"NO mountain is too high. If you have the passion to achieve your goals, nothing or no one can stop you," says Leong Mun Chak, who graduated with a PhD in Information Technology at Open University Malaysia's (OUM) 10th Convocation recently.
At 44, Leong is not only a seasoned professional but also an educationist who believes that learning, or higher learning to be exact, is important to one's growth and development.
"I make it a personal commitment to constantly upgrade my knowledge and skills," says the father of three daughters who has a Master's of Science in Information Technology for Manufacture from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. He also holds the globally recognised Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Like many others, Leong had his own hurdles to overcome on his quest to attain a doctorate degree.
In fact, his enrolment in OUM marked his third attempt at pursuing a PhD.
Prior to this, he had enrolled in two other universities.
"I was unable to continue my studies at the time due to heavy work and family commitments," he says.
OUM gave him the flexibility he needed to balance his studies, work and family life.
"The risk of giving up midway this time around was near to zero. I was very much at ease with the pace provided by the part-time nature of the programme, as well as OUM's approach to open and distance learning," he says.
Another setback for him was when midway through the programme, he was left with no supervisor who was well-versed in his research area.
However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
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