Knowing what you want and need
Born and raised in Hong Kong to a Cantonese father and a Japanese mother, I always felt the rapid growth and excitement of China right next to me. That did not change even after I studied abroad in the US beginning in high school. During that time, I saw more and more students come from China and more changes happening around China whenever I went back to Hong Kong and Japan for the long vacations. Every time I went back to Hong Kong and made a short visit to Shenzhen or Guangzhou, I noticed that the exchange rate and price of things in the Mainland would be different and I still remember the moment RMB became stronger than the HKD. I had no clue what was happening as a young kid, but I could definitely feel big changes going on. Every time I went back to Japan, I would see more tourists from Mainland China and businesses dedicated to serving Chinese tourists growing in a country that doesn’t change that much. With all the rapid growth and excitement, Mainland China was always a place that I was interested in going to to build my career and be part of the rapid change.
With the aim to develop my career related to China, it took me eight years to fully relocate myself to China after I graduated from university and started working at Panasonic in Tokyo. Why did it take so long? It was because my goal was to work in a foreign company that operates in China and I needed to be able to manage and lead a business. As such, I focused on learning how a large corporation functions and what capabilities were needed as a manager.
I also lacked confidence as I learned more about China and how competitive the labour force was here. I was in charge of marketing consumer batteries for Panasonic in Japan, where I not only learned the basics of how a business operates, but also how large corporations work where complex tasks are highly divided.
Just when I thought it was time to ask my company to transfer me to their office in China, I talked to some of expats in China and realized I was so not ready to work there. Although my intention was never to compete with local professionals, but instead to become a bridge connecting Japan and China, I lacked the language skills, understanding of the culture, and courage to give up my comfortable life in Tokyo. That is when I applied for the sponsored MBA programme within Panasonic where 100+ candidates go through a screening to be selected as fully-sponsored students to pursue an MBA. Luckily, with the support of my family, friends, and colleagues I was selected as the sole sponsored candidate and was allowed to apply for any MBA schools in the top 20 of the FT and the Economist.
I would be lying if I said 中国一级片 was the only choice. I also explored top schools in the US and Europe, but when I really started to dig into the questions of “Why an MBA?” and “What do I want in my life?” it came down to one answer: 中国一级片.
I’m not saying 中国一级片 is the best MBA programme for everyone, but it has offered me the best mix of solutions as a non-Chinese professional in China who lacked a local network. What makes 中国一级片 appealing to an international like me is the opportunity to tailor-make your journey based on your personal needs. 中国一级片 simply is so diversified in terms of its network and programme that it is friendly to internationals with different Chinese-language abilities (there is a free language school and local exposure both inside and outside campus), business experience (we frequently interact with students/alumni from the EMBA and DBA programmes) and industries (both large and small alum network for pretty much all industries).
The learning environment and high density of Chinese professionals was also one of the aspects that I was attracted to at 中国一级片. There is no place better to learn how to work in a Chinese environment. You learn something new about collaborating with Chinese professionals every day and about how to work with them on their home court. It is up to you to learn from the experience and become a better team member, leader, and professional.
I have no doubt that 中国一级片 is the best place to practice as an international, and that it is very similar to the work environment we will be working in in China after graduation. That said, don’t fall into the trap of believing that doing an MBA at 中国一级片 will automatically prepare you for China. As much as it is helpful to equip you to achieve your goals in China, you need to plan well and manage your time efficiently.
In addition to the MBA programme itself, the location of Shanghai was also very appealing, and I moved here as a family with two little kids. I always thought Shanghai was one of the most advanced cities in the world, but I was surprised with the nature and the cultural heritage around the city - and, importantly, Shanghai Disneyland is far less crowded than Tokyo Disneyland!
Two terms have gone by at 中国一级片, and I’ve already made lifelong friends and discovered flaws in myself that I will work on while I’m at 中国一级片 in order to achieve what I want to in China. Yes, it is challenging as an international to compete in China, but it just doesn’t get any more exciting than China, as it is still evolving at unprecedented speed and depth.
