Bei Liu (MBA 2018) Leaving No Stone Unturned During MBA Helped Me Actualise My Career Location Change
After a few years of working in Japan, I planned to return to China. At that time, I wanted a bigger platform to engage and challenge myself, not only in Japan but also in the overseas markets. To better equip me for the geographical shift in my career path, I chose to pursue an MBA in Hong Kong, a city well connected with mainland China and the world. I believed that studying in Hong Kong would allow me to keep abreast of the latest trends in the mainland while also being exposed to information from around the world.
Getting in touch with the admissions officers of different MBA programmes in Hong Kong, I was drawn to the Chinese University of Hong Kong MBA programme for the genuine care and humanism shown by its admissions officers. I believed that such warm admissions officers would definitely choose students with close affinity. It has been proven that the CUHK MBA has created a learning atmosphere that helps and encourages each other to grow together, allowing us to expand our abilities during this time comprehensively. In addition, as a self-funded student, I was very honoured to be awarded a scholarship. At the same time, CUHK is the first school in Asia to establish an MBA programme. I thought that the alumni network of CUHK MBA must be spread throughout all walks of life. In fact, I did meet some very senior MBA alumni in different cities in my subsequent studies and working life.
We only live once, and I must try my best
During my MBA studies, I tried my best to make the most of every minute, not only by paying attention in class but also actively participating in various activities, including the Warsaw Negotiation Round 2017 in Poland, the 20th Annual Venture Capital Investment Competition in Shanghai, China and the 6th Asia-pacific Business School Desert Adventure. After I had finished my 70km trek across the Gobi Desert, I still remember the pain of my bruised feet when I put on my heels on the night of departure for the Warsaw Negotiation. However, I am so glad I chose to take up both challenges while others traded off one of these opportunities. With this experience, I have greater confidence in my ability to handle multiple tasks.
I faced different difficulties at that time, such as how to better engage with different people, how to facilitate communication with my teammates while under pressure, how to encourage and lead the team when everyone doubted me, and how to serve as a supporter in different situations. These experiences eventually transformed into my abilities, which opened doors and set me up for winning a job at Amazon. I, afterwards, have more confidence in working with teams from different countries.
CUHK MBA helped me embark at the Amazon
I deliberately chose entrepreneurship-related MBA courses as I had considered starting my business venture as an entrepreneur. However, during my studies, I realised that my resources and network were not ready at that moment. Then I started looking for corporate internship opportunities instead. When I was interviewed for an internship at Amazon, the interviewer was intrigued by my experience forming a team at VCIC over my work experience in Japan. The teamwork and leadership skills that I had demonstrated in the competition eventually resulted in Amazon offering me an internship. At the end of this internship, I received a full-time job offer ahead of several other MBA interns from global top business schools at the same time.
Your choice, your life
I am very grateful that I have chosen to study for my MBA at CUHK, a great platform that provides numerous opportunities to participate in a wealth of activities and leverage various resources. Whether one could make a difference or not depends on the choice each individual makes as to how much s/he is willing to experience. For me, the MBA certificate may add kudos to my profile, but the invaluable parts of my MBA journey are what I have actively experienced, how I regard those experiences and how those thoughts have inspired me.
In the future, I hope to grasp every opportunity offered by my work at Amazon, be exposed to higher scope projects, and help different brands build their own e-commerce organisations to expand their businesses and help them go international. At the same time, I will continue to look for opportunities to carve out my own business.
