Student Stories

Pham Hoài An (who sometimes goes by the name Ann) is a 22-year-old Vietnamese student pursuing her master’s degree at Massey University, a partner of PSB Academy. She left Vietnam for the UK at the age of 16 to study for her A-Level, followed by a bachelor’s degree in International Business Management at the University of Bristol.

Having spent more than 5 years in the UK, she wanted a change in life in order to fulfill both her adventurous side and academic plan. Upon graduation in July 2019, she decided to move to Singapore to experience a different kind of life and do her master’s degree.

She chose PSB Academy because it has presented itself to her as a top-tier private education institution. She believes that it is likely to help her transition nicely back to life in Southeast Asia, as it is part of her long-term plan to return to her homeland eventually.

She wanted to study Master of Analytics because she was enthusiastic about marketing for its ability to create a powerful presence and weave its way in influencing customers’ decisions. In fact, it is even more so now that data analytics and their applications in marketing are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

“Master of Analytics at Massey University offers me the choice of a marketing pathway, which allows me to not only learn the concepts of data analytics but also its application in the field I’m interested in,” she explained. “I’m particularly keen on the FMCG or beauty industries, but I’m quite open to other options too.” (FMCG refers to fast-moving consumer goods such as packaged foods, beverages, and toiletries.)

Ever since Ann started her course here in late January 2020, life had been a bit of an emotional roller-coaster (especially during the circuit breaker phase due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation) before things got better.

“There were some low moments when I was faced with the unfamiliarity of a new studying field, a new home, and an online learning model,” she recalled. “I’ve now made it through almost half of my course, with grades or learning outcomes that I’m quite proud of. Around the same time, I was doing a remote part-time Marketing position for a UK Data Analytics start-up company. Recently, I’ve also completed an Internship Experience in the UK, with extensive training sessions with top firms like Google and P&G. It’s another feel-good achievement for myself.”

“My internship experience in the UK was intensive,” she added. “It comprises back-to-back virtual upskilling sessions and an individual assessment of a real-world business case study (from Enterprise Rent-a-car). The best part was hearing from industry experts or marketing experts about their personal career advancement and advice on entry-level jobs or graduate programme applications in their respective firms. I found their sharings personal and useful, unlike in a textbook-style webinar.”

In the beginning, it was sometimes hard for Ann to juggle the demands of her Master’s degree programme and her part-time work, especially during those weeks when she had full-day lessons. However, she learnt to prioritise and manage her time better and found her experiences rewarding. She has also stopped working for the start-up company shortly after, so as to focus on her degree course because her final capstone project was coming up.

“Doing a master’s mostly online due to Covid-19 was an exhausting process,” she recalled. “But it has been much more bearable and exciting, thanks to my supportive lecturers. One of my Massey University professors motivated me greatly when he offered me to join him in one of his ongoing research because of my assignment performance or results. However, I had to respectfully refuse his offer as I had too much on my plate.”

In spite of the challenges faced, Ann acknowledged that her education here has added value to her personal development and professional opportunities. “Marketing is equally an art as it is a science,” she said matter-of-factly. “I believe my training in SAS, Python, SPSS, and SQL in this course can empower me as a future marketer. We also get a lot of individual attention, detailed feedback, and personal discussions with the professors due to the small class size.”

Ann hoped to find a marketing job in Singapore upon graduation. As for her thoughts on opportunities available in her home country for new graduates in her field of study, she said, “I believe Vietnam is strengthening its stance as a regional darling of multinational firms. Local firms are also making impressive moves. There are a lot of opportunities available there for new graduates in Marketing and Data Analytics.”

For those who are looking to take the same path as Ann, she has a word of advice: “Don’t worry about being competitive. Focus on being undeniable.”