One Shetland student has demonstrated you can have it all after becoming a new dad and graduating in the space of a year.
The hard graft involved in balancing coursework and class studies, while working full time and being a father, has paid dividends for Matthew Laurenson, 30, who graduated from Robert Gordon University yesterday with an MBA in Oil and Gas Management.
Baby Hannah joined the family 11 months ago and was with her mum, Rebekah when her father took to the stage to receive his award.
Originally from Hamnavoe, and now a project management consultant with Nexen Petroleum UK Limited in Aberdeen, Mr Laurenson said he was encouraged to consider continuing professional development after gaining his chartered engineer status.
He added: “I was attracted to the MBA course at RGU because it allows students to specialise in oil and gas management which is fairly rare.
“This, coupled with the opportunity to study in a flexible part-time set up, made it the best option for me. I also chose RGU because the business school is highly ranked in national league tables.
“I am delighted to be graduating from the course without the need to take any breaks, especially as my wife and I had our first child at the end of my second year.
“Despite all that, I managed to successfully complete the course and I really appreciate the support I’ve had from Rebekah and the wider family.”
Talking about one of the highlights of his journey, Mr Laurenson confirmed the world gathering in Leadership Week was very helpful.
He added: “It was definitely the highlight, getting the chance to spend time with all the full-time, part-time and distance learning cohorts who gathered at the RGU Garthdee campus for the week.
“The speaker line-up was great, with senior leaders from many large oil and gas companies, as well as trade bodies and leading academics in the fields of leadership, and communication.
“I plan to take the experience gained from this course back into the workplace. I have already had the opportunity to do this via the final consultancy project which was carried out in conjunction with Nexen and was well received.”
