Mastering time, achieving dreams: MS graduate earns degree early
1
Everyone chooses to take a different path during their academic journey.
For Emad Alkhashani, time management was a big part of his path, and it paid off. Alkhashani finished his master’s degree in civil engineering a year and a half after finishing his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
Not only did he finish early, he also completed his MS degree while working full-time.
“Time management was the biggest thing for me,” said Alkhashani, who is a structures engineer with the Ciorba Group in Chicago. “If you manage your time properly, it’s doable. Time management is something you will learn by yourself. No one will do it for you. Once you learn it, you do it forever. You will notice how helpful it is and how much time you have in your life.”
By managing his time wisely, he didn’t have to find time to study. He built it into his schedule.
“Sometimes I would stay late in the office studying by myself after work,” he said. “It paid off at the end. I’m graduating with my master’s at a young age.”
In addition to keeping a rigid schedule, UIC prepared Alkhashani for the working world throughout his entire academic tenure. “UIC did an incredible job preparing me for the working environment. What I learned here gave me all the knowledge and skills I need,” he said. “I also developed more communication skills, which are imperative for a new job.”
As he departs UIC, he wants his journey to inspire high school, undergraduate, and master’s students planning careers in engineering.
“I had the option to stay and study at my parents’ home in Jordan with an easy life. I decided to come to UIC to step out of my comfort zone. Comfort is the enemy of growth, and I think that’s really important for high school students to know. College students also need to get out of their comfort zone to learn more and grow. Don’t wait for college or an internship. Start exploring now,” Alkhashani said.
In addition to time management and working hard, he wants students to enjoy what they design and work on, see it built, and see it come to fruition.
“What I like about civil engineering is that you see the thing getting built in front of you. If it’s bridges or buildings, you can see what you worked on,” Alkhashani said. “It’s one of those majors where I do a design and then I go into the field after two or three years, I see what I helped build is real, and people are using it. You’re helping people live day to day. Everything that you see in your daily life, like buildings, bridges, and roads—there’s a civil engineer behind them.”