Have you ever taken a leap so far outside your comfort zone that you could barely imagine what
waited on the other side?
That was how I felt before coming to Cambridge.
Before the MBA, my career path had taken me across very different industries and functions.
Trained as a chemical engineer, I moved from financial modelling at a gas-to-power company to
process improvement at Shell, then to Go-To-Market strategy at Xiaomi and marketing at Bosch
Power Tools. For years, I simply followed curiosity, stepped into unfamiliar challenges, and
learned along the way.
Despite the opportunities and achievements, I increasingly found myself questioning where I was
actually heading. I had spent years adapting to new environments, but rarely gave myself the
space to pause and reflect. Deep down, I realised I was searching for greater clarity about myself
and the kind of direction I wanted moving forward.
Coming to Cambridge became the biggest leap outside my comfort zone I had ever taken.
I had never lived abroad or even travelled outside Southeast Asia. Being far away from home
while adapting to an entirely new environment was challenging and overwhelming at times, yet
also incredibly exciting.
I expected discomfort, but I did not expect how much growth could come from being challenged
within such a supportive and safe environment at Cambridge.
The MBA exposed me to a wide range of perspectives, subjects, and experiences through
everything from classroom discussions to informal conversations. From economics and supply
chain strategy to organisational behaviour and sustainability, I found myself constantly challenged
to think in different ways. That exposure continued through consulting projects across industries
ranging from AI-driven planning to healthcare, where every project came with new problems, team
dynamics, and ways of working.
Amid that exposure, I started to better understand the frameworks and patterns behind many
things I had done professionally, but never knew how to formally articulate or label. I also realised
that although the industries and contexts around me kept changing, certain transferable strengths
and capabilities consistently allowed me to adapt and thrive across very different environments.
In many ways, the MBA helped me connect the dots across experiences that had previously felt
fragmented.
What made the experience even more meaningful was the people and environment around it.
The MBA was intense, especially with the fast-paced three-month terms, but I never felt like I had
to navigate it alone. People were incredibly open to sharing knowledge, experiences, and advice
without judgment, which made unfamiliar challenges feel far easier to embrace.
Cambridge also has a unique way of making you slow down. Amid deadlines, projects, recruiting
preparation, and endless group assignments, some of my favourite moments here have simply
been walking after classes, seeing squirrels running across pathways, or cows resting near the
river. Those quiet moments gave me space to pause and reflect in ways I rarely allowed myself
to before.
Over time, Cambridge became far more than just a place to study. It became a place where I was
challenged, supported, and given the space to grow through discomfort in ways I never expected.
Looking back, I genuinely feel that this unique combination of challenge, support, openness, and
reflection is what makes the Cambridge MBA experience so special.
