Why Docterate

I am a strong believer in Dewey’s Theory of Education, in the sense that true education comes from interaction and inquiry, and not the mere delivery and digestion of dead facts. Critical thinking and skill sets are important aspects of knowledge that can only be developed through inquiry and experience, not classroom learning and repetition. And it is with this foremost in my mind that I pursue a higher education to a pinnacle, namely a doctoral degree in business with a specialization in finance.

A doctorate finalizing in finance interests me because I believe it can provide me with:

• a rigorous background in both theoretical and empirical finance, economics, mathematics and statistics;
• gain a deeper insight and experience with all aspects of finance, including asset pricing, corporate finance, market microstructure, financial institutions and international finance;
• gain valuable finance research experience with a strong support network, culminating in a dissertation in which my particular passion can be formalized;
• the necessary skills with research methodology in the finance field to formulate my own area of theoretical research expertise;
• a jumpstart towards an academic career in research and teaching;

The general direction of a doctorate program is independent research in a chosen topic of specialization, and this is a focused application of inquiry as defined as Dewey. A doctorate requires intense interaction with the topic of my choice as well, again agreeing with my Deweyian nature.

I believe that my experience in independent studies, research and time management will assist me in the pursuit of my doctorate. Juggling extensive part time work to support my tuition and living expenses with the rigorous demands of an intellectually demanding degree program, I have developed efficient time management skills, as well as an ability to focus whenever needed, and to motivate myself independently at all times.

My future plans are two fold:

Firstly, I would want to achieve tenure as a professor in a well recognized institution where I can educate new students not only with knowledge and facts, but as well as the essence of learning and the method of inquiry. Academia is a field in which I have the utmost passion and energy for, and to me, the education of young minds and the nurturing of potential is second to none in terms of meaningfulness and satisfaction both personal and professional

Secondly, I would want to have the opportunity to be exposed to a wide range of functional and intellectual areas in Finance, and hence craft a dissertation topic on a subject matter which invokes my passion and provokes my interest. Furthering that, I would want to utilize my experience with research and theoretical analysis to write up a dissertation on the topic I have crafted previously, in order to gain valuable experience on research methodology and processes. This would also satisfy my intellectual hunger and hopefully jumpstart a career of intellectual inquiry and expanded knowledge.

A doctorate is one of the final stepping stones for those planning a career in academia and research. As a like minded individual, my current aim and perhaps obsession is to gain entry to an established doctorate program and to complete it meaningfully with significant results and gains, both in terms of individual growth and professional impact.