MBA Alumni Story: Alvin So (MBA 2016)
Building on Experience
Alvin So had been building solid technical experience in research and development in the US and China, when five years into his job he decided to quit and do an MBA in Hong Kong.
Alvin had a truly international upbringing. Born in the US to a Hong Kong family, he grew up in Taiwan, where his father worked for 20 years. He studied in the US, at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor for a degree in chemical engineering and worked for Procter and Gamble in product research before making the leap and coming to Hong Kong.
“It is a unique place to be in, it’s almost like a double edged sword,” he says of his international upbringing. It made him very adaptable, but at the same time he feels he has no roots anywhere.
“Asking ‘where are you from’ is a good way to connect with people, but if you ask me, be prepared for a long answer,” he quips.
Starting out as an intern at Procter & Gamble, he was offered a full time position as a scientist in 2009 and he quickly rose to the senior scientist position. But after five years on the job, he started wondering about what the next five to 10 years would bring. He realized that his passion lay in launching new products, product equity pricing, and marketing. He foresaw a career in consulting and business development, where he could build on his technical experience.
Coming back to Hong Kong was both a practical and emotional decision. With his grandparents and parents living in Hong Kong and Shanghai respectively, he wanted to “live in Asia, where I’d be happier”, he says.
At the same time, the growing importance of the region on the world scene indicated good opportunities for career development. His father Raymond So, who is an alumnus and strong promoter of CUHK MBA, also encouraged him to apply to CUHK Business School.
“I applied to US schools as well, but I knew and felt this was where I wanted to be and develop my career. Hong Kong is the center of Asia when it comes to business and finance and I could spend about a year really close to my grandparents. It was not a hard decision at all,” he says.
Alvin believes that CUHK Business School stands out with the kind of students they attract. His classmates were academically outstanding and had an easy-going combination of intellect and personality. Interaction between them helped both their IQ and EQ development.
He treasures most his memories of preparing for competitions with his classmates, staying up late on numerous nights to develop the project. Communicating with classmates from all over the world has helped him to understand how to shape the communication according to the personality of the target audience.
His interest in marketing led him to become the director of marketing of the CUHK MBA student-organized Corporate Social Responsibility Conference to quickly discover that it was not an easy job.
“Even communicating with the designer was not easy, but the experience helps me in my current job, where I have to develop research reports and media documents,” he says.
He benefited most from the course on macroeconomics, with theories brought to life by real-life examples, and applied entrepreneurship, where students consult real-life start-ups and redesign them for a fundraising program.
Alvin says the biggest challenge of the MBA is job hunting, which students have to start almost as soon as they begin classes, with practically no achievements to show yet. He was very fortunate as he met his present employer OC&C Strategy Consultants on a career day, and his background was a sector they covered.
But he advises applicants to know from the start what they want, what industry they want to go into and how to get in. “The time frame is very short. Look into the market of your chosen industry even before you start,” he says. His other advice is to take the opportunity to extend the program to a year and a half and join the valuable overseas exchange program.
He feels fortunate for finding employment with a consulting firm and for being based in Shanghai. Although the working hours are long and work involves a lot of traveling, he enjoys the job and feels settled, until it is time for another five-year plan.
Click here to view Alvin’s story on CUHK MBA Programs Youtube Channel