Motivation, Independence & Getting On With It

Cross-Cutting Reflection  ·  MSc Computer Science (Conversion)  ·  Author: Orville Fernandes

Staying Motivated

If I am honest, my motivation on this programme has rarely come from the modules themselves. It has come from a simpler place: I made a decision to do this, so I am going to do it well. The end goal is a first-class degree, followed by a role doing meaningful work in tech. Everything on the programme is a step toward that, and I have tried to approach each piece of coursework with that in mind, regardless of how engaging the module was. Dweck (2006) describes a growth mindset as the belief that ability develops through effort rather than existing as a fixed trait. That framing resonates with me. I did not always find the work intellectually stimulating, but I consistently found it worth doing well.

The moment that most reaffirmed this approach came in COM7112, the database design module. I genuinely enjoyed that coursework. The scenario I chose connected directly to my working experience, the design decisions were real and interesting, and I put in a level of effort that reflected that engagement. The mark I received confirmed that when I enjoy what I am working on and invest in it fully, the results follow.

Self-Management and Getting Things Done

The most significant change I can point to between my BSc and this MSc is how I manage my time. During my BSc, almost everything was left to the last minute. Cramming before deadlines was the norm. The MSc has been different. I have not had a single all-nighter. That is not because the workload has been lighter, but because I have been more deliberate. I scheduled full days for university work, clearing other commitments so I can be fully present and in the right headspace.

Balancing the MSc with my role as a Civil Enforcement Officer has required that kind of structure. I have been fortunate to have a manager who has been supportive, helping me rearrange shifts or approve last-minute leave when a deadline was approaching. That external support has mattered. But I am proud of the change in that I arrive at deadlines having done the work, not scrambling to complete it. Kolb (1984) suggests that effective learning requires reflection on experience, not just action. Scheduling dedicated time has given me the space to actually think, rather than just produce.

Independent Thinking and Self-Advocacy

The most significant act of independence I took on this programme was submitting a formal complaint about the design of the COM7119 AI, Biometrics and Smart Systems assignment brief. I have written about that experience in full here, but the short version is this: I identified that the COM7119 assignment brief appeared to be a near-direct repurposing of the COM7010 brief, with terminology substituted but the structure, scenario format, and marking criteria largely unchanged. I documented the evidence using a PDF comparison tool and compiled a formal written complaint to bring it to the attention of the module and course leads, after which a meeting was scheduled to discuss the same.

I want to be clear about where that decision came from. It was not a reflex. I sat on the complaint for a day before sending it. I would also like to note that I was not alone in my frustration – several classmates shared the same concerns about the module. What pushed me to act was not just the repetition of the brief, but the specific finding that the marking criteria for LO1 still referenced software engineering techniques and CS principles from COM7010, raising a genuine question about the level of attention that went into the planning of this assessment, and whether we could be fairly assessed. That felt like something worth saying, constructively and on the record. Schon (2017) describes the reflective practitioner as someone who examines their own practice and its context critically. I think raising that complaint was an application of exactly that kind of thinking, turned toward the programme itself.

An Honest Assessment

There have been moments on this programme where I have seriously questioned whether it was worth it. Not because of the difficulty, but because of the opposite. Too many modules covered ground I had already covered in my BSc or in professional practice, and the bar for practical work rarely felt like it was set at a level that would genuinely stretch a postgraduate student. When you pay for a Masters and spend a year of your life on it, you expect to leave knowing things you did not know before. I have not always felt that way.

What I can say is that the programme has developed me in ways that are harder to point to directly. I am more disciplined. I approach problems more formally and methodologically.

References

Dweck, C.S. (2006) Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York: Random House.

Kolb, D.A. (1984) Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Schon, D.A. (2017) The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. New York: Basic Books.