So, for the past several days, I've been working with a Chinese SOE (state owned enterprise). Which has been pretty interesting in terms of getting the whole China exposure. There are a few highlights that I've had this week, mainly:
1. Free food
Yes, apparently Chinese companies especially SOEs give you free food. Usually it's all you can eat, which can be nice when there's something good on the menu. The food isn't bad, it's just normal. Unfortunately, in my excitement to eat "lion's head" meatballs today and to take extra, I was told "ONE MEATBALL PER PERSON ONLY" :( Made me feel very sad, because I really like those meatballs. You don't get much variety - noodles or rice, with 3 or 4 side dishes and bread and soup. But free food is free food right?
2. 8.30am - 5.00pm sharp.
Nobody does over time. They work exactly 7 hours, have lunch at 11.30am sharp (because if you're late or slow there's a long line for the food) and go home exactly at 5.00pm. They don't do over time, and take a nap during lunch break or play ping-pong. They looked at me weird when I asked them why are they going home so early? I opted to stay late and play a bit of poker online as I usually have a dinner appointment at 7.00pm and am not rushing to go anywhere.
3. Smoking Room
That's right! Every floor has a dedicated smoking room, how cool is that? You get to get your nicotine hit whenever you want without having to step outside the building.
4. English
Everybody here speaks Chinese (as expected) and is trying to learn English (as expected). They're happy that they can practise English with me and help me with my Chinese whenever possible. In fact, they're so dedicated to learning English that they set aside 1pm - 2pm every day to have time to speak in English. They take turns translating their conversations, or articles or something that they saw into English and correcting each other. I'm pretty awed by their determination and motivation.
And the last thing I would like to touch on is... work.
I have not seen anybody do any serious work. I don't know why, maybe this is their down time. I'm sure that they do work at some point, maybe it's because I'm sitting in the corner and I can't see them. But most people who I walk past don't seem to be doing work @.@
But, I have been... well, not a lot, just a little... but little by little adds up right?
-----
DJ Yanny presents Terraformer - Won't forget these days (DJ Digress remix)
Nightcore version (faster/sped up)
Can't remember if I've put it up. Sorry if I did....
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Odds and ends, student budget
For some reason, I decided to commit myself to a part-time internship that requires me to be in the office 2 or 3 times a week. On top of that, I've got a class that needs attending and my thesis to write.
The interesting thing about MBAs, or rather any masters programme in China is that a thesis is required for you to pass and receive certification from the education ministry (or something like that). It is possible NOT to do the thesis and still receive the certificate from the school although you don't have the ministry certification (which isn't a bad thing, especially if you're going back to the home country), after all, a Chinese ministry certification doesn't really carry that much weight in other countries. I am very tempted to do this although I'm a third of my way through writing the thesis.
On top of that, you do need to submit 10 reports for additional seminars and presentations that were non-class related that you attended over the 2 years. The nice part is that some people would have done several reports and sent them out to everybody. How selfless and team oriented.
-----
I've been asked several times on how much you should budget for coming to Tsinghua University.
Well, it goes a little something like this
If you stay in the dorm, it's approximately RMB2500 a month - that doesn't cover Internet (at least last time, perhaps now it's in the package), and you only get hot water 3 times a day (I can't remember the times, but I think it's morning, afternoon and evening) for 2-3 hours per session.
If you stay off campus around Wudaokou/Liudaokou, it's about RMB3000 - RMB3500 for a room (shared apartment). A single room/studio will be about RMB4500 in Liudaokou, and about RMB6000 in Wudaokou (Huaqing). Huaqing sucks, but it's the most convenient. Or you can buy an electric bike and go up and down to Liudaokou.
Phone bills will range from rmb200 - 500, depending on your usage and how often you would like to call your boyfriend/girlfriend back home. You're better off getting used to Skype.
Food will cost you approximately RMB50 per meal if you want something decent, if you go to Sanlitun, it's approximately RMB100 - RMB200. If you decide to cook, meat can be expensive and foreign foods as well, so say about RMB300 - RMB500 per week if you're cooking.
