The Learning Never Stops: My Journey to a Second Master's

If you're feeling lost about your career direction, you're not alone. I've been there too, asking myself the same question: Should I chase what I'm interested in, or should I follow where the market is going?

I recently graduated from my Master of Information Technology Management at Northwest University. I joined that program because I wanted to explore whether technology management was the right career path for me. And you know what? After finishing, I got my answer: No. I'm not interested in doing technology-related work. What I discovered instead is that I love creative work—design work.

One class that really opened my eyes was my AI class with Dr. Jenni French Cyrek. Her lessons gave me so much inspiration about what I actually want to do with my career. Through her teaching, I realized something important: I love design. I love communication. And I love helping others. But more than anything, I found out that I want to break through my fear of the language barrier with others. I want to connect with people. I want to communicate.

So later on, I found the University of Washington's Master of Communication in Leadership program, and I decided to join. Yes, that's my second master's degree. My friends think I'm crazy for going back to school again. But I realized this is my way to grow and explore what I'm actually interested in.

Now, will every class be as exciting as I'm imagining? Maybe not. Some might be more challenging or less interesting than I expect. But here's what I'm pretty sure about: I'll be getting closer to what I'm looking for, and the path toward my future career will become clearer.

Our personality is shaped by the environment we grow up in, but we're not limited by it. We can actively build new experiences that transform us. Staying in familiar, comfortable spaces keeps things easy, but stepping into challenging environments—places that demand more from us—teaches us discipline, resilience, and reveals capabilities we didn't know we had.

My advice to anyone feeling lost: Don't be afraid to try something, even if you're not sure it's "the one." I spent time in IT management and realized it wasn't for me—but that wasn't wasted time. It helped me understand what I don't want, and it pointed me toward what I do want.

Take a breath and explore. Join a class, attend a workshop, try something new. If it doesn't click, that's valuable too—now you know. Keep going. Because eventually, you'll find something that feels right. You might not have all the answers immediately, but you'll feel yourself getting closer.

The path doesn't have to be clear from the start. You just have to be willing to take the next step.