September 16, 2020. Shanghai – In the past decade, the world has experienced an unprecedented wave of technological disruption and China has been at the very centre of many of these innovations. CEIBS MBA students are uniquely placed to learn from these innovations through our well-designed curriculum that also offers a specialisation in digital business. Naturally, the technology industry has become one of the top career choices for CEIBS graduates.

Over the last three years, 21.6% of the CEIBS MBA graduates have gone on to enter the technology industry – second only to financial services (25.9%) over the same period. So when we invited the leadership team of MBA2021’s Technology Club and our MBA alumni working in technology in APAC, Europe & North America to speak to the newly admitted CEIBS MBA Class of 2022, there was a lot of knowledge to be shared. Read on for their top 10 takeaways.

“If you’re choosing to switch from a non-tech to the tech industry, you can’t expect to be a hard-core developer. You need to find your added value for the industry based on your background.”

- Sizhen Rao, MBA21 & President of the Technology Club

“Tip for club leadership: Find running mates who have share common interests and passion. Once the rigor of the course takes over, it’s important to have a common passion to keep your drive consistent. Also, while contesting for club leadership, don’t over-commit or over-promise. Your classmates will be watching you and will hold you to your commitments and promises.”

- Shawn Lin, MBA21 & Vice-President of the Technology Club

“For those with a non-tech background, it’s important to acquire business knowhow from a technical practitioner’s perspective. The CEIBS library and other e-learning resources are a good place to start.”

- Paul Lin, MBA21 & Treasurer of the Technology Club

“Make connections in target companies, understand what they are doing and also understand their pain points.”

- Lynn Huang, MBA19 & Product Manager at Amazon in Shanghai

“Choose your top three SMART goals that you want to achieve from an MBA. Create milestones to track your progress and calibrate your actions accordingly. In short, ruthlessly prioritise.”

- Vishnu Subramoniam, MBA19 & Channel Insight Manager at Apple in Singapore

“For those looking to switch industries, your classmates are one of the best resources to gain first-hand insights about your target industry.”

- Faye Hu, MBA20 & Europe Launch Program at Amazon in EU

“It’s important to take full advantage of the mentoring programme during your MBA. Choosing a mentor in the right industry and function is crucial.”

- Diego Garcia Fernandez, MBA17 & Head of BD at Ant Financial in Spain

“Networking becomes useful only when you figure out what you want. If you speak to people without having a clear purpose, it’s hard to make a lasting impression. But if you have concrete goals, people will remember to call you when the opportunities come.”

- Diego Garcia Fernandez, MBA17 & Head of BD at Ant Financial in Spain

“The technology industry values people who are able to create a simple story out of a very ambiguous environment.”

- Arpit Mishra, MBA17 & Senior Manager Finance at Intel in California

“San Francisco is more laidback and very diverse, which is great for creativity and innovation. Shanghai, on the other hand, is very fast paced and its environment is a lot hungrier. People are ambitious and driven. That pace drives business innovation and technology adoption.”

- Jesse Miller, MBA17 & Planning Manager at Spin (Ford Smart Mobility) in California