A Life-changing Experience: Alumna Khoa Tran speaks about GHRM.

Ever wondered what our GHRM MBA Program Alumni are doing after graduation? We’ve conducted a few interviews to let you know the career success of our alumni and the first one is Ms. Khoa Tran (2nd on the right), who is originally from can Tho, a South city of Vietnam.

After working for Cathay life Vietnam as Branch Development Officer for 3.5 years, Khoa decided to take a challenge and pursue Master’s degree. When looking for a program to study abroad, Ms. Tran found information about NSYSU on the website of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam and her personal interest in Human resource as well as the reputation and beautiful sights of NSYSU played a big role in her decision to join GHRM MBA Program.

Khoa is recalling great times being part of NSYSU GHRM MBA Program and the valuable skills she gained and things she experienced: English learning environment, multicultural student life, international friends… All these helped Khoa gain communication, teamwork and other skills, which are indeed important and useful for life and work. Both teaching and administrative staff of the NSYSU are friendly and supporting, so students feel almost like being home. Besides the classes, students have a chance to listen to guest speakers with different backgrounds; join company visits; attend projects organized by NSYSU and companies; and other interesting outdoor activities. Khoa loves and misses the people and the beauty of NSYSU and Sizihwan bay. 

Khoa believes, that studying abroad and especially choosing NSYSU GHRM MBA Program as final destination for obtaining Master’s degree gave her more career opportunities. She has been offered much higher positions with more job roles than before. “2 years at NSYSU changed my life and career path.”- says Khoa. Her favorite subjects were Research Methods and Work Psychology, since they helped to widen knowledge and prepare Khoa for her future job. She is currently working as HR manager of E-TOP Co., Ltd, a branch of Eclat Textile Co., Ltd in Vung Tau city, Vietnam.

Even though she was worried much about the studies and there were uncertainties such as how to pass the courses, how to support studies, how to get used to the new environment, etc., soon Khoa realized that she worried too much. Friends, teachers and program coordinators help not only in studying but also gave a chance to develop herself, experience and enjoy the life at NSYSU.

“I would recommend GHRM MBA Program at NSYSU to my friends who are looking for a Master’s program, a multicultural learning environment, a place to make new friends, discover and experience Taiwanese beautiful culture and people.” – concludes Khoa.

GHRM Alumna: Patrycia Kapkin

Dear students, today we would like to share with you a story about very successful GHRM English MBA Program alumna Ms. Patrycja Kapkin from Poland. 

Patrycja’s Chinese teacher, who comes from Kaohsiung told her about opportunities to get MOE scholarship and study at NSYSU. As Patrycja wanted to travel, and some of her friends shared with her the experience, she decided to try and chose GHRM English MBA Program, because the curriculum seemed to be interesting and perspective. As our alumna was determined to finish her studies in two years, she focused solely on studying and her existing hobbies (during her free time, she is mostly involved into art, she likes to crochet, paint, write or make things from polymer clay). Patrycja says: “I honestly loved the campus, and the fact that the classes had a much more practical approach than any studies I had in Poland. My favorite subjects were the ones somehow connected to my thesis topic, as they were both enjoyable and useful for me. And for that matter I think I liked International Organizational Behavior and Work Psychology most.”

As for the majority, the biggest difficulty was with adjusting to the fact of moving to an entirely new country, and the cultural differences. Fortunately, everyone at NSYSU and Taiwanese people in general were very friendly and helpful in the process of getting used to a new place.

Even though Patrycja had barely any working experience before arriving to NSYSU (mostly a summer break part-time job as a cashier in a super market), after graduating from GHRM English MBA Program, she got a position at “McKinsey & Company” in Poland (“McKinsey & Company” is an American worldwide management consulting firm with offices all over the world. It conducts qualitative and quantitative analysis to evaluate management decisions across public and private sectors.) Patrycja’s current position is a Process Leader in the Visual Graphics Department. She coordinates the workflow, estimates efforts required to complete certain tasks and assigns those tasks to Visual Artists. “Only after I received the MBA degree, did I realize, that in Poland it is a highly prestigious degree, that is in general difficult to obtain. I believe that it greatly enhanced my chances of finding other job opportunities in the future, as I only have 1 year of experience by now.” – shares her experience Patrycja.

We wish Patrycja best of professional success and thank her for sharing her experience.

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.