The “2018 Yonsei Global MBA (GMBA) Career Booster Night” differed from earlier years in featuring a guest speaker and group mentoring to help students design their career paths.
More than 60 students and alumni heard Nam-Uh Rhee, senior advisor in the Career Development Center in the Yonsei Graduate School of International Studies, draw on 30 years of experience in finance with companies, including Daewoo Securities, Merrill Lynch, and Samsung Securities in giving a special lecture on career development.
An MBA graduate of the University of Chicago, Rhee discussed his experience as a CEO in the analyst and hedge fund industry and said he felt that outstanding work skills and networking were the most important elements in his career. He ended his lecture with four lessons: "Find a job you love," "Don't underestimate the power of networking," "Treat all your co-workers with integrity," and "Arm yourself with knowledge."
After the lecture, GMBA students and GMBA alumni had dinner together. After the meal, Zheng Xuan Nan the president of GMBA. welcomed and introduced the alumni mentors at the event. Afterward, the GMBA students and their designated mentors moved to the Sangnam Institute of Management, a YSB affiliate, for group-by-group mentoring.
Amna Almeheri, a first-year GMBA student, said, "I felt the evening was very valuable as an event at which freshmen could meet and talk to graduates." She also said that she was pleased to hear good stories about the lecture at the beginning of the event. "It was a great opportunity to have in-depth talks with alumni before graduating," said Caroline Moh.
"If you want to stay in Korea for a long time, study Korean hard," advised Leif Karen, a 2012 graduate who currently works for LG Electronics. In other words, language is essential in order to have a career in various jobs in Korea. He also pointed out that at a cultural level English alone may not be enough. He also claimed that students should not confine their efforts only to the in-class lessons. "We need to make the most of our networking events to meet various people and actively try internships," he added.