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How did the 17-month MBA journey change me?
I officially completed my MBA program at the National University of Singapore (NUS) earlier this year. Within 17 months, I learned so much, made many friends and connections, experienced different cultures, and made important decisions regarding my career development. In the past, I had little understanding of other industries and functions outside the MOFA and I was confined to a purely linear career path; however, the MBA journey expanded my horizon and made me believe there are still a lot of possibilities.
My goal before starting the program was to make MBA triple jump, ie. change countries, industries, and functions, which are deemed the most difficult things. I ended up achieving half of my goal by changing industry and half of the function; however, I’m now in my favorite travel tech industry and I can still leverage my government affairs experiences combined with my commercial sense to contribute and build up more expertise. I think that’s the best starting point for my post-MBA career.
During my over 6-month job-hunting period (especially when the economy was down + I didn’t have many private sector experiences), I would panic over not hearing from my job application, not receiving interviews or being rejected. But in hindsight, I believe that’s the normal path when making changes. There’s always discomfort and restlessness when stepping into a world that you didn’t know well. Overall, I still felt I was brave enough to step out of my comfort zone and give up my seemingly decent life as a diplomat to seek changes. This change empowered me to pursue a Point–Line–Plane, a.k.a a more diverse and open career development, instead of living a narrow and linear diplomat life.
Special thanks to J.H.
Special thanks to Jimmy H for the tremendous support along this MBA journey. You deserve an MBA degree scroll as well! Starting from the preparation of the application, discussion of school modules and homework, internship and full-time job hunting, tons of resume and cover letter editing, mock interviews and introducing connections, etc… you would always spare time for helping me despite your busy work. My job landing would not have happened without you. I’m also grateful for your encouragement and consoling when I bumped into setbacks or when I felt unsure of everything. Thanks for reminding me of my initial goal from time to time, and letting me know that I was making a decision that can lead to many more choices in the future.
Advertisement on career coach services: if you need any advice on job-hunting, resume & cover letter editing, feel free to reach out to me. I can liaise you with consultant Jimmy, an experienced equity research analyst in a renowned investment bank, who will guide you through a holistic journey of self-positioning, editing resume and cover letter, and tailored mock interviews for different functions!
MBA key takeaways
Below I summarized my key takeaways from my MBA:
I. Understand how the commercial world works: get a sense of commercial languages, P&L, annual reports, strategic thinking, marketing, financial management, etc
II. Professional growth: gained exposure to different industries and broadened professional connections via internships (start-up and MNC), networking, club events or simply chatting with classmates or alumni who work/intern in particular sectors
III. Personal growth:
– leadership: co-led the Sports & Wellness Club
– diversity and inclusion enhancement: by closely working with people from different countries on different projects
– know myself better: being open-minded to different kinds of things but also knowing my preferences better
IV. Culture exchange: loved hanging out with my classmates to taste different kinds of cuisine, experience festivals, and share cultural differences!
V. Campus life & Make friends!! It’s amazing to return to student life after working for a few years. I enjoyed living on campus; it’s easy to hang out with Utown peers, eat in the canteen or play badminton. To be honest, the most valuable thing I got from MBA is friends from different countries! The bonding over a program can be super strong. After I came back to Taiwan, I traveled to Shanghai and Bangkok where I have classmates with whom I can gather together and catch up. It’s such an amazing thing 🙂 Can’t wait to reunite with my MBA peers in the near future!
Our Commencement Ceremony
Our commencement ceremony was held at Ho Bee Auditorium, University Cultural Centre on July 13, 2023. July is the graduation month at NUS; each day two sessions are held by different departments/schools. As now my job consists of researching different government’s tourism stimulus schemes, my colleague joked that the SG gov is so smart to schedule the graduation in a particular month so that the overseas graduates and their families will need to travel to SG again and contribute to their tourism revenue (LOL)!
Presentation of Graduates
The sequence of receiving degree scroll was in alphabetic order. Surprisingly I was right after my good friend Hitoshi!
“Ballon Drop”
Thanks to my previous batch’s advice, I got ready for filming the final balloon drop! It was so beautiful! (Check out the video below)
Jimmy bought an NUS Graduation Lion… it turned out to be my photo accessory haha
Photo collection #1 (me & Jimmy)
Photo collection #2 (with classmates at Ho Bee Auditorium)
Photo collection #3 (at Utown)
Class of 2023 Celebratory Party @Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre
The same evening the MBA office organized a celebratory party at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre for all the MBA graduates. The party was complimentary for the graduates, but it cost SGD150 per pax for accompanying friends or family members. During the party, basically, people didn’t pay attention to the food but seized the chance to catch up with classmates. Also, according to Sasha, the catering staff retrieved the dishes too quickly; the plates were gone before people started eating lol. Jimmy and I felt hungry after the party hahaha! (For those who want to bring your partners to this kind of party, think twice!!)
But overall I found it a precious opportunity to chat with classmates who are now spread in different places and in various industries. Really appreciate the time with them!
photo collection #4 (red carpet)
photo collection #5 (Consulting team)
photo collection #6 (Beautiful people)
Final thoughts
I am very grateful for this MBA journey and all the people I met! One of my favorite quotes are ‘Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’re gonna get.’ from Forrest Gump. To me, the past 17 months are undoubtedly one of my favorite chocolates!
Hi Angelique,
I discovered your blog while searching NUS admission information.
Love the way you design the lay out of your blog and the sharing about your life experience.
I am considering to apply NUS MBA, too. If you have a moment, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to connect and perhaps engage in a brief conversation to gain more insights from you.
Thank you for considering my connection request. Looking forward to hear from you.