Taxis are a burden, a trip to Sanlitun will cost about RMB50 one way. I would suggest that you take the subway down if you're by yourself and take the cab back if you're having a night out simply because the subway closes at about 10.30
So say you're staying off campus, spending about RMB80 a day on meals on weekdays, and RMB200 on meals on weekends, have a significant other that you call regularly, and go down to Sanlitun twice a week. That would give you about
RMB3500 + RMB 1760 + RMB1600 + RMB800 = RMB7660
Now, if you include going out for drinks and dating, you can expect to spend about RMB 300 - RMB 500 - RMB 800 per night out. So all in, that's about RMB10,000 a month all in. Which I think would allow you to live a pretty good life.
That's how much it costs to come to Tsinghua University SEM if you want to have fun.
-----
Avicii - Fade into Darkness (Albin Myers remix)
This seems to be the version that they play at clubs, or at least Spark.
Download it here
The interesting thing about MBAs, or rather any masters programme in China is that a thesis is required for you to pass and receive certification from the education ministry (or something like that). It is possible NOT to do the thesis and still receive the certificate from the school although you don't have the ministry certification (which isn't a bad thing, especially if you're going back to the home country), after all, a Chinese ministry certification doesn't really carry that much weight in other countries. I am very tempted to do this although I'm a third of my way through writing the thesis.
On top of that, you do need to submit 10 reports for additional seminars and presentations that were non-class related that you attended over the 2 years. The nice part is that some people would have done several reports and sent them out to everybody. How selfless and team oriented.
-----
I've been asked several times on how much you should budget for coming to Tsinghua University.
Well, it goes a little something like this
If you stay in the dorm, it's approximately RMB2500 a month - that doesn't cover Internet (at least last time, perhaps now it's in the package), and you only get hot water 3 times a day (I can't remember the times, but I think it's morning, afternoon and evening) for 2-3 hours per session.
If you stay off campus around Wudaokou/Liudaokou, it's about RMB3000 - RMB3500 for a room (shared apartment). A single room/studio will be about RMB4500 in Liudaokou, and about RMB6000 in Wudaokou (Huaqing). Huaqing sucks, but it's the most convenient. Or you can buy an electric bike and go up and down to Liudaokou.
Phone bills will range from rmb200 - 500, depending on your usage and how often you would like to call your boyfriend/girlfriend back home. You're better off getting used to Skype.
Food will cost you approximately RMB50 per meal if you want something decent, if you go to Sanlitun, it's approximately RMB100 - RMB200. If you decide to cook, meat can be expensive and foreign foods as well, so say about RMB300 - RMB500 per week if you're cooking.
Taxis are a burden, a trip to Sanlitun will cost about RMB50 one way. I would suggest that you take the subway down if you're by yourself and take the cab back if you're having a night out simply because the subway closes at about 10.30
So say you're staying off campus, spending about RMB80 a day on meals on weekdays, and RMB200 on meals on weekends, have a significant other that you call regularly, and go down to Sanlitun twice a week. That would give you about
RMB3500 + RMB 1760 + RMB1600 + RMB800 = RMB7660
Now, if you include going out for drinks and dating, you can expect to spend about RMB 300 - RMB 500 - RMB 800 per night out. So all in, that's about RMB10,000 a month all in. Which I think would allow you to live a pretty good life.
That's how much it costs to come to Tsinghua University SEM if you want to have fun.
-----
Avicii - Fade into Darkness (Albin Myers remix)
This seems to be the version that they play at clubs, or at least Spark.
Download it here
Friday, February 10, 2012
Why?
Last week, a very good friend of mine told me that he's planning to propose to his girlfriend. This week, yet another friend told me that he's thinking of having a long term stable relationship.
Both at MBAs, both are successful, intelligent people. But yet, they see a need to allow their happiness to depend on a third party.
The usual romance stories go, boy meets girl, boy likes girl, girl likes boy, they have a relationship, things go bad, they patch up. Get married, live happily ever after. Right? Unfortunately, it's not really like that in real life. They break up, or maybe get married and have a pretty good chance of getting divorced.
