For School of Economics graduate Wang Li Jun (BSc(Econ) 2010), learning does not end upon receiving one's certificate. Having graduated from SMU nine years ago, she is now the Operation General Manager for Premium Distribution Co. Ltd. However, she returned regularly to her alma mater to pursue courses offered by the SMU Academy. To date, she had attended not just one, but three courses across the fields of digital marketing and design thinking. Her dedication to lifelong learning is made more impressive by the fact that she is based overseas in Yangon, Myanmar. We caught up with her to find out what drives her passion for constant improvement, how pursuing courses in a familiar campus was advantageous, and how the skills she learned had contributed to her career.
Hi Li Jun! Could you share with us a little about your journey after graduation? When did you move to Myanmar, and what are the differences you noticed in the work cultures?
After graduating in 2010, I joined Unilever Singapore as a customer development executive for close to two years. I then moved to Myanmar in 2012 and joined a local distribution company. Singapore is a highly competitive market and people take a lot of pride in the work that they do. Many in Singapore may be proud to label themselves as a “workaholic”. In comparison, people in Myanmar take a more balanced view on work and to work beyond official working hours is generally rare.
How did you find out about the SMU Academy courses, and what made you sign up for the course even though you were based overseas?
After working for 8 years, I had been actively looking for opportunities to upgrade myself. I was at first interested in a Master's degree, however since I am based overseas, it was difficult for me to take on a part time course, and taking one year off was even more challenging. While researching about Master's degrees, I came across SMU Academy, which offered a broad spectrum of courses that catered to people from different industries.
What I liked the most was that there were many courses aimed at preparing us for the future economy, such as digital marketing, data analytics, and block chain techonologies. With an ever changing economy, it is very important for us to keep ourselves relevant, and SMU Academy is able to help us with that.
Li Jun, in a photo taken on campus during one of her courses
What did you enjoy most about your course?
Most of the people that joined the courses were working adults, and they were from diverse industries. This made discussions during the course very engaging as we were there to learn not just from the lecturers, but also from each other.
When you compare the SMU Academy courses to your undergraduate education, what were the main differences, and how did they benefit you as an alumna?
Learning as a working adult gave me a better perspective of why we learnt a particular topic, how it was useful, and how to apply them. As an undergraduate, far too often, we were learning for the sake of grades. In terms of mentality, there was a big difference between learning by choice, and learning for the sake of passing exams. Also, SMU Academy designed the courses to be as practical as possible, with a lot of industry insights to cater to students who were working adults.
A snapshot from a Social Media Marketing course (Photo Credit: SMU Academy)
How had attending the course helped you in your career?
I took one course on design thinking (Innovation Management Tool 'Design Thinking'), and two courses on digital marketing (Creating and Curating Display Content in Your Digital Strategy and Social Media Marketing). For design thinking, I utilized what I learnt to run internal workshops within our organisation to help our top managers develop better problem solving skills. For the digital marketing courses, it was also extremely relevant to our organisation since we were in the consumer products distribution business.
Why should alumni consider coming back to SMU for courses?
Staying relevant to the job we hold becomes ever more difficult in a world where we see disruption everywhere. It is important to never stop learning at any point in our lives. There are many ways we can learn, such as from researching on the internet, books, or even embarking on study missions. However, by attending a course, it gives us a good framework on that particular topic. This also makes it easier for us to learn on our own if we wish to dive deeper.
SMU is not just a venue to learn. As you walk around the campus, you will find other students who are staying late for their projects. It reminded me of my time as a student, full of drive, energy, and ready to take on the world. I guess sometimes as a working adult, inspiration is just as important as knowledge.
Other than courses, Li Jun (second from left) also participated in the inaugural SMU Myanmar Alumni Chapter Study Mission to Jakarta, bringing back valuable lessons from company visits in Indonesia.
Which other courses would you like to take up in the future?
Since I am in the food industry, I would be keen to take on some culinary related courses from schools such as Le Cordon Bleu!
Find out more about SMU Academy courses here: https://academy.smu.edu.sg/
