Career jump story of Gabi Yoon, FMBA 2019
- SKKGSB
- Hit571
- 2023-08-01
[Maeil Business Newspaper - Alumni Interview]
Career jump at SKK GSB
Gabi Yoon, Full-Time MBA 2019
I was born in Switzerland, and always wanted to make Korea known to the world, so I wanted to act as a bridge connecting Korea and Europe.
Although I was already working in a marketing company in Switzerland, since I believed in Korea’s potential and wanted to contribute my knowledge and skills to its innovation, I came to Korea and enrolled on an MBA course.
I joined this MBA course, and gained professional marketing skills and a very successful career thereafter as a digital marketing specialist. Now, after my successful career jump, I’m working as a consumer intelligence and marketing consultant at Samsung Group In-house Consulting, and in S-Core, which leads digital transformation. I conduct strategic consulting based on digital marketing operation and digital effect analysis.
Motivation to enroll the MBA program at SKK GSB
I thought that as a digital marketer who majored in design thinking, it would be helpful to have more expertise in business, economy, and finance to improve my work skills and for my career.
Even before I entered, I’d seen many of my friends and acquaintances who graduated from SKK GSB get jobs in globally powerful companies such as Google and Samsung, and they developed greatly in their professional careers quickly. Not only did SKK GSB have global professors with excellent research results, but it was also impressive to see the curriculum operating tracks that allow in-depth specialist learning.
MBA experience was helpful
Most of the knowledge that I learned from the MBA classes is directly helpful and effectively used in my work. I am in particular benefiting a lot from the first semester classes such as Management, Economics, Finance and Data Analysis. SKK GSB professors use various teaching methods to elevate student participation and encourage students to constantly question themselves while thinking critically. Thanks to this, I got used to thinking deeply, and giving opinions widely. After the MBA, I always took the initiative, and became confident in solving problems.
Specifically, when I was recently analyzing social listening data in Escore, I applied the analytic skills that I learned in Prof. Yanbo Wang’s Quantitative Analysis class. When it comes to contracting, or when we need Win-Win negotiations, the client/partner acquisition skills from Prof. Adam Castor’s Negotiation class are of great help. I focus on the value of what I create when I work rather than just on the activity. I also try my best to help the company and our clients to develop.
What was the most difficult thing while you are studying?
In the SKK GSB Full-Time MBA course, I studied with students from more than 10 countries.
I found it a big challenge to distribute roles considering the language and cultural differences of the team members and the strengths and weaknesses of each team. It was not easy to create synergy by integrating so many different opinions considering that we all came from different backgrounds.
During the MBA period, numerous projects were carried out, and we experienced and resolved some conflicts with team members.
This experience at the same time became a great opportunity to me as it helped me to develop my ability to integrate with people with different opinions, and to move toward a shared goal. Thanks to this opportunity, my interpersonal skills have also improved.
Advice for prospective students
I highly recommend taking an MBA for anyone who wants a transition or career development.
I developed my career, and learned a lot more than I expected. I keep in touch with my friends from various fields and my professors at SKK GSB. While working at the Korea MBA Association, I often interacted with MBA students from other schools, and met many people at work even after we graduated.
The MBA experience was an opportunity in my life where I reflected greatly on myself, and developed a lot as an individual.
Related article: https://www.mk.co.kr/news/special-edition/view/2022/04/350118/