But my problem is not really about people getting divorced. It's about why people get into relationships. Relationships are fun, as long as they are short term - in the long term, they get dreary and boring (regardless of how kinky you make it, after a while, it's been there done that). I think can think of several reasons of why people get into relationships:-
i) They need a dependency for their happiness, a third party that makes them happy. This is akin to my drinking a bottle of whiskey every night so I can sleep happy, well knowing that there's a pretty decent chance I'll get liver cirrhosis.
ii) They're scared of dying alone. I've heard this reasons so many times - but don't they realize? When you die, you die alone. Your partner doesn't die with you, your children don't die with you, your dog doesn't die with you. You still die alone.
iii) They want companionship. That's what clubs are for, failing that, hire a girl for the night. Sounds pretty scandalous? Not really, it's just to fulfill a basic need. You want mental stimulation? Challenge yourself, start a company, read. Don't depend on somebody else to satisfy yourself in that sense.
But of course the question is why? What's so wrong about a relationship?
i) You lose your edge. People who enter into relationships, into marriage, "settle down". Doesn't that mean they're losing their edge? It affects their abilities to take risks (in most cases). Want to quit your job and start a company? Talk to your spouse. Want to move half way around the world for a career opportunity? Talk to your spouse. Want to eat KFC for dinner? Talk to your spouse. Your life is no longer about doing what you can do to achieve what you want, suddenly you have a 50kg (if she's light) weight attached to you, impairing you from making your own decisions.
ii) Sacrifice your success. Yes, we all know that a lot of CEOs are married, but don't we also know that a lot of successful people are divorced? And if you're female, how many successful females are there with children? Do you really just want to be a home maker? What happened to your dreams? Weren't you going to be great and achieve something, weren't you going to make a difference in the world? Chances are you'll have to put that on KIV if you're getting married, and maybe especially if you're having kids.
iii) Lose yourself, lose your identity. Who are you really? Once you're married, you're no longer going to be the person you are - you're going to be somebody's spouse. Unfortunately, your life is really about you, not about your parents, or your children or your spouse. It's all about you, that's why it's your life. Why make your life about somebody else when you haven't even fully achieved living your own life?
Live is about yourself and happiness. Happiness comes from within you, not from an external source. Just like internal motivation will pull you through, you cannot depend on an external motivation (like a partner) to really make you happy. If you're not happy from within, why would you be really happy just because you have a partner?
If you want to have a partner - do it like a hobby. Because you have spare time, because you're bored and because you have extra money. Don't do it because you need it to fulfill a need. Because that's just not sustainable.
-----
Sy & Al Storm feat. Meri Everitt - Lonely
And no, I don't get lonely because I choose not to let myself get lonely.
Both at MBAs, both are successful, intelligent people. But yet, they see a need to allow their happiness to depend on a third party.
The usual romance stories go, boy meets girl, boy likes girl, girl likes boy, they have a relationship, things go bad, they patch up. Get married, live happily ever after. Right? Unfortunately, it's not really like that in real life. They break up, or maybe get married and have a pretty good chance of getting divorced.
But my problem is not really about people getting divorced. It's about why people get into relationships. Relationships are fun, as long as they are short term - in the long term, they get dreary and boring (regardless of how kinky you make it, after a while, it's been there done that). I think can think of several reasons of why people get into relationships:-
i) They need a dependency for their happiness, a third party that makes them happy. This is akin to my drinking a bottle of whiskey every night so I can sleep happy, well knowing that there's a pretty decent chance I'll get liver cirrhosis.
ii) They're scared of dying alone. I've heard this reasons so many times - but don't they realize? When you die, you die alone. Your partner doesn't die with you, your children don't die with you, your dog doesn't die with you. You still die alone.
iii) They want companionship. That's what clubs are for, failing that, hire a girl for the night. Sounds pretty scandalous? Not really, it's just to fulfill a basic need. You want mental stimulation? Challenge yourself, start a company, read. Don't depend on somebody else to satisfy yourself in that sense.
But of course the question is why? What's so wrong about a relationship?
i) You lose your edge. People who enter into relationships, into marriage, "settle down". Doesn't that mean they're losing their edge? It affects their abilities to take risks (in most cases). Want to quit your job and start a company? Talk to your spouse. Want to move half way around the world for a career opportunity? Talk to your spouse. Want to eat KFC for dinner? Talk to your spouse. Your life is no longer about doing what you can do to achieve what you want, suddenly you have a 50kg (if she's light) weight attached to you, impairing you from making your own decisions.
ii) Sacrifice your success. Yes, we all know that a lot of CEOs are married, but don't we also know that a lot of successful people are divorced? And if you're female, how many successful females are there with children? Do you really just want to be a home maker? What happened to your dreams? Weren't you going to be great and achieve something, weren't you going to make a difference in the world? Chances are you'll have to put that on KIV if you're getting married, and maybe especially if you're having kids.
iii) Lose yourself, lose your identity. Who are you really? Once you're married, you're no longer going to be the person you are - you're going to be somebody's spouse. Unfortunately, your life is really about you, not about your parents, or your children or your spouse. It's all about you, that's why it's your life. Why make your life about somebody else when you haven't even fully achieved living your own life?
