Be Independent, Be Responsible: GHRM Alumna Linda Lin

Linda (3rd on the left) is from Taipei and has studied International Business for her bachelor’s degree. She is very much into traveling, language learning (now can speak and listen for daily life in Thai language). While looking for the opportunities of gaining dual degrees, Linda found that GHRM is the program that provides two different fields of dual degrees, that is, Human Resource Management and International Business. 

As mentioned, during her studies, Linda was part of the Student Association of International Programs. Together with the Student Association team, they have held activities like company field trips, keynote speech, alumni gatherings. Linda suggests that to be a graduate student is more challenging, as “You get to know yourself more. Being a graduate student suggest that we have to be more independent and look for answers instead of simply asking questions. It’s probably not fun, but you surely learn from challenges” explains Linda. The most interesting subject for Linda was “IT human resource management” instructed by Professor Chi: “The course was splendid, you get to meet professionals from big companies and get to learn their practices. They were not shy to share their experience, and professor has taught some real life assessment methods, and I still keep the course handout!” says Linda 😊  

Linda had just graduated and received several interview opportunities, she says that having dual degree from NSYSU and NTU gives her better chances and makes her more competitive on a job market: “I have get some interview opportunities that I couldn’t imagine getting if I don’t have this diploma. Interviewers are also curious about my dual degree program, and that has helped with opening and talk about who I am, how I work, and what kind of person I am.”

For future GHRM English MBA Program students, Linda’s advice will be: “Be independent and put as much effort as possible. You enrolled into the program, that means you’re qualified as a postgraduate student. Think before you act, act before comments made. Apart from that, I would recommend students to have an internship throughout the study in order to gain more practical experience.”

We wish Linda every success in her career path and thank her for the interview.

Interview_Matthew

Dear Friends,

We would like to share a story of success of Matthew - GHRM English MBA Program Alumnus.

Mr. Matthew Hopkins is from a city north of Seattle called Everett, Washington, USA. He has graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from The Evergreen State College in 2011.

He has been living in Kaohsiung since 2013. Matthew and his wife are expecting a baby girl at the end of October, they also have two dogs Jasper and Kona. Besides being a caring husband, Matthew enjoy exercise: he lifts weights three days a week before work; loves running and cycling;  reading (especially enjoys novels, short stories, as well as histories and biographies); plays piano and guitar; has a little garden on his balcony; still studies Chinese, and trying to improve his cooking skills.

Matthew will be a guest speaker in Director Wang's Seminar in Business Management class on November 8th. He will be discussing some tips about working as an international in Taiwan and sharing some project management knowledge. Everybody is welcome to join the class and get some insight about being an international professional in Taiwan!

Here are some questions we asked Matthew and his responses:

-  How did you find out about NSYSU, what influenced your decision, why GHRM Program?

- I found out about the MBA programs at NSYSU through my friends Stew and Tom who were both studying in the IBMBA program when I met them.  I had considered pursuing a Master’s degree in the United States but decided against it after having a look at my bank account. I made the decision to join the GHRM program after my first meeting with Cindy, who was extremely helpful in guiding me through the admissions process and really throughout the entire course of my studies at NSYSU. I thought that GHRM was a really interesting program in the sense that it enabled you to receive an MBA while also specializing in a particular field. And even though I don’t work in HR now I still feel it was really worthwhile. 

-  What is the best thing you like about studies at NSYSU?

-  There were a lot of things I liked about studying at NSYSU, but the best part was all the people I was able to meet. The international MBA programs are really diverse, and there are also many exchange students attending the same courses, so it gave me the opportunity to meet, work, and forge friendships with people from literally all over the world. More specifically, I think the experience of working in cross-cultural teams for class projects and presentations was really invaluable.

-  What was/is your favorite subject? Why?

