𝐌𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 (𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫): 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐞

Yesterday marked an amazing milestone for me as I fully paid off my master's degree student debt many years before the due date. Here's a brief reflection about master degrees and work that could be helpful for anyone reading this text:

In 2019, I pursued my master's degree at UCL in the spatial data field with hopes of landing a great job in a city like London. I chose UCL because it was ranked the #1 university in the world for built environment studies at the time. Despite the big loan I took out, I was confident that the university's reputation would secure me a job to pay it off.

However, just as I finished my master's and after all the effort, the COVID-19 pandemic shattered my initial dreams, leaving me in a stressful situation with looming debt payments and no job opportunities. It was a dark time, but it taught me a valuable lesson: life doesn't always go as planned, and adaptation is key.

Faced with this "struggle", I founded my first company, i-DA Design, Data and Analytics, and embarked on a journey of diverse working experiences, from commercial real estate development to teaching. Additionally, I had to learn about marketing, finance, and many other topics to keep the business running. This taught me that learning never stops.

I continued seeking opportunities. After countless job applications in tech companies, I landed a dream role at Rappi, where I could apply my knowledge in data. Despite using only a small part of what I learned in my master's, it opened doors to countless new opportunities and fields. I had the chance to work in 9 countries, collaborating with fantastic people and working in the tech-data field and creating products that are applied in more than 100 cities in Latam, which was my initial dream.

Today, as I finally pay off my debt, I realize that despite the stress and sacrifices that I had, pursuing my master's was one of the best decisions I made. It opened my mind to the tech world and provided me with bits of knowledge that I apply in my work with data in many fields such as logistics, operations, e-commerce, real estate, research and design. More importantly, it taught me to keep learning, adapting, and embracing life's challenges.

Final Reflections on Master's Degrees:

1. A master's degree isn't necessary for success, but it opens doors to new knowledge and connections.

2. The master's degree is important, but practical application is the real key.

3. A key part of the master which I am most grateful for is the opportunity to know fantastic people from professors to current colleagues.

4. A master's degree is not the end. Learning and daily sacrifices are the true lifelong pursuits.

5. Use data and forecast all possible scenarios before pursuing a master.

6. Lastly, embrace any mistakes you think you made as opportunities.

I hope this short text is helpful for someone reading it.