Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself

I come from a world where studying hard is very important. It was all about the exams and getting high scores. It was important in my family too.

My parents were well educated. They studied engineering and chemistry at a top university in China. Afterwards they were assigned jobs by the Government at a research institute that built warships.

Back then, the social contract in China meant it was common for men and women to work. After your studies, the government assigned you a job. My friends, who graduated in the late 1980s, were the last students to be assigned a job.

Even in this intellectual environment, I was not a good student. 

In my final two years of school, we moved from Shanghai to Hong Kong. It was hard. 

Up to then I had done all my studying in Chinese and the university entrance exams I was preparing for were in English. This was not so bad for subjects like Maths, but it was difficult for Biology with all the different technical terms.

I also had no idea what I wanted to do at university. I chose Maths, because I was good at it in school. But I found it abstract and boring. Looking back, would I have made a different choice? I don’t think it matters much.

Get a good foundation

What I got is a good foundation in how to think about and solve issues. These skills are relevant today, in these uncertain times. And, while I didn’t like the classroom that much, I discovered that I’m never afraid of learning new things.

On graduating, I joined Swire, a Hong Kong business conglomerate, as a group management trainee. It opened a door onto a world of new experiences. Each year, my rotation took me to a different subsidiary in a new location. I worked in a wide variety of roles from finance and operations to marketing.

Mindset, curiosity and courage are key

I learnt that having a growth mindset, curiosity and the courage to explore new experiences are the keys to unlocking a habit of lifelong learning.

Fast forward to my role today at EY as Talent Leader for our 65,000 people across Asia-Pacific. I’ve had all kinds of experiences along the way.

Reflect to continue learning

From time to time, I need to pause. To reflect and make sense of these experiences. It helps me better serve my team, our people and our clients.

With COVID-19 impacting travel, it’s opened up time to complete my first EY Badge on Digital Age Teaming. I am proud that this behavior is a hallmark of our EY culture. It’s about how we work together - across cultures, geographies and functions - to bring the very best of EY to our clients.

Through our EY Badges program, EY people earn digital credentials in future-focused skills, learning and then applying them in practice. In recent months we’ve seen a 40% uplift globally in the use of our online learning resources. It is one of the positive things to come out of the pandemic.

We believe this trend towards virtualized learning will accelerate. This is why I am excited that we have launched our EY Tech MBA.

First-ever virtual corporate MBA

It is the first-ever fully accredited corporate MBA available regardless of role or position - for free - to all our 284,000 employees in over 150 markets. 

 At EY we are opening a new door for our people. To invest in and continue developing the tech skillsets and business mindsets they need to thrive.