I also asked my buddy Dr. Diyana at UPM to review it and she gave some pretty good responses. I do hope for my luck this time around.

While waiting for HLP advertisement by JPA, to my surprise, there is a plot twist this time around. I received an unexpected offer… Has the time come, or is it still not my PhD time yet?