Live is about yourself and happiness. Happiness comes from within you, not from an external source. Just like internal motivation will pull you through, you cannot depend on an external motivation (like a partner) to really make you happy. If you're not happy from within, why would you be really happy just because you have a partner?
If you want to have a partner - do it like a hobby. Because you have spare time, because you're bored and because you have extra money. Don't do it because you need it to fulfill a need. Because that's just not sustainable.
-----
Sy & Al Storm feat. Meri Everitt - Lonely
And no, I don't get lonely because I choose not to let myself get lonely.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Chicken soup for the soul
Aside from working on my thesis, I found I made a terrible mistake in my business plans - rendering the entire business un-doable. However, with enough amendments and pivoting, it can be adopted to a more realistic and achievable business.
Lessons I learnt:
1. If you're doing a business in China, for the Chinese - please get a local partner, or local friends who can advise you. It's very easy to assume what works abroad, or what sounds good to you (because of your mindset) would work in China. Sorry, it doesn't work like that; I learnt it the hard way.
2. LinkedIn is actually quite useful. Especially if you want to get connected - but like most networking, if you want to get introduced to someone, at least have a good relationship with the introducer. Not just a "Hi/Bye" relationship, but a relationship where you actually have had a meal with the person and talk to him on a regular basis.
3. Don't fall for the China is such a large market, 1% will be achievable and make me insanely rich. China has so many provinces, and each province is a market by itself. There are several provinces with roughly 100 million people each, it might be better and make more sense if you were just to target one province. Remember that Beijing alone has 19 million people (not including Tianjin which is another 12 million) putting in on par with small countries.
4. Communicate - which means, you need to be able to speak Chinese. And hopefully read and write. I'm at a huge disadvantage because I'm not extremely fluent in Chinese and reading/writing is hard for me. It really helps if you can find somebody who can help you understand what's going on. Get a good tutor, a good tutor isn't just somebody who can teach you the language well, but somebody who can teach you the culture as well and who you know as a person. Terribly important. Have a meal with your tutor. That helps.
5. Be flexible in your plans. I think I've learnt it's important to have a business idea/model that can be adapted easily if changes need to be made. For example, you would like to have a restaurant, and it's a hamburger restaurant. Be flexible enough that if you learn it doesn't work, you can pivot and change it and turn it into a hotdog stand, or a pizza parlor.
6. Have somebody with you. Not necessarily a girlfriend/boyfriend (you can't really trust them sometimes :P ) but a partner who you're able to bounce ideas with and discuss things. If anything, that person is sometimes able to provide you with a reality check on things. I think it works best if you're able to have somebody who has slightly different interests and a different area of focus. For example, you may be focused on the business aspect of things while your partner may be focused on operations and technology. It doesn't mean that you don't know operations and technology at all, but rather, it means that your partner pays extra attention to that area while you're able to think about the business.
-----
Theloneranger said
"Hi,
I came across your blog while looking for information for Tsinghua IMBA. I must that you put the B school into a different light than others (although to me it didnt seem negative).
I have actually applied for the class of 2014 and maybe i might get into it. so i thought i would tell u my plan. I want to study in tsinghua and then go for a dual degree (after the first year) or complete the MBA in tsinghua only and looks for jobs in Singapore and Malaysia. Do you think that looks possible? "
Hi!
TThanks for dropping by and reading. I'm glad you didn't think my blog doesn't put Tsinghua SEM's MBA program into too negative a light. I have other classmates who are more than happy to talk about the happy side of things, but I decided that I wanted to present a more realistic view - sort of to manage the expectations of people who read this blog and want to apply to the MBA program.
I do hope you get a chance to get admitted (if anything, it feels good to be admitted) and have the opportunity to discover Beijing the way I did. Just remember, that in China, a lot of what you think would be normal doesn't really apply here - quite a fair bit of things are exceptions simply because it's China.
