After 10 years in the war zone, what was a scarier thought for Phil McTigue was going back to school and finishing his degree. Serving his country in war zones like Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Phil was finally put to work in a 9-to-5 job as a director for an aerial imagery company. And after the fast-paced life that came up with a new challenge every day, the 9-to-5 job was not challenging enough for him. This made him decide that he wants to finish his degree that has been left midway when he dropped out in 1989 to join the Marines. In his 40’s, Phil has never been intimated while raiding Taliban-run opium farms or aiding an intelligence task force in its search for weapons of mass destruction, but by the thought of returning to school.
“I never went back to school because I was intimidated by it,” he said. “For me, having just come out of a war zone after 10 years and going into a corporate environment, I was bored. I didn’t have challenges anymore, so it was a very big challenge to take on something that I was afraid to do and that was to go back to the classroom.”
However, that didn’t stop him from going ahead and pursuing his bachelor’s degree from American Military University in West Virginia. He graduated in homeland security and then also completed his master’s studies from Northeastern University. With no aim of stopping, Phil is looking forward to finishing his doctorate as well in the same field. With the self-discipline that is required to focus on studies and finish them, Phil also shares his satisfaction of finally finishing his education.
“One of the reasons that I decided to go back to school was to put myself on an even playing field,” he said.
Disha Mazumder