Please tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Jake. I currently work for a speech recognition software development company in London as a Customer Success Manager. Over the course of my career, I’ve held a range of customer-facing roles including Head of Sales in the education industry and Assistant Cruise Director for a cruise ship company. I’m a life-long learner, avid reader and sports enthusiast.

At the moment, I’m also working freelance for a government advisory agency called Gambit Delys. This was an opportunity that I obtained through one of my connections on the International Affairs MA.

What motivated you to pursue a master’s in International Affairs?

I’ve always been passionate about the subject area, even though I didn’t have much experience or knowledge in it. So, for a while it was just something I wanted to explore further. I teetered on the edge of a decision for ages and always found excuses for not taking the course. But then someone questioned me about why I hadn’t taken the course yet which made me consider what was really stopping me. And that was the fear of ‘can I actually do this?’. Wanting to prove to myself that I could do this, gave me the push to start.

Why did you choose King’s specifically?

What attracted me to King’s in the first place is the fact that it is King’s. The reputation of the University precedes it. When you go into a job interview and someone notices that you have a master’s from King’s College London, that is always brought up in conversation.

I was also drawn in by the academics on the course who are thought leaders in their area. During my initial research about the course, I discovered lead academics like Dr. Huw Davies, who was the programme lead at the time. Huw is a very well-known historian and an author I often cited in my research.

And of course, the online format appealed to me, and the fact that it is so flexible and would fit around my work.

How did the course impact your career?

Through this course, I connected with a multitude of people, some of whom are very successful in their respective industries. They opened many doors for me and showed me all the different career opportunities that I can pursue like civil service, journalism and government roles. Similarly, the King’s career service provided me with a lot of advice on all the things I could do.

The role that I’ve taken now was offered to me by a contact I met on the course. It is a freelance position for an advisory agency currently working with the Emirati government.

I’m also a part of the Nicholas Spykman International Center for Geopolitical Analysis which was started by students on the King’s course.

How did you find going back to study at a university level?

I discovered most learners have something they feel self-conscious about when starting the course. Mine personally was subject knowledge in practically every module! I had to do a lot of reading just to get to a level where some of the other people already were.

When you first start the course, it’s important to free up your diary as much as possible, give yourself time to get into the course, and talk to others who are already ahead in their degree.

Everybody thinks it’s very difficult at first but once you get through the first couple of modules, you start to feel a lot more confident. This is where the peer-to-peer interaction plays a key role. Students will help each other one on one and reassure each other. People I met on the course did that for me, and I did that for others.

What did you enjoy most about the course?

The diversity of thought in the classroom and being able to have debates with other students who have vastly different lived experiences and come from all over the world.

We strongly challenged each other on different ideas but always in a very respectful way. For example, one of the subjects we talked about a lot was the Eurocentricity of history and contemporary politics. We had a WhatsApp group where we’d continue discussions and debates.

We also had webinars which in addition to lecturers teaching you, included a discussion forum where we could bring together a lot of those ideas and positively challenge each other.

Did the online format allow you to collaborate and network with other students?

What really helped me build relationships with other people on the course and shape my learning were the group projects.

Every module, especially in the early stages, involved some form of group work which naturally encourages you to interact with others.

Because the course is so international, I had some preconceived thoughts about how we’d be able to connect through so many different time zones. But you must consider that people who are doing a master’s are usually strongly committed to meeting others in their field.

Thanks to these interactions, I have a huge international network now and my LinkedIn is filled with people I can reach out to and have incredible discussions with.

What other benefits did you obtain from the course?

I developed strong critical thinking skills. Both in my daily life and at work, I’m a lot more aware of people’s different perspectives and end goals, whether that’s talking to a client or discussing the news with friends.

My writing skills got so much better. That was even commented on at my workplace.

Another benefit was the research skills I gained. When I need to conduct research at work now, I am much more confident in using the right keywords, phrasing my searches in the best possible way, and going beyond Google to find relevant information.

I also learned to manage my time better. When you’re studying on top of your full-time job, you have to learn to prioritise and focus your time as effectively as possible. After completing the course, I felt I’d carved out so much free time for myself. So, I’m filling this time with learning new things now.

What advice would you give to prospective students?

My advice to someone considering doing this course would be to think about what it is that you really want to get out of your studies. The more you put in, the more you’re going to get out of it at the end.

If you’re looking to expand your career in international affairs, there are so many opportunities that the course can create for you – through the skills you learn, the people you meet, and the networks you form.

The same is true if you’re hoping to progress in your current field. But in either case, you need to assess if that’s really a step you want to take, because you are committing to at least two years of real work to get where you want to be.

Once you know what that end goal is though, don’t put it off indefinitely. I thought about doing this course for a year and a half, and I didn’t do it. And then it was a year and a half later in my life, and I realised I probably could have actually found the time to study if I had just pushed myself to do so.