Jangan puas hanya dengan belajar di luar negeri

Apakah tugas kita sudah selesai setelah diterima belajar di luar negeri? Jawabannya adalah tidak! Livia Benedict, siswi Master of International Business dari University of Melbourne tetap giat mencari program belajar di negara-negara lain untuk memperkaya pengalamannya. Simak ceritanya dalam mendapatkan kesempatan ‘belajar dan bekerja’ di Hong Kong sebagai bagian dari program Masternya!

Last January, I went to Hong Kong to join the Global Business Practicum (GBP). I was fortunate enough to be assigned to Bloomberg, which situated in Hong Kong CBD, as my host company. In a team of four, we were designated a working space on the 27^th floor and were amazed at the extraordinary view of the central city from up high. On top of that, Bloomberg has an incredible open pantry facility where you can just grab anything that you like for FREE! YES, ALL FOR FREE (reminder of Google anyone?). Throughout our two weeks there, we certainly took the chance to indulge ourselves with the range of snacks available—from chips, chocolates to biscuits and coffee, tea as well as fruits. Nothing much to complain about that, huh?

If I haven’t made you all jealous enough, wait until you hear about what I have learned and experienced during the program. Besides the extremely good facilities provided, I learned so much within my two weeks of this practicum. GBP provides you with the opportunity to deal with real clients and real problems. You got to apply and implement all the theories, knowledge, and creativity that you have learned during your master studies.

Additionally, we were required to come in to the office from 8am to 6pm to work on our project. I admired the professionalism of our hosts in the way they treated us. The hosts were truly supportive and always present for questions and feedback. I felt that I was acting as a real consultant. It was a totally different experience compared to what you gained from classroom-based seminars. We brainstormed with each other, threw ideas around, and challenged ourselves to perfect them. I’m sure you’ve heard enough about people telling you to think outside the box, well, guess what, as a team, we experienced what it was actually like to do just that. At the same time we strived to present our thinking and findings in a logical way.

Furthermore, GBP helped me develop better interpersonal and communication skills. I learned a lot about how to talk to clients and how to manage clients’ expectations. I learned to ask the right questions and provide answers to clients’ queries and doubts.

GBP is no doubt the best professional working experience I have ever had. I recommend every one of you to join this program. No matter which country you are going to and which company you are allocated, you will definitely learn much more than you expect.

So, even when you are already studying overseas, I encourage you all to search actively for work experiences in other countries as well. Prepare your CV, write your cover letter, apply for exchange programs and practice your interview.I am sure you will experience and learn as much as, if not more than, what I did.

Hope to hear good story from y’all!

Livia

This post is adapted from Student Life @ The Spot blog and is republished with permission from the author.