Story #81
Q: How did you decide on your undergraduate course of study?
A: By elimination - I excluded courses that I did not felt like I was a good fit for and then I looked at what was left. My parents were keen on me to take up law, but I didn’t feel that it was for me. Ultimately, I took up business at SMU because I felt that a business degree would give me a wider range of industries and jobs to choose from, as I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do as a career when I first enrolled into uni.
Q: In retrospect, what did you think were the most useful lessons/ skills/ knowledge you'd gained from your undergraduate education?
A: Getting a good breadth of understanding across various business functions like marketing, HR, operations, finance that help me understand what my colleagues in other departments are doing in my current job. The major I settled on (finance) was useful in getting me through the door for my first job, and also helped me adapt quickly on the job. It also provided a good foundation for me when I started on my professional qualifications with the CFA program - a qualification that is relevant for my industry (investment management).
Q: How has your undergraduate education influenced your career choice?
A: Over the course of my degree and internships, I gradually narrowed down the industries and jobs that I wanted to be in and do. Looking back, it did provide me with the most options and equipped me with a good understanding and skill set to work in a corporate environment.
Q: Briefly describe your current job scope.
A: Interface with senior management and provide them with management information reports and dashboards covering key business drivers on a regular basis. I also conduct research on new markets/opportunities, impact of new regulations and help to build business cases for new business capabilities.
Q: To what extent is your current job related to your undergraduate course of study?
A: Somewhat related.
Q: What are some additional areas you wish your undergraduate education could have covered?
A: Would have benefited from more emphasis around soft skills like networking/interviewing that tend to be just as important (if not more so) than technical skills in the workplace. While there was a module on this in uni, I felt like it could have gone deeper instead of covering things like dress codes, fine dining etc.
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