A Cambridge degree? me?

It wasn’t as if I had given up on learning. Looking back I seemed to have attended an extraordinary number of short courses. The trouble was that in some cases I couldn’t even remember the name of the course, never mind the content. It seemed sufficient for most delegates merely to be seen to attend in the hope of some unspecified, unquantifiable, latent benefit.

Furthermore, these courses singularly failed to impress anyone who really mattered. That is, anyone who really mattered to the furtherance of my career. So I decided I needed something that added value to me as a manager and that the industry recognises as an achievement. I needed to take matters into my own hands.

I saw an advert in Construction Manager for a part time degree for busy professionals, designed to shed light on managing interdisciplinary teams. It sounded exactly what I needed but I could imagine a list of snags as long as my last project. Surely my 2:1 in Construction Management wouldn’t get me into Cambridge? Could I keep up with all those clever people? What if I were found out and ridiculed in class? Would I have the time for the coursework? What on earth would my family say?”

As I searched for the special phrases in the application form designed to divert people like me, my worries evaporated. It was a part time course. There was no need to kiss job and family goodbye because the seven weeks in residence was spread over two years. Applicants needed middle to senior management experience in construction, and a 2:1 or equivalent in an industry-related qualification. As far as the coursework was concerned, apart from showing up, students only had to write one case study, two essays and a thesis, with guidance, of course.

A foot in the door

And that would get me an official Masters Degree of the University of Cambridge! Interdisciplinary Design in the Built Environment (IDBE), I could do that! I began to get excited. I took a deep breath and contacted the course director. One last reality check.

“Yes,” he said. “It sounds as if you might fit in well. Write in and we’ll arrange an interview.”

My thoughts turned away from pitfalls towards a determination to make this opportunity happen. First I had to explain to my employer why they should allow me to apply, and next convince my wife that I should be let loose on an unsuspecting university population. Neither had proved particularly sympathetic to matters concerning individual liberty and self-realisation in the past, but I decided to view this as a challenge.

In the event, given the subject matter and the obvious networking opportunities, the former proved surprisingly easy. The real challenge was explaining to my wife, Ann, why our dining room had to be submerged in books, notes and computer equipment for two years and why our holidays might be affected. Even while she was giving me the official nod of approval I was secretly disappointed to realise that, not for one minute did she consider it likely that I would prove to be of any interest whatsoever to the university’s female population. So it proved.

However I still had to pass muster with Cambridge.

My interview was held in Cambridge in May 2002. I was highly nervous but the IDBE course director soon put me at ease. We briefly examined my qualifications and moved on to discuss actual projects I’d been involved in, which had gone well or not so well. We explored disaster theories and views on project management and just as it seemed we were getting into full swing it was too quickly over. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that, although not a designer by profession, as a construction manager I could bring an invaluable insight. I left elated. And you know what? My offer arrived in the post a few weeks later.

The first night was the only daunting time I spent at Cambridge. Our disparate group assembled in a private dining room for a welcome address and dinner. The conversation started awkwardly and many, including me, seemed self-conscious. But by the time we reached the college bar we had begun to realise we were all reasonably normal people.

The 15 of us were to be members of Wolfson College, a college for mature students, located not far from the University library, the rugby ground and various cricket grounds.

In our first residential week we were required to report for something called college matriculation. This turned out not to be some strange and painful operation but instead a formal, yet very civil, ritual. After a short speech and some fine wines, a very grand dignitary glorying under the title of ‘Praelector’ bestowed lifetime college membership upon us.

Now i have a much better understanding of the pressures designers face

Ken Hannah

During that week the group soon bonded despite our diversity. Countries of origin included UK, China, Malaysia, South Africa and Japan. There were town planners, architects, engineers, a surveyor and one construction manager - me.

On the Thursday evening we enjoyed another Cambridge tradition, formal dining in College together with the Senior Fellows, College officers and fellow students. I discovered that Formal Halls are not at all stuffy occasions but enriching experiences fortified by a liberal supply of wines and port from the not inconsiderable College cellars.

Work that social scene, ken!

After the long days of study, often not finishing until well into the evening, we occasionally visited the famous college bars of Trinity, Kings, Queens, Pembroke and Peterhouse, sometimes into the early hours, talking about life, our aspirations and our newly shared objectives. These evenings proved invaluable for group bonding and were frankly great fun: a lifestyle that had passed us by, but fleetingly once again revisited, albeit from a discrete distance but with a much more appreciative eye.

In spite of a punishing schedule from 9am to 9.30pm, we were enthralled by the quality and enthusiasm of the lecturers. Many were world leaders in their field. The intense lecture schedule had to meet University academic requirements but the workshops allowed each student to benefit from the experience of fellow team members. No-one was allowed to fall behind nor did anyone, to my knowledge, ever feel out of place.

It was hard work but we also enjoyed university life. I had determined to take part as much as possible and had already contacted sports teams and societies, of which there are many, including entrepreneurship, debating, wine tasting, dining, and choral. Our course provided the University with a University Golf Blue and some college cricketers. It was great fun to participate, but there were limits. The sight of an overweight postgraduate bearing down on the novice rowing boat for the traditional May Bumps proved too much for some, but we blended in surprisingly well. At the many social events I can truthfully say that no undergraduate ever refused a drink from me.

There was even an opportunity to involve our families. I had to bring a date to the golf team’s selection dinner. Ann, my long-suffering wife, couldn’t attend due to work commitments but my daughter, 19, was only too happy to leap into the breach. Of course the party ended up in a nightclub and, thanks to my “date”, my image took a decided turn for the better.

I also unexpectedly had a chance to show Ann that I wasn’t as far over the hill as she might have thought. I invited her and some friends to watch the varsity golf match and, as we sat in the clubhouse, three 21-year-old stalwarts of the Peterhouse Petals Ladies Drinking Society arrived. This caused quite a stir as their attire was more appropriate for a beach party. To my horror and delight they spotted me and bustled over to plant big kisses on my cheek. Ann kept a fixed smile as I introduced each in turn. Things were not improved by the sound of my friends’ jaws hitting the floor but luckily, being charmers from way back, they whisked the girls to the bar and plied them with drinks until the team captain appeared. Thank goodness for that, I breathed again.

Research reflects experience

During each of the seven residential weeks we worked on projects in rotating teams, always multidisciplinary. Our lecturers provided constructive criticism. The study themes included management, leadership, sustainability, design theory, urban issues, infrastructure, the individual and the design team.

Many mature students worry about written work, but supervisors are there to help meet the requirements for both style and substance. It is not over-demanding, even for a busy project manager, given a reliable study plan. We had to do the research, but it really helped that the papers reflected our actual experiences.

The experience was among the most rewarding of my life. My career started benefiting even while at Cambridge, and I have already collaborated with fellow students in real projects. I have a much better understanding of the pressures designers face. This has led to a greater rapport within the team, partly because I feel more confident at getting my point across. I am now a member of multidisciplinary teams on an equal professional footing, and have since been able to source architects, surveyors and contractors for specific projects with much more certainty. My employer too is happy as I have been able to tender for work passed to me by people I met on the course.

As the IDBE alumni association expands, and copy cat courses proliferate elsewhere, so too, I’m sure, will this improved culture of understanding and collaboration permeate our industry, and about time too.