Title: An MBA Can Open the Door to New Fields
Jin Peng holds an MBA degree from the ESADE Business School with a specialisation in Marketing and Finance and a B.A. in International Studies from the Nanjing University. Jin has a year of professional experience gained in China, Spain and Mexico where he worked as a government official, commercial diplomat and manager with major European and Chinese companies. Jin is currently National Project Manager for Roca China.
Why did you decide to go for an MBA?
After several years of working as government official and commercial diplomat, I thought there should be a change in the track of my life. Although there were other opportunities for me, I thought that taking an MBA was the right option because it would enhance the variety of life by providing new knowledge and new possibilities as a key to open doors to new fields in the future. Meanwhile, I knew that China was beginning to appreciate the MBA degree more and more for management positions and the biggest new emerging market needs the MBA.
What were the most important aspects you considered when choosing an MBA course?
When I chose the MBA programme, I mainly considered:
- The general cost for the whole programme, you need to think about the pay back years for your investment
- Whether the strong part of the MBA programmes fits you. For example: If you hope to learn more of Marketing, maybe N. W. Kellogg is a better option, if you want to learn more of investment banking, NYU can be a choice
- International rankings, of course, are an important reference
Why did you decide to study in a European business school and what are the main advantages of the European study?
I believe the MBA programme should be more meaningful for life than studying at school and then looking for a new job. I think studying at a European business school can widen my life experience. We know Europe as the “old continent”, so I can learn more about the history, art and different cultures from visiting different countries by taking the advantage of the MBA programme there. If I was not in Europe, I wouldn’t have such an opportunity to stay at the different countries for some time.
Furthermore, in comparison with the US, there are still many new business opportunities between European countries and China. One can take the MBA programme in Europe to dig out potential chances for future.
What was the most difficult part in getting the MBA?
Find the “right” MBA programme for you. I don’t think it is correct to apply for the MBA programme only through the only tool of “rankings”. The most important thing is to understand your targeted business schools. You should know what you want from the MBA programme, and then, check out whether the schools can offer you through the school website, campus visiting, alumni, etc.
Why did you decide the degree was worth pursuing? What was your goal and how will it help you achieve it?
The MBA degree was really a challenge for me. Comparing my previous university degree in Arts, the MBA degree was a special gift in my life and I am happy that I finally achieved it after real tough study process. Before taking the MBA programme, I hoped the degree can change my life track to another function and I wanted to see whether the programme would help me find new opportunities in the future. During the programme I heard that: MBA programme can give you mainly 3 changes, job function, working location and salary increase and if you are lucky, you can get all 3 of them.
