Archive for November, 2009
Same old, same old?
We are about halfway into the first term and I feel it’s time to write about the classes I have taken so far.
Including pre-term, I attended or am still attending the following classes: Accounting I and II, Finance, Economics I and II, Business Law, Marketing and Project Management. Being a business major, none of these subjects were completely new to me. However, and this is what I expected from an MBA, the way of teaching these subjects is new to me.
Professors make us apply what they teach us by providing us with cases, giving us homework (a little too much maybe…) and/or group assignments due end of term. Take economics, for example. I remember it being one of the dullest subjects I have ever taken when I was in university. Now we are working on a paper analyzing a company of our choice and all the macroeconomic and industry related factors that affect the performance of the company – finally applying the theoretical concepts in a real life context.
Another example: Marketing. A subject that I had pretty much no exposure to as a Corporate Finance consultant. All I remember from school are the 4Ps to be honest. Luckily marketing is more than that. Our professors do a great job painting a lively picture of the concepts supported by cases and by far the most fun performance of a professor I have ever experienced.
In short, although I have a strong business background, but coming from a traditional European university, the MBA gives me a chance to revisit certain concepts and see them in a new, way more interesting, light. And that’s one of the reasons I’m here.
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Key takeaways from the Fall MBA Career Week
The fall career week brought together ESADE MBA students and recruiters from the banking and consulting industries and we were given the opportunity to participate in company presentations and interact with recruiters in a networking coffee event. Attending company presentations and the networking coffee are new concepts to me, as both are not particularly common in Asia. In fact, I find networking with recruiters very challenging, considering I don’t often find myself in situation where I need to promise myself within such a short period of time. Thanks to a second year Chinese student, who pushed me into taking to recruiters by reminding me that this is a wonderful opportunity to build-up networking skill, something most Asian lack of.
Below are some of the takeaways gleaned from my first career fair:
1. Compared to the hiring freeze earlier this year/late last year reported by MBA students worldwide, the participating companies are hiring MBAs, for both permanent and internship positions. Not surprisingly, there are signs showing the economy may be on its way to recovery, with banks making profit in Q3, manufacturing companies across the world increasing outputs, etc. This is a relief for those of us who will be ready to jump back into the job market in 2011.
2. Opportunities in Asia, manly China. A number of companies are going into Asian/Chinese market or are expanding its presence in Asia. Another piece of good news for those interested in working in Asia!
3. Obtaining an MBA guarantees a “lucrative job” is a false fantasy I had for years and after personally undergoing an MBA program, I know I was far from right. Apparently there are a lot of “behind the scenes” efforts involved in landing a good offer. Knowing what I want, planning ahead, building up the necessary skill sets for the job, networking, etc, are keys to land a decent job post MBA.
4. Start applications early. I am very much surprised by my classmates’ devotion in internship hunting. A number of them have submitted resumes beforehand and had their first round of interviews during career week. There are probably thousands of MBA students worldwide seeking for internships, starting early is always a good strategy.
To sum up my experience from last week, I would say that it was a great experience for all of us and it was very impressive to see the great and positive reception we received from all the companies. The companies were very open to talking to us and answering whatever questions we had about their companies in general and possible internship positions. However, the better prepared we were, the more we got out of it so it helps to have a sense of which direction we want to be heading in.