“It’s a gift I have given myself as an adult.”
This is how 41-year-old Jane Fraser describes her decision after completing her master’s degree in ‘Business and Organisational Psychology’. The program is offered by the IBA Business Academy Kolding in close collaboration with Coventry University in the UK.
And it’s no coincidence that Jane describes the degree as a gift to herself. In the middle of a busy career, she made the bold decision to pause and reflect on her next move.
“I needed it. But of course, it meant leaving a well-paid job. Some people were surprised by that. It’s not easy to step away from a daily routine that works,” she says with a smile.
At that time, Jane had been working for five years as Head of Economics at Maersk Oil, which later changed its name to the current TotalEnergies. Before that, she had held positions at the energy giant BP in both Norway and Scotland, where she is originally from. Oh, and she also spent 3.5 years at Ernst & Young after completing her degree in mathematics and economics at the University of Aberdeen.By her own account, her career had been running at full speed.
But now, she had pulled the plug, as the saying goes. This gave her more time for her three children, voluntary work with Blå Kors, and even the chance to teach herself how to knit. Then one morning, during this period of reflection, an idea struck her: What if I took a master’s degree in work psychology?’
“That’s really the part of my job that I’ve valued the most over the years as a leader. Everything to do with fostering collaboration and creating a positive working environment for my team,” she explains.
Once she had made her decision, it didn’t take Jane long to find a suitable program at the IBA in Kolding. It was the perfect fit for her ambitions. And not far away either since she is living with her family in Esbjerg.
“As a native English speaker, I was pleased to find a program that involved in-person attendance, where I could interact with lecturers and classmates. That aspect has meant a lot to me,” she says.
Her many years in the workforce proved invaluable during her studies. Whenever the class was introduced to a new theory, she never struggled to contribute a real-life case from her own professional experience.
“All my experiences have been relevant. I’ve been able to bring in my own observations during lessons and assignments. It’s been great to connect everything in this way,” she says.
Even though she has now completed her master’s degree, she is in no rush to find her next job. Instead, she is taking her time to find the right position. Perhaps she will enter a new industry or a smaller organization, quite different from the multinational corporations she has worked in so far.
“I’m in no hurry, and that’s intentional. I’m looking for a job where I feel comfortable and where I can make a real difference for my colleagues,” she says.