-  I thoroughly enjoyed Seminar in Business Management. I had a lot of great classmates in that course and I also really enjoyed Professor Sung. Having a different guest lecturer every week to share their own experience, perspective, and expertise was really stimulating, and Professor Sung always invited them to give us an in-class project or presentation that we would have to finish very quickly, which was challenging but really fun.  I think everyone in that class came away feeling like they really gained something, whether it was more confidence in public speaking, more industry-specific knowledge, or improved teamwork skills.

I also must mention the Chinese classes at the Chinese Language Center. My Chinese ability, particularly my reading ability, greatly improved as a result of taking those classes. I had a variety of teachers with a variety of styles, but they all helped me a lot.

-  What are the difficulties you faced when started the studies? What/who helped you to overcome these difficulties?

- I have to admit I didn’t really face a lot of difficulties doing my studies at NSYSU. Balancing my full-time job with full-time studies was certainly challenging and often stressful, and I never really got enough sleep, but I got through it.  I think if you show up to class every week and put forth a good effort, you won’t encounter too many difficulties. There were a couple headaches with regard to class schedules conflicting with work schedules (for myself and other students) but those were largely addressed and remedied.

- What general advice would you give to students who plan to enroll in our program?

1. If you are someone who is going to need to work and study at the same time, you are inevitably going to run into time conflicts, whether it be with class schedules, group work, or other program functions. This can be extremely stressful, and it can be tempting to resent your classmates who are not working, or the program staff, or your professors. Do not do any of these things, as they are all both foolish and unproductive. In my experience, a solution to work/school conflicts can almost always be found, and they are found much easier with a patient and considerate approach.

2. Take the Chinese classes! As an international student you are offered weekly, well-taught, and absolutely free Chinese classes. Even if you aren’t planning on working in Taiwan or another country where Chinese is commonly spoken, why miss out on the opportunity to learn the most widely spoken language in the world? It’s a no-brainer!

3. Put yourself out there and enjoy it. The program is only four semesters and it goes by very quickly.  Don’t be in the same groups with the same people for every class.   It’s a unique opportunity to meet people who are from different places and learn about their countries and cultures, so talk to your classmates and make connections with people.  Eat lunch together. Have a beer together. Make new friends.

- Did you have working experience before you came to NSYSU? Where and what position?

- I was working as a high school teacher at a private high school here in Kaohsiung when I started at NSYSU, and I continued in that position throughout the time that I was studying. In my college days I worked very long hours in restaurants to support myself through my studies. I started my first job delivering newspapers when I was 10 and I did that until I was old enough to get a “real” job at 15, when I was hired at a local music shop to sell, service, and repair guitars and amplifiers.

-  Do you work now? If yes, where and what position?

-  I currently work for a company called ZMI Electronics, and the title of my position is International Sales Executive. I predominantly work with our customers in North America and Europe. ZMI is an electronics manufacturer that specializes in OEM and ODM medical equipment for medical device and physiotherapy companies worldwide.

- How do you feel your career opportunities changed/will change with obtaining the NSYSU Diploma? Did/Will obtaining Master’s from NSYSU increased your chances to find a job?

-  I definitely feel that my career opportunities changed significantly after receiving my Master’s degree. Having an MBA and being able to put those three letters next to your name on a resume is a good thing, and it will help you to land interviews. That being said, the degree itself will not get you a job. No one is going to offer you a position upon graduation just because you have the piece of paper. It’s up to you to go out a find a position that will allow you to start to build your career.

Interview_Prasanthi

Dear Friends,

Ms. Prasanthi Yepuru – GHRM alumna, who is originally from India is sharing her experience.

Prasanthi has obtained her master’s degree in India with major in Computer Applications and worked as a software engineer for 8 months in India, as well as an English and computer teacher. After she got married, her family started a restaurant in Bangalore, India and faced lot of problems while running the business.  

Prasanthi came to Taiwan with her husband and thanks to Professor Uen, they got to know about the GHRM MBA Program. Later, she decided to join the program for her second master’s. She enjoyed her time at NSYSU, she worked as a teaching assistant for many courses and also joined field trips to companies. She has also worked as a program promotor for GHRM MBA - you can see her on many of the posters 😊.

