Cultivating Global Expertise: Andy on Teaching, Consultancy, and Planting the Seed of Opportunity

Andy, a distinguished alumnus of the Global Human Resources Management MBA (GHRM MBA) program, has successfully leveraged his academic foundation to build a dynamic career path in Singapore, blending education with industry consultancy. Currently serving as a lecturer at a polytechnic, Andy’s role extends far beyond the classroom. While he teaches HR-related modules, his comprehensive MBA background enables him to cover diverse business topics, including entrepreneurship and sustainability in HR. His commitment to staying relevant in the field is demonstrated by his active participation in project consultancy, where companies approach the polytechnic for assistance with small-scale, paid HR transformation projects. These projects range from job redesign and HR technology/analytics to Gen AI applications for HR, ensuring he remains current with real-world industry pain points. This continuous engagement is critical, as he ensures he is "relevant to the industry rather than we just become a teacher but we have no relevant experience that we can then cascade down to our students". After joining as a lecturer, his dedication led to a promotion one year later, and he now serves as the Deputy Course Chair for his diploma, demonstrating strong progress toward his long-term career goal.

Andy’s pursuit of the GHRM MBA was strategically aligned with his ambition to become a credible educator. Prior to enrolling, he sought advice from lecturers who emphasized that possessing a professional certification, such as an MBA specializing in HR, was essential for teaching the subject convincingly. Beyond professional development, he was drawn to Taiwan by the welcoming culture and the opportunity to enhance his Chinese language skills, recognizing its growing importance in global business. Andy credits GHRM with providing a crucial international experience, explaining that through interaction with classmates from around the world—including working professionals—he gained insights into diverse cultural work processes that cannot be found "from the website or from ChatGPT itself". Moreover, the theoretical knowledge gained at GHRM proved vital, offering the structured framework necessary for convincing clients during consultancy proposals, ensuring that his recommendations were seen as "workable at least in the industry context".

Throughout his time at NSYSU, Andy embraced opportunities to enrich his student experience and broaden his perspective. He actively participated in cross-master collaboration events and even auditioned for the School of Liberal Arts’ English Drama (G.E.D.), an experience he found valuable because it allowed him to interact with students from fields outside of business. He realized that for HR professionals who may venture into various industries, such as media arts, understanding how non-business students communicate is highly important. Andy also highlights the invaluable support received from the International Program Office, who assisted international and local students alike by linking them to numerous small projects and part-time jobs, such as the English language table assistant program. These opportunities helped him gain experience and manage finances. Andy concludes that success stems from a combination of readiness and initiative, offering this inspiring reflection for current students: "Keeping an open mind doesn't mean waiting for opportunities to land on you. You must take the first step yourself to reach out to people."

Written by Morgan, President of Student Association