Marjon Business – Week 4: Challenges and Wins

Takeaway of the week – it’s not that deep.

“It’s been a week of fluctuating feelings of capabilities – I absolutely know that I am competent enough to take on this Master’s, but looking too far ahead at assessments and putting high expectations on myself to already know what I’m supposed to be doing is something that I have always had to work harder at rationalising.

“Being the only one doing the part-time element of this year means that I can sometimes feel like I am missing content because my peers have had additional contact time, but this is something that I am working on not adding to my mental load. Doing the pre-reading, saving thoughts and ideas as soon as they land in my notes app, adding papers to Zotero (on my phone so it’s so easy and to hand at any downtime!) and taking a deep breath have all been mechanisms that have prevented me from getting overwhelmed. 

“I look after a small cohort of children each week and teach them to swim; a longstanding passion of mine. This week, I redesigned my business logo with the mindset that part of my desire to take on this MSc is to establish my self-employed business further as a passive (mostly!) income in providing a high standard of swim lessons to the children of Plymouth. I learnt some new skills that have elevated my logo and design, and for someone who has recently realised my parents are, in fact, not technophobes, it’s the pace at which things change, I was proud to have gotten my head around the tech! 

“I think that being a Marjon BSc grad has helped me to realise that there’s help if you need it, no one wants you to fail, and communication is key. Strategies for coping with stress and overwhelm? IT’S NOT THAT DEEP! That and the mantra from my Year 3 teacher, Sister Anita, “Ella, has the world stopped spinning? No? Then carry on.”

Post authored by:
Ella O’Neill
MSc Business, Management and Enterprise student
Plymouth Marjon University