Well, if you want to do a dual-degree then you're probably looking at HEC Paris? Or are you looking at the MIT Masters in Management? If you're looking at HEC Paris, then I think you would enjoy it, although I'm told that Paris is really expensive. Of the classmates that went there, one had a girlfriend in Paris and the other was a local Chinese who had always dreamt of going to Paris (he actually speaks fluent French as well). So I guess, perhaps you have your own reasons to doing it.
I do think that the job opportunities are better if you did the dual-degree. One of the classmates got into finance in London for an internship, so that's pretty good. Not bulge bracket, but a boutique, which might have a more relaxed pace.
Singapore is a pretty nice place to work and stay at, but you would need to earn between SGD6k to SGD8k to really be able to enjoy life there a little bit more. Things aren't cheap, and the weather is as bad as the weather in Malaysia - hot and humid. And it's really small :P but I like Singapore because, it's convenient and safe, and they have not one, but TWO casinos (although I'm told Resorts sucks and you're better off going to Marina Bay Sands).
As for Malaysia, it's the much poorer cousin of Singapore, rife with racism and corruption. I would only suggest going there if you are able to get an insanely good package, or you're from Malaysia and want to be near family. If not, they pay less than Singapore/Hong Kong, it's not safe and there is institutionalized racism that might affect your career.
It really depends on what kind of jobs you're looking at post-MBA. If you're looking for consulting or finance, or those really nice jobs, you would have to compete against graduates from INSEAD Singapore, as well as the whole bunch of Singaporeans that go to Harvard/Stanford/Wharton/Chicago/MIT/Kellogg and Columbia each year. So that might be tricky, but I think if you're looking for a "normal" job (something that isn't specifically an MBA position), it should be possible to get that.
Good luck, and let me know if you come to Tsinghua.
P/s Please, get a VPN from Astrill or Witopia before you come, especially if you would like to read blogs, Facebook and watch Youtube and read articles that put China in a bad light. :)
-----
Hitomi - Continued Story (Code Geass)
For a change, a non-hardcore song. But one of the nicest songs I've heard - although to fully appreciate it, you should watch the anime, Code Geass. :)
Lessons I learnt:
1. If you're doing a business in China, for the Chinese - please get a local partner, or local friends who can advise you. It's very easy to assume what works abroad, or what sounds good to you (because of your mindset) would work in China. Sorry, it doesn't work like that; I learnt it the hard way.
2. LinkedIn is actually quite useful. Especially if you want to get connected - but like most networking, if you want to get introduced to someone, at least have a good relationship with the introducer. Not just a "Hi/Bye" relationship, but a relationship where you actually have had a meal with the person and talk to him on a regular basis.
3. Don't fall for the China is such a large market, 1% will be achievable and make me insanely rich. China has so many provinces, and each province is a market by itself. There are several provinces with roughly 100 million people each, it might be better and make more sense if you were just to target one province. Remember that Beijing alone has 19 million people (not including Tianjin which is another 12 million) putting in on par with small countries.
4. Communicate - which means, you need to be able to speak Chinese. And hopefully read and write. I'm at a huge disadvantage because I'm not extremely fluent in Chinese and reading/writing is hard for me. It really helps if you can find somebody who can help you understand what's going on. Get a good tutor, a good tutor isn't just somebody who can teach you the language well, but somebody who can teach you the culture as well and who you know as a person. Terribly important. Have a meal with your tutor. That helps.
5. Be flexible in your plans. I think I've learnt it's important to have a business idea/model that can be adapted easily if changes need to be made. For example, you would like to have a restaurant, and it's a hamburger restaurant. Be flexible enough that if you learn it doesn't work, you can pivot and change it and turn it into a hotdog stand, or a pizza parlor.
6. Have somebody with you. Not necessarily a girlfriend/boyfriend (you can't really trust them sometimes :P ) but a partner who you're able to bounce ideas with and discuss things. If anything, that person is sometimes able to provide you with a reality check on things. I think it works best if you're able to have somebody who has slightly different interests and a different area of focus. For example, you may be focused on the business aspect of things while your partner may be focused on operations and technology. It doesn't mean that you don't know operations and technology at all, but rather, it means that your partner pays extra attention to that area while you're able to think about the business.
