In order to help freshmen understand more about themselves and the College, the College of Management of National Sun Yat-sen University held the Freshman Core Competency Training Camp on September 1 to help freshmen explore their career options, develop an international perspective and plan their career development.
“College is the best stage of life. Unlike high school, it is the beginning of freedom and independence. From the first day you enter the College of Management, you should try all kinds of things, find your interests, plan your life properly, and actively develop the ability to think, innovate and take responsibility so that you can be the best you can be in the future.” These are the words of encouragement to the freshmen from the College of Management Dean Shu-Chuan Jennifer Yeh and International Relations and Accreditation Office Director Po-Wen She.
About College Life and Future Blueprint
What is the best way to live a full college life? Speaking on the topic of “Exploring College Life,” Department of Finance Class of 2017 alumni, I-Chung Chen and Chien-Hung Chen shared how they explored, tried, learned, gathered, made breakthroughs, and finally found the direction of their interests and deepened their professional careers. I-Chung Chen shared that during the semester, you should be brave to try and test the limits of what is possible. Through participating in various competitions, you can discover your interests and build your network. Resumes can’t be built overnight. The only way to get your ideal job is to keep accumulating experiences and improving yourself so that you are ready to jump when the opportunity comes.
Chien-Hung Chen, another Department of Finance alumnus, took a very different path, too. He pointed out that the cross-college electives, the liberal arts program, the domestic diplomacy exchange program, and the minor/dual major program are all excellent channels for important career and interest exploration offered by National Sun Yat-sen University. He encourages students to “learn to make the best use of the resources provided by the College of Management and seize every opportunity so that four years from now, you won’t think back and hate the you of today.”
Do you have to do an internship during college? The College of Management’s Office of Career Development (OCD) provides career preparation courses, one-on-one résumé workshops, one-on-one career counseling, and recruiting sessions for students. OCD Director Hsin-Yu Lin emphasizes that these opportunities will help students understand industry trends and their future career development, and enhance their employability and workplace competitiveness before entering the workplace. Yu-Chiao Fu, Department of Business Management Class of 2022 Alumnus, shared that the networking and nurturing future prospects must be planned in advance. “Try everything, grasp every opportunity, don’t be afraid to raise your hand, communicate with professors and seminar speakers, ask questions and don’t compare yourself with others. Work in your time zone.” is the pertinent advice Yu-Chiao Fu gave to the freshmen.
Should you go on an exchange in college? The College of Management International Relations and Accreditation Office Deputy Director Cong-Min Peng shared with the freshmen the types of international resources available at the College of Management. She encouraged them to go out of their comfort zone to experience different cultures and expand their international perspective. Department of Business Management Class of 2022 Alumnus I-Chen Wei shared her exchange experience at EMlyon Business School. She said: “Is it worthwhile to study abroad? This is something everyone often wonders. My exchange in France gave me the opportunity to rethink my life. The experience of being an exchange student is priceless. Don’t make choices within what you already know, because you can actually be better.”
During the three-hour Freshman Core Competency Training Camp, freshmen not only gained a deeper understanding of how to plan their college career, but also learned how to use the resources of career development, internationalization and career development from the College to build their own blueprint for their college and future life.
Contributed by Yan-Chu Lai, PhD student in Human Resource Management / Edited by the College of Management