As some of my friends know, I took a gap year last year and went back to school. This decision was not an easy one, as I had to pause my work for a full year.
However, I discovered that returning to school in the middle of my career was rewarding. It became a time for self-reflection, and I learned more about who I am and what I aspire to be, beyond just the subject matter.
Last week, I finally graduated from the Schulich School of Business, York University with a master’s degree in Marketing, with distinction.
Now, I would like to highlight some of the key lessons I learned at Schulich.
✅ The world has been evolving more quickly than ever. Technology, particularly artificial intelligence, has disrupted how we work and live. Therefore, continuous learning is essential.
✅ Career, regardless of stage, is never a straightforward path. Never limit ourselves.
✅ We are all gifted to be great salespeople. When we sell we may face many objections. Be confident and persistent. Learn to be a great communicator. Practice makes perfect.
✅ Observe, observe, and observe! We will find a lot of interesting insights from different people and cultures. They all need our help to provide goods and services to satisfy their unmet needs. It is marketers’ everyday job to observe.
✅ Be flexible to work with different people and teams. This is not only the job of a team player but also a leader.
✅ Besides attitude and hard work, successful teamwork highly depends on the diversity of skill sets in the team. Figure out what every teammate is good at, and delegate the tasks.
✅ Only 33% of creativity is inborn. Thus, creativity can be trained. Always work hard to become a creative person.
✅ The entertainment and licensing business is much bigger than we imagined – something marketers can explore further.
✅ Lastly, no matter what is happening up front, choose a positive attitude and enjoy what we do.
Thank you to my professors and classmates for making my Master of Marketing journey rewarding.
Vincent
Vincent Kwong 
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