Not Enough Hours, No Shortage of Ambition: Ndeyapo’s Master’s Journey
...Not Enough Hours, No Shortage of Ambition
For Ndeyapo Mbudje, earning a Master of Marketing from NUST was never just about adding another qualification to her name. It was about growing as a professional, as an entrepreneur and as a person while refusing to put her ambitions on hold.
Between a full-time job and running her own media monitoring and marketing company, Ndeyapo already had a full plate when she decided to pursue her Master’s. What followed was a demanding stretch of assignments, work responsibilities and deadlines.
“Honestly, it was signing up to be tired for two and a half years straight,” she says. Her calendar became “a war zone of deadlines fighting deadlines”, with client briefs on one side, assignment briefs on the other, and her in the middle powered by oshikundu, ashwagandha and sheer determination.
When the Classroom Meets the Boardroom
The experience gave Ndeyapo more than a qualification. Balancing her studies, career and business taught her that she was far more resilient and disciplined than she had realised.
Her thesis proved equally formative. Under the guidance of her supervisor, Dr Gloria Karita, Ndeyapo navigated the rigorous process of research, feedback and revisions. She credits those supervision sessions with sharpening her thinking.
“I’m fairly certain some of my best marketing instincts today come out of that process,” she says, noting that she now approaches challenges in her business more rigorously, drawing on research and structured analysis rather than relying solely on experience.
Earlier this year, Ndeyapo was also registered as a Chartered Public Relations Practitioner by the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA), marking another milestone in her career.
More Than a Graduation Moment
Looking back, Ndeyapo does not see her time as a Master’s student simply as a period of study. She sees a season that stretched her, sharpened her and showed her just how much she could carry.
Her message to other working professionals considering further studies is simple: “Go for it. Believe in yourself. Tough times never last. Aluta continua, vitória é certa!”
After juggling so much at once, perhaps her final words say it best: “It was hard, very hard, mwaMeme, but worth it.”
