Richard Wang, a 1996 graduate from the Department of Marketing at the University of Vaasa currently works for Wärtsilä in China. Before pursuing his studies in Finland, Mr. Wang was a university teacher, but during his business studies in Finland, he began working part time for Wärtsilä in Vaasa. Throughout the years at Wärtsilä, Mr. Wang has worked as Sales Assistant, Area Sales Manager, President of Wärtsilä China, and, nowadays, as an Executive Vice President of Wärtsilä China.
“At that time, the University could only offer the standard five-year degree within marketing instead of the spectrum of flexible, yet condensed degrees available to students today. Being an international Master’s degree student, my university experience greatly differed from that of the standard Finnish student. However, juggling part-time work and studies proved to be a very valuable experience.”
Reflecting back to his studies, Mr. Wang says that international marketing studies have been invaluable to his career. Even though the studies have supported his current career, he would have had taken more courses in Finance if he had realised that he had to spend some time later on to gain more knowledge on the field. One of his advices to the current and future students at the University of Vaasa is that the set amount of credits demanded in he degree does not necessary make one a professional. More will be learnt in practice.
Mr. Wang says he thinks education in Finland is very adaptive and brings together students from a wide variety of backgrounds, ages and ethnicity in a cohesive environment very well suited for learning.
“There are unique values of studying at a Finnish university that especially appealed to me. Firstly, what you learn is directly applicable to reality. The theories and exercises, many relating to both Finnish and international companies, provides you with practical experience while lending insight into possible career paths.
Secondly, internal lecturers and professors are very accessible, which grants you much needed support throughout your educational journey. This does not merely include lectures (in many cases) in English, but the curriculum and material are also very international. Therefore, you won't feel constrained in a ’Finnish’ classroom.
Finally, in an age of globalisation, there are various employment opportunities either within a Finnish company or in a company with close ties to Finland. In these cases, your experience while at the University will prove absolutely invaluable, especially now that many Finnish companies are eager to expand into the international market. The traditional way of learning in China consists of 'spoon-feeding', whilst in Finland, you need to be proactive and take responsibility for your own learning. Set a clear and distinct goal in life. The theories, experiences and lessons are there for you to grasp, make the most out of it!”
