Pursue PhD at 74 By Ow Tuck Soon

To be a PhD student at the age of 74 maybe unthinkable for most people but to me it’s very satisfying. Age and calamity has never been a barrier to my education. During the World War II, there was a brief interruption to my studies but I went on to pursue my degree in BBA studies at RMIT, Melbourne Australia. Then later around the age of 50 I did my Masters, again at overseas. This time at the prestigious Henley Management College, UK. Now after my quest around the world in search of quality education, I come back a full circle to Malaysia – Open University Malaysia for my PhD.

The field of my PhD study? The very intriguing area of Strategy Turnaround. This topic is indeed very applicable especially in the Malaysian context where we are facing times of crisis like the rise in petrol prices. How do we cope with these crisis and turn them around for our benefit? Indeed I’m glad that OUM offers such a unique subject for my research. My only problem now is the very short deadlines. My paper is purely research and keeping up deadlines is very difficult. However, I appreciate the staff at the Centre for Graduate Studies who are generally sociable and friendly.

Currently, I am teaching part-time at various colleges in Klang Valley. Prior to teaching, I have worked for about 40 years in a number of multinational companies like Coopers and Price-Waterhouse. I’m very proud to say that I have both working experience and academic qualifications – theory and practice – something which is quite uncommon these days. I’m also very happy to share my vast experience with my young students. Since my background is in accounting, I teach management and accounting related subjects in overseas university programmes.

What are my objectives to pursue my PhD? Basically I have three objectives:

* To prove to myself that at my age it is never too late to learn.


* To prove to the younger generation that learning is never too late. In fact, I tell all my students that I’m currently pursuing my PhD. The journey of learning will never end.


* As a teacher, my role is to bridge theory with practice. There is a saying, “theory without practice is empty, and practice without theory is blind......”

In order to be a good student, one needs to have a good time management. In my case, to find time to do assignments. Another important requirement is to enjoy reading. Often, I will use the resources at OUM’s digital library and e-learning platform. I also very much enjoy the lively seminars here.

Balancing time is crucial as a working learner. I have to travel quite far from my home at Petaling Jaya to the college and prepare all the materials as a lecturer of a higher institution. In terms of family, I have only one son who is now working in the US as an engineer. Yet in spite of it all I do not regret doing my PhD because it provides me with a feeling of self-satisfaction.

Source: OUM Learner Connexxion (August 2008 Issue)