A look in hindsight
It is crazy how much learning and personal growth can fit in only 10 months. Last week I graduated from the MIM and, in this post, I will share with you some of my biggest learnings and highlights of the specialization period and final presentations of the MIM program.
The Specialization Period & the Final Project
After completing the second core term of the Master in Management, all students are rearranged in their specialization of choice: Sales & Marketing, International Business, Digital Business, Financial Management and Control or Integrated Marketing Communications. Initially I had opted for International Business but later changed for the Digital Business specialization. I realized throughout the first two terms that I had a passion for technology and for the power it has to change social interaction, consumer behaviour, businesses processes, our lives and the environment around us. Throughout the Specialization period we had lectures from professors that have professional experience in the area and this helped the discussions become even more interesting inside the classroom.
I had a very nice learning experience in my specialization period and all the content we discussed in the classroom proved to be very relevant on both a personal and professional level. I felt more confident discussing about all the topics we touched upon in the classroom and I also became sure that I want to work in the Technology industry and be on the right side of the digital transformation of businesses with a focus on positive socio-economic impact.
Preparing our final presentation
One of the coolest aspects of IE is the fact that professors have a very wide network of professional connections that are relevant to the topics we study inside the classroom. For our final project, we were given a business case of a real Spanish start-up that is disrupting the Trucking industry. Working on a real business case was already exciting but there was more to it: the CEO and some other staff from the company were part of the jury and gave us direct feedback about our performance after the final presentation.
When you study a Master in Management, keep in mind: Change Is Good – Have Confidence
It would not be an exaggeration to say that every single experience I had throughout the MIM was new to me: studying business for the first time, having job interviews for the first time, working in multicultural teams, spending weekends at university, leading projects, being a club coordinator. All of the experiences I had in the past year have taught me that changing is uncomfortable but it is also rewarding. After every obstacle, I came out more mature and more confident about my own resilience and capabilities to succeed in the face of adversities.
I also learned how to embrace mistakes and learn from them and this would be my biggest advice for anyone looking to dive into this adventure: if you are not making mistakes, then you are not stepping out of your comfort zone. For instance, coming from a background in Human Sciences I used to tell myself that I could not be an analytical person, but I proved myself wrong. The opportunities to grow will always be right in front of you during the MIM and I strongly advise everyone to take as many chances as they can throughout the program.
A little bit of Healthy Competition
During the MIM it is crucial to keep perspective of how competitive you are and how that affects your overall performance. With the Gauss Curve, it is easy to lose sight of what your grades really mean and my biggest lesson in this matter was that I wanted my grades to reflect how much I had learnt as opposed to reflect if I was better or worse than anyone else.
Competition is only good if it makes you feel good and if the stress of competition is affecting your mental health then maybe it is good to take a step back from time to time. By the end of the MIM, I decided that I would be competing with myself and trying to be a better students each term. This meant that I became more active in class discussions and class preparation, in handling projects, delivering good results and being more collaborative. In a nutshell, seeing competition as a positive driving force allowed me to learn better.
At the end of the day the grades you will have in your transcript are only a part of what you should be carrying with you in your “luggage” from the MIM experience. Work hard but make sure to enjoy your time in Madrid, build lasting relationships, be present, be kind, smile and create memories you will like to remember once your academic year is over.
By Arthemis Siqueira
recent MIM graduate, September 2017 intake
https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthemis-siqueira/
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