-----
Theloneranger said
"Hi,
I came across your blog while looking for information for Tsinghua IMBA. I must that you put the B school into a different light than others (although to me it didnt seem negative).
I have actually applied for the class of 2014 and maybe i might get into it. so i thought i would tell u my plan. I want to study in tsinghua and then go for a dual degree (after the first year) or complete the MBA in tsinghua only and looks for jobs in Singapore and Malaysia. Do you think that looks possible? "
Hi!
TThanks for dropping by and reading. I'm glad you didn't think my blog doesn't put Tsinghua SEM's MBA program into too negative a light. I have other classmates who are more than happy to talk about the happy side of things, but I decided that I wanted to present a more realistic view - sort of to manage the expectations of people who read this blog and want to apply to the MBA program.
I do hope you get a chance to get admitted (if anything, it feels good to be admitted) and have the opportunity to discover Beijing the way I did. Just remember, that in China, a lot of what you think would be normal doesn't really apply here - quite a fair bit of things are exceptions simply because it's China.
Well, if you want to do a dual-degree then you're probably looking at HEC Paris? Or are you looking at the MIT Masters in Management? If you're looking at HEC Paris, then I think you would enjoy it, although I'm told that Paris is really expensive. Of the classmates that went there, one had a girlfriend in Paris and the other was a local Chinese who had always dreamt of going to Paris (he actually speaks fluent French as well). So I guess, perhaps you have your own reasons to doing it.
I do think that the job opportunities are better if you did the dual-degree. One of the classmates got into finance in London for an internship, so that's pretty good. Not bulge bracket, but a boutique, which might have a more relaxed pace.
Singapore is a pretty nice place to work and stay at, but you would need to earn between SGD6k to SGD8k to really be able to enjoy life there a little bit more. Things aren't cheap, and the weather is as bad as the weather in Malaysia - hot and humid. And it's really small :P but I like Singapore because, it's convenient and safe, and they have not one, but TWO casinos (although I'm told Resorts sucks and you're better off going to Marina Bay Sands).
As for Malaysia, it's the much poorer cousin of Singapore, rife with racism and corruption. I would only suggest going there if you are able to get an insanely good package, or you're from Malaysia and want to be near family. If not, they pay less than Singapore/Hong Kong, it's not safe and there is institutionalized racism that might affect your career.
It really depends on what kind of jobs you're looking at post-MBA. If you're looking for consulting or finance, or those really nice jobs, you would have to compete against graduates from INSEAD Singapore, as well as the whole bunch of Singaporeans that go to Harvard/Stanford/Wharton/Chicago/MIT/Kellogg and Columbia each year. So that might be tricky, but I think if you're looking for a "normal" job (something that isn't specifically an MBA position), it should be possible to get that.
Good luck, and let me know if you come to Tsinghua.
P/s Please, get a VPN from Astrill or Witopia before you come, especially if you would like to read blogs, Facebook and watch Youtube and read articles that put China in a bad light. :)
-----
Hitomi - Continued Story (Code Geass)
For a change, a non-hardcore song. But one of the nicest songs I've heard - although to fully appreciate it, you should watch the anime, Code Geass. :)
Friday, January 27, 2012
Finance
Thanks for the quick response! I am actually a PhD student at the departmen of civil engineering. I just want to take some economic courses, to get some knowledge about banking and finance and try to break into finance. But know I read about the age issue you are having, not sure if it is a good idea.
Thanks, and lets see what happens!
Jaime
----
Hi Jaime (again)
If you're a PhD student, assuming that it's a 5 year long PhD, and you did your PhD after masters, after undergrad, you would be about 28 - 30 when you graduate?
If you're 28 of younger, you can still break into finance. But again, it depends on which area of finance you want to break it, finance as a whole, is a huge industry. Finance isn't really my interest, so I can't advise you specifically on how to break into it - but I guess it would primarily fall on you do to a lot of your own networking to try and meet people in Finance and hopefully secure an internship.
I don't know much about your area of expertise, so again, I can't really tell you what to do. But I do know that a lot of PhDs hired into finance tend to be technical experts and do something related to modelling - lots and lots of modelling.
