Will studying this degree prevent robots from taking over my future job? #Automation
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Will the 4th revolution supposedly wipe out 800 million jobs by 2030? That is one-fifth of the global work at the threat of Robot automation according to McKinsey Global Institute.
Is this why I decided to study MSc Business Management at HKBU?
Certainly not my main reason, but I admit that a degree in Business Management develops a versatile set of skills and provides students with an essential knowledge to almost unlimited opportunities for you to work in any industry, whether you are aiming at a corporate career or starting your own business. In this article, I will share a few insights about why I chose Business Management as a subject at Hong Kong Baptist University and how it helps me achieve my goals.
1. Embracing new ways of learning
The program I study offers great classes with an interesting range of electives such as big data, social entrepreneurship and a trip to Korea along with many others modules from different concentrations.
It’s a shame that we are only allowed to select two electives out of 11 courses in total for the duration of the study. But if you really want to study more electives, in my case the school agreed to enroll me in additional classes.
What impressed me the most about this degree I only had a chance to discover when I started my classes in early September. In the first few weeks, it was made clear to me how much our business school puts emphasis on improving students’ soft skills. Every class of the MSc Business Management programme at HKBU has aspects of group study or a team project.
And I see why, just think about it, no matter where you end up upon graduation, you are very likely to be involved in projects requiring you to work as part of a team or leading other people. This demands certain soft skills that one needs to develop. Since my classes are structured this way I am able to enhance those soft skills such as leadership, teamwork, effective communication and problem-solving.
Another aspect of how the university innovates in its ways of teaching is by introducing various practical workshops. My all-time favorite teaching experience was a workshop which enabled me to learn the fundamentals of digital marketing which was organized by the school of business in partnership with Google. In the end, I learnt real-life knowledge and understanding of how marketers operate in the digital world.
This is how my degree helps achieve my biggest aspiration to be a future leader of a company. I cannot imagine being successful in today’s business world without the right set of soft skills and understanding of the digital economy.
2. My classmates and Hong Kong network
Hong Kong is one of those countries where studying masters is a must, unlike the UK for example. Therefore the majority of my classmates are young and fresh graduates. But there is also a good proportion of more mature students, with some work experience, and international students including myself. The majority of my classmates have a relevant degree but there is a good proportion of students that come from a completely different major. This creates a very interesting mix. I must say, so far I am very impressed with the quality of my classmates, especially how hardworking, dedicated and committed they are.
I experienced it for the first time when we were assigned a group project for our Market Research class. This is when one of my classmates managed to connect us with Prudential Insurance Company to work with them on a real problem in the context of our class assignment. I found it very interesting, rewarding and a great learning curve. In the past, at my UK and US university, we never worked with real companies in relation to any of university projects so it felt very different, and serious but good!
For the first time, I knew that my university assignment is not just for the sake of a grade but to solve a real problem! This entire exercise showed me how powerful my university reputation is and how important my classmates are for future networking opportunities.
This brings me to my last point — 3. My University
Hong Kong Baptist University is a much smaller university to the one I attended in London and relatively small in size and population to other Hong Kong universities. Nevertheless, I noticed that it is rather an advantage than a disadvantage. Here, teachers know students better, and it’s exemplified by how much more time they provide to provide feedback and talk to students in comparison to my previous university.
Different support departments, which organize extracurricular activities for students are likely to remember you by your name and will reach out to you directly to let you know about different opportunities. HKBU feels like a true community where people do know each other and staff want to help each and every student. And unlike my previous institutions, they have plenty of resources to do it.
I join MSc Business Management to build on my knowledge from my BSc Banking and Finance degree. But unlike my Bachelor’s degree which focused on a macro scale, my current degree helps me to see business from a microeconomics perspective which I did not have before. With my recently discovered passion for entrepreneurship, it’s paramount to have that perspective, experience, and knowledge which focuses on the microeconomic side of the business.
When looking at what courses to study don’t forget that (beyond rankings), course content, size and university history there are many other factors that can make or break your degree! I hope my insights gave you a fresh perspective on deciding on your future degree subject!
