[Student Column] Balancing work and study in my second homeland

I came to Korea in 2010 to help with the start-up of a subsidiary company of JSCTransContainer. I have always felt Korea to be my second homeland, where I feel safe and comfortable.

Last summer I was promoted to a higher position, which immediately required me to freshen up my university knowledge and learn cutting-edge managerial skills. I desperately felt the need to broaden my horizons and started to look for a part-time MBA program.

Sungkyunkwan University Graduate School of Business had just launched a new part-time program (two years in English), so it was exactly what I was looking for.

My task is just to study and implement into work everything that GSB imparts to me. Everything I learn, I try to use in my work immediately.

Our group is not big ― just 30 students in their mid-30s, working in different fields. Since we all work in different business areas, we share our experience during classes, which is not only interesting, but gives a lot of practical knowledge as well.

The school organizes a lot of activities for us, so study is very enjoyable. We quickly became friends and keep up informal communication after classes during the week.

Among the courses taught, the most interesting learning experience for us was the simulation game during Management of Organizations class. Our team participated in a simulation of climbing Mount Everest, which is about decision-making.

Even though the game is about ascending the mountain as a team, it gives a deeper understanding of making decisions as a team leader or team member. The game is good because it does not stick to any business area and gives a wide possibility of adjusting learning experiences in any business.

What I did not expect was that work and study at the same time would be so very hard to align. Imagine that every Tuesday and Thursday you attend lectures from 7-11 p.m., and all other evenings you are busy with preparing for these lectures. My life now is divided into work and study; there is almost no personal time left. That’s the part which is hard to balance, but I am getting used to it day after day.

I want to keep on living and working in Korea, making even humble contributions into developing trade relations between Korea and Russia.

My advice for future students: If you don’t have a long career record, it‘s better to enter a full-time MBA while at the same time look for a job. But don’t think that graduating with an MBA degree will open all doors for you ― it will help you to further your career, but you should have practical experience at the same time.

By Oxana Apteea, Sungkyunkwan University Graduate School of Business