I do have several suggestions for you though, just some stuff off the top of my head that you might want to try to do to break into finance.
i) Do take up a few finance courses at Tsinghua. Based on the electives offered in Fall 2011, you might want to look at Theory of Investment, Business Analysis Using Financial Statements, International Finance, Principles of Financial Engineering.
ii) Do attend the networking/guest lectures held by Tsinghua SEM. If not for anything, just to listen to the lectures (which can be pretty interesting) and perhaps meet some people in the industry.
iii) I'm not sure if you can do this, but speak to to the Tsinghua CDC and see if you can be put onto their mailing list. Once in a while, finance related jobs crop up, but they're mainly for Chinese students though because of the language required (I'm not sure if you're Chinese).
iv) There are several finance related clubs in Tsinghua SEM. You can always try to join them and participate, at least you'll have a clearer idea of finance and pick up the lingo. Always good to know the language they're talking.
Good luck to you.
-----
Hixxy & Chris Unknown - This is how we roll
Thanks, and lets see what happens!
Jaime
----
Hi Jaime (again)
If you're a PhD student, assuming that it's a 5 year long PhD, and you did your PhD after masters, after undergrad, you would be about 28 - 30 when you graduate?
If you're 28 of younger, you can still break into finance. But again, it depends on which area of finance you want to break it, finance as a whole, is a huge industry. Finance isn't really my interest, so I can't advise you specifically on how to break into it - but I guess it would primarily fall on you do to a lot of your own networking to try and meet people in Finance and hopefully secure an internship.
I don't know much about your area of expertise, so again, I can't really tell you what to do. But I do know that a lot of PhDs hired into finance tend to be technical experts and do something related to modelling - lots and lots of modelling.
I do have several suggestions for you though, just some stuff off the top of my head that you might want to try to do to break into finance.
i) Do take up a few finance courses at Tsinghua. Based on the electives offered in Fall 2011, you might want to look at Theory of Investment, Business Analysis Using Financial Statements, International Finance, Principles of Financial Engineering.
ii) Do attend the networking/guest lectures held by Tsinghua SEM. If not for anything, just to listen to the lectures (which can be pretty interesting) and perhaps meet some people in the industry.
iii) I'm not sure if you can do this, but speak to to the Tsinghua CDC and see if you can be put onto their mailing list. Once in a while, finance related jobs crop up, but they're mainly for Chinese students though because of the language required (I'm not sure if you're Chinese).
iv) There are several finance related clubs in Tsinghua SEM. You can always try to join them and participate, at least you'll have a clearer idea of finance and pick up the lingo. Always good to know the language they're talking.
Good luck to you.
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Hixxy & Chris Unknown - This is how we roll
Monday, January 23, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Happy Chinese New Year
It's been a while now since I last blogged. What have most of my fellow classmates been up to? Well, pretty much about half of my classmates went for an exchange abroad. Those that stayed to do the 3rd semested at Tsinghua SEM spent the last moments of the semester making arrangements to go back home for the winter break.
So right now, there is hardly anybody in Beijing (from my class) - especially given that the Chinese New Year has come earlier. Those that stayed are probably focusing on their local internships, I know at least of one classmate who is doing an internship here. In general, the consensus is that most of my classmates will come back sometime in March.
What have I been doing? Well, I spent a good part of December and January traveling before coming back to Beijing for the Chinese New Year - only to realize that perhaps, I should have had spent my time elsewhere. But actually, the fact that nobody is around allows me to get some work done. Because, well, I realized that realistically, I may not be able to get into an MBA specific role, such as a leadership program or an associate program. Possibly because of experience, age, etc; it's hard to tell why sometimes. But taking that into consideration, I've decided that I would apply directly into roles that I am interested in, aside from the usual MBA roles.
How have I fared? Admittedly not very well. Discussions for a company that was interested well through. So what is my plan? Well, I have decided that I will look into doing what I have always wanted to do - entrepreneurship and start-up. And to that, I have spent the last several weeks working on business plans for a start-up in China. However, the trickier part, is getting funding. So over the next couple of months, I will probably be knocking on a the doors of a lot of VC funds with my hat in my hand, asking for some charity. Let's hope that this goes better than my applying for a job. :)
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Ok, I have to admit, the main reason that I blogged today was because Jaime, left a comment. So I will go ahead and try and address her questions
"Thanks, its me, Jaime again. From the last post I guess things are getting better with the job hunting. I am selecting my grades for next semester, and would like to know if you can give me some advice of were to find SEM English courses. I know there are some you don't need to be MBA student to take, I knew some exchange French guys how were taking these courses. Do you know where can I find info about this?