“Organizational Theory (OT) and Research Methods I (RM) were my favorite classes. OT was taught by Professor Uen, it was a great and detailed. He used to teach based on true cases in the organizations. RM, taught by Professor Chi, was awesome. I like it very much. He teaches very neat and clear. He clears all the doubts in person.” – says Prasanthi.

Prasanthi liked the international atmosphere at NSYSU: “When we were studying GHRM, HRM, Asia Pacific, all together we stayed at the same lab. That was the most enjoyable part for me. We studied together, celebrated some of the events together. We still keep in touch. Judy and Grace (Mu-Hsing Hsu), our classmates, Cindy, and Professor Uen all helped me a lot to go smoothly through my studies and overcome any difficulties”.

Now Prasanthi is still at NSYSU, she is doing PhD in Management of Information Systems. And she encourages newcomers to invest time into learning Chinese as much as possible, as it makes life easier and helps to understand culture and be more integrated into social life both at University and off-campus life.

We thank Prasanthi for sharing her experience and with her success in her PhD studies.

Interview_Grazia Spiga

Dear Friends,

We are glad to share another experience sharing interview from our alumna Ms. Grazia Spiga!

Grazia is an international professional born in Sardinia (second big island of beautiful country, Italy). In Italy she graduated from high school and took her First-Class Honours bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations, taking part in two exchange programs, one in Turkey and one in the UK. Grazia has attended NTU’s Business School for master’s in International Business and chose Taiwan’s NSYSU for dual degree in Global Human Resources Management English Program. As she says: “I have always been interested in the Human Resources field, since I’ve attended many courses on the subject during my bachelor. It’s safe to say that I had my mind made up since the very first moment about attending the GHRM program, in fact I believed I applied for it the very first day I heard about it.”

Ms. Spiga’s biggest passion in life is traveling, being able to know new places, new people and new cultures, she is currently living in London; were she works as a manager in a retail company.

“I was living in a beautiful island surrounded by amazing landscapes and unique places and I had to see as much as possible of that paradise. Turns out there’s a lot you can do in Kaohsiung and many places you can visit with just a scooter and a very talented driver as my boyfriend. From the 85 Sky Tower Hotel to Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, from Sansiantai Island till the Love River and the Dragon and Tiger pagodas, we arrived until Taipei 101 and drove all the way to Kenting.” – Grazia remembers her great experience in Taiwan.

Answering a question on the positive and negative sides of being a part of GHRM English MBA Program Ms. Spiga answered without hesitation: “I’d like to mention as well the GHRM team, one of the very reasons that made this experience so unique. Cindy, Natasha and all the faculty members helped me from the very beginning, assuring I was getting the most out of my stay at NSYSU. I should also add that the Uni is located in a beautiful city, absolutely delicious food, friendly monkeys always happy to say hi – and possibly steal your lunch – and the whole campus is right in front of the beach!! I believe my biggest difficulty was time management to being able to meet both universities deadlines. Once again, everyone on the GHRM office was more than capable to advise me with best practices and feedbacks. At the end this issue just made me realise I had to put more effort in my work for both universities, and I can say I had just the right encouragement from the GHRM team.”

Grazia always worked part-time, mostly in the retail industry and that helped her understand responsibilities and working ethics. However, being very young, that never lead to something major until she graduated. At the moment Ms. Spiga is employed as a manager in a retail company in London. “I believe my master’s degree changed most of all my way of thinking, developing the right mind set and skills for the workplace. It’s important to me on a daily basis as I am sure will be valuable to widen my academic education furthermore in the future.” – Grazia concludes on the benefits of having master dual degree.

As a piece of advice for new and current students, Ms. Spiga would like to tell the following: “Be ready! Be ready to discover, to lean, to keep your eyes and mind open, to get some setbacks – cause it’s perfectly normal and somehow part of the journey too – and to get back up. This is a one of a kind opportunity, and you need to live it fully.”