Yi WANG

Tsinghua Global MBA Class of 2021

Microsoft PRC Account Technical Strategist

“Change” is a magical word for Tsinghua MBA students. If you ask anyone of them why they are here, most of their answers may be like, "I want to change, Tsinghuacouldchange mycareer, lifestyle and mindset." I'm also here to change myself.

People motivate me to

change myself

We know that people around us, people close to us, they're very influential and important. Firstly, I’d like to share how people around me have directly and indirectly motivated me to change myself.

First are the professors of whom we are proud. We have top ranking professors for many classes such as accounting, economics, finance, leadership, and so on. Also, I was very lucky to take the course of Positive Psychology amid Covid-19 outbreak. The professor of the course also set up an organization to help people in need of psychological assistance in Wuhan. The course has inspired us to release potential, utilize abilities to change the world and always follow the heart. I gradually change the way I deal with life and become a happier person. Besides, here at Tsinghua MBA program, we not only have typical business courses, but also have access to other resources of the university. There are students who even take astronomy class out of their own interest.

Next, CDC (career development center) counselors work with us from the very beginning of our study. First, they help us to know about ourselves, find our unique strengths and weaknesses, and explore our future career path. They also help us in making the CV and preparing for a job interview wisely and effectively. I really had some hard time looking for job last summer. It's the CDC counselor who talked to me and encouraged me to overcome difficulties during that time.

Next are adorable and excellent classmates. Someone coped with family down-suffering and successfully recovered family business, he showed me what is fearless. Someone, who is a long-time marathon runner, trains regardless of weather, he explains to me what relentlessness and the limit of our physical body is. Someone self-learned investment, he demonstrated to me the beauty of critical thinking. Someone is the founder of many companies and never stops trying, he inspired me to stay passionate. I learn a lot from my amazing classmates and enjoy so much talking and working with them. They're also very much caring and supportive.

Last but not the least is our alumni. The alumni mentoring program is extremely helpful. It shows us how trust can be built, and how we can help each other. One of the most important lessons I have learned from them is to give before to receive. Instead of asking others for help, why don't you think about how you can help others first?

Keep knowing more

about ourselve

For the second aspect of change, I'd like to take myself as an example and talk about self-motivated change.

To me, the change starts with knowing myself and this is one of the greatest stuff I have learned from the MBA program. Previously, I confidently thought that I knew about myself well. But things turned out to be different after I started the MBA program. We took many tests about our personality, character, strengths and weaknesses. People talk about what kind of a person they are, what they want to do in the future and what are the most suitable and best choices they should make. I became anxious because I felt like I didn't know about myself anymore.

As we proceed to explore and discuss further, I have more and clearer understanding of myself. For example, the things I'm capable to do include establishing new connections with people, thinking critically and logically, and performing well under competitions pressure. What excites me most is interacting with people and learning new stuff and making transformations. What bores me is staying at boring status quo without actively moving forward. Keep changing and becoming a better person is to keep knowing more about ourselves. This is a lifelong process and I'm gladly embracing it.

Embracing the change

and be better

Finally, I'd like to share the third aspect of change during my MBA program.

First is about the change of environment. I had been working for a Chinese overseas company in the Middle East for 4 years. Now I'm back in China. I had some real hard time for the first several months after I came back from Saudi Arabia, because Saudi Arabia and China are so different.

Second is about the change of industry. I worked in infrastructure engineering in the Middle East, we build roads, bridges, ports, airports, railways. Infrastructure is a traditional industry driven more by experience rather than innovation. Now I work in the high-tech industry where innovation is highly valued and almost happening anytime and everywhere. We make use of high tech to transform traditional business in this digital era, we empower people and organizations to achieve more.

Third is about a change of role. Previously I was a marketing manager. But now I'm a key account technical strategist. I closely work together with our clients to analyze their business, understand their strategies, identify their challenges and problems, and provide them with a useful set of tech tools and industry solutions.

Fourth is about the change of mindset. I used to be a somewhat fixed-minded person. Now I'm more open-minded and more inclusive. I take necessary information, assess them critically, and see how valuable they are to me. Now I am exposed to many different industries and different ideas, and I really enjoy it.

Despite of all the changes mentioned above, there's something that is unchanged, which is embracing the change itself. At Microsoft we all agree that the only unchanged in the world is the change itself. The world is always changing fast and dramatically, whether we like it or not, whether we want it or not. To me, I would always choose to embrace the change rather than evading it. My gratitude to Tsinghua MBA programs is also unchanged. I appreciate the program so much for providing such a great platform for me and for changing and motivating myself.

Above is my story of change.