How I Took The Career Triple Jump After An MBA In Hong Kong
Media Coverage by BusinessBecause:
Vic Chen joined CUHK Business School with the hope of reshaping his career. After a successful MBA internship he’s now managed a career triple jump of role, industry, and location with a switch from sales in manufacturing in Taiwan to the automotive industry in Hong Kong.
During his time at CUHK, Vic had support from multiple sources to help him achieve this career change—from the school’s career that offered him training and advice, to access to CUHK’s 6,600 MBA alumni across 40 countries and 34,000 business school alumni worldwide.
Vic also took on the role of director of operations for CUHK’s Global Career Club (GCC), focused on aiding students to choose successful career paths. In this role, he got practical experience of organizing large events as well as interacting with major global companies like Microsoft
In all, his MBA experience enabled Vic to build a career in an industry he was excited about and wanted to be a part of.
He started his new job in the supply chain team at luxury carmaker, INFINITI Motor Company, in Hong Kong in September 2017.
How did the CUHK MBA help you switch career path?
The program provided various courses that helped my career path. For instance, we had a statistics course teaching us how to use excel to do advanced analysis and I use this a lot in my current job.
The other courses like strategic management, strategic marketing, and fundraising and remodeling also inspired me to think of the bigger picture—again relevant in my current role.
As to job hunting and interview skills, the career center helped me hone my skills. The most important thing is that I understood that after the program there would be a lot of people also hunting for better job. I knew I needed to work hard to get what I wanted.
How important was the MBA internship?
My previous work experience was in operation management and sales in the manufacturing industry. Before I started my internship, I knew that the automotive industry had been booming for several years. That said, during the internship the team helped me really build my auto industry knowledge.
I was excited that so many advanced technologies had been installed in the vehicles, empowering the driving experience. From concept to final vehicle and delivery to the customer, there are so many things happening.
Tell us about your work with CUHK’s Global Career Club.
Being part of the global career club was great for me. I learned to cooperate with diverse team members who came from Korea, Germany, and India. This gave me the chance to appreciate different backgrounds and cultures.
I also arranged the company visit to Microsoft for our cohort. Here, I gained experience of the more broad and focused details of organizing these events. I think this practical experience is invaluable when it comes to learning something new.
Why did you decide to pursue an MBA at CUHK?
I realized that I wanted to explore more about the world and gain more professional knowledge. I believed that the MBA program would lead me to where I wanted to go.
I chose CUHK because I felt they’d try to challenge my career path in a practical way, and I felt the staff and classmates were very supportive. There’s an old saying ‘choose what you love; love what you choose,’ I chose the CUHK MBA!
What advice do you have for anyone considering an MBA?
If you decide to do an MBA, you should try your best before, during, and after the MBA program. Set your goals and work hard to achieve them. Then, once you’ve completed them, set new goals and achieve them again.
Be patient, positive, and confident. These are the three personality traits I recommend. Whatever you haven’t achieved yet, just stick to it and you can achieve it eventually.
Media: BusinessBecause
Section: News/ MBA Hong Kong
Date published: Nov 29, 2017