And, considering I want to find some internship at a PE or IB firm, just to get some experience I am not aiming for (Goldman Sachs), can you recommend me any courses?
Thanks, and good luck with the job hunting!!"
Hi Jaime
To be honest, I am not very clear on what you do. Are you an exchange student or are you just a student hoping to take some courses at Tsinghua SEM? Anyhow, if you want to find the English courses online, you would need to have an account. At least, that is how we access the list of Ensligh electives. But perhaps, an option you could do is to call the office? I think you might be able to ask Lynn (8610-6278 5515) for advice on this and how you would be able to sign up for courses if you are not a Tsinghua SEM student.
If you are planning to find an internship at a PE or IB firm, it really depends on what role you would want to do - especially in IB. But I would suggest that you look at courses such as Theory of Investment, Capital Markets, Investment Banking (yes, there is a course that is called Investment Banking) and similarly related courses. If, you want to do an internship, and I think possibly as an analyst, do look at doing internships with securities firms such as Samsung, Mitsubitshi, etc. If you have no prior experience, it might be an opportunity for you to break into the field.
Good luck to you.
-----
Foster the People - Pumped up kicks (Skeet Skeet remix)
I wonder how many people feel like that.
So right now, there is hardly anybody in Beijing (from my class) - especially given that the Chinese New Year has come earlier. Those that stayed are probably focusing on their local internships, I know at least of one classmate who is doing an internship here. In general, the consensus is that most of my classmates will come back sometime in March.
What have I been doing? Well, I spent a good part of December and January traveling before coming back to Beijing for the Chinese New Year - only to realize that perhaps, I should have had spent my time elsewhere. But actually, the fact that nobody is around allows me to get some work done. Because, well, I realized that realistically, I may not be able to get into an MBA specific role, such as a leadership program or an associate program. Possibly because of experience, age, etc; it's hard to tell why sometimes. But taking that into consideration, I've decided that I would apply directly into roles that I am interested in, aside from the usual MBA roles.
How have I fared? Admittedly not very well. Discussions for a company that was interested well through. So what is my plan? Well, I have decided that I will look into doing what I have always wanted to do - entrepreneurship and start-up. And to that, I have spent the last several weeks working on business plans for a start-up in China. However, the trickier part, is getting funding. So over the next couple of months, I will probably be knocking on a the doors of a lot of VC funds with my hat in my hand, asking for some charity. Let's hope that this goes better than my applying for a job. :)
-----
Ok, I have to admit, the main reason that I blogged today was because Jaime, left a comment. So I will go ahead and try and address her questions
"Thanks, its me, Jaime again. From the last post I guess things are getting better with the job hunting. I am selecting my grades for next semester, and would like to know if you can give me some advice of were to find SEM English courses. I know there are some you don't need to be MBA student to take, I knew some exchange French guys how were taking these courses. Do you know where can I find info about this?
And, considering I want to find some internship at a PE or IB firm, just to get some experience I am not aiming for (Goldman Sachs), can you recommend me any courses?
Thanks, and good luck with the job hunting!!"
Hi Jaime
To be honest, I am not very clear on what you do. Are you an exchange student or are you just a student hoping to take some courses at Tsinghua SEM? Anyhow, if you want to find the English courses online, you would need to have an account. At least, that is how we access the list of Ensligh electives. But perhaps, an option you could do is to call the office? I think you might be able to ask Lynn (8610-6278 5515) for advice on this and how you would be able to sign up for courses if you are not a Tsinghua SEM student.
If you are planning to find an internship at a PE or IB firm, it really depends on what role you would want to do - especially in IB. But I would suggest that you look at courses such as Theory of Investment, Capital Markets, Investment Banking (yes, there is a course that is called Investment Banking) and similarly related courses. If, you want to do an internship, and I think possibly as an analyst, do look at doing internships with securities firms such as Samsung, Mitsubitshi, etc. If you have no prior experience, it might be an opportunity for you to break into the field.
Good luck to you.
-----
Foster the People - Pumped up kicks (Skeet Skeet remix)
I wonder how many people feel like that.
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