Mapping transitions
By: Emily Li
Tags: Transitions, Graduate School, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Education

This week marks Business School’s research week, with professors from different disciplines introducing research methodologies and topics of interest in respective fields. I attended talks from the Economics, Finance, and Information systems department, seeking to better envisage a career in academia and research. I came to realize, that the optimal flexibility and lifestyle of a research and academia career came only after years of ongoing commitment — niche areas of study and research, the challenges of field and lab research, and applications or contribution towards society. It could be a solitary, prolonged, tedious, and rigorous journey. As Professor M***** C*** suggested, “If you dive head in into a field without passion or personal interest, it might be hard to persevere.” “Compared to industry work, our feedback phases are long. Traders get feedback immediately from their daily P&L, managers from their clients within a day, yet professors can commit a few months or years before hearing back about journal decisions and peer feedback.” With societal frenzies on certain “hot” fields promising envisioned returns on investment, there might be people who dive head in without thinking much about personal interest. Yet, without personal conviction or interest, it might be hard to persevere through challenges and the ups and downs often encountered throughout the extensive research journey.

How do I feel after listening to such talks? Do I have a strong calling for a career in research and academia? “Research and teaching are very contrasting fields of work.”, says *****. Research demands patience and thorough contemplation on niche subjects, facing huge amounts of data, analysis, field research, trial and errors, and discussions within a niche group of professionals. Higher education lecturing exposes you to bright minds of tomorrow — interactive, enlightening, and rewarding (in my POV haha). I enjoy human interaction — the sense of personal reward has always been evident throughout past teachings in FCAs, group interactions, and reaching out to people from diverse backgrounds. On the other hand, I enjoy solitary time in reflection, writing, and organizing ideas into text, yet I wonder about extending commitment on niche fields for prolonged periods of time. I probably will not enjoy such research dynamics as much, in comparison — data facing, theory led, industry integrating (serious efforts), solitary, and tedious.

I started looking at graduate school choices. Initially, I started wondering about my motivation. Small voices in my heart questioned, “You enjoy simple abundance. Being close to home, cherishing the simple abundances in life, and learning each day should be adequate. You are content with your level of commitment, values, and achievement at this current stage. What exactly are you further seeking for? From Taiwan, to Hong Kong, and now, you are planning for the next journey — another city, another school, another phase of career. It will be a commitment, challenge, and phase of exploring, adapting, and integrating. Why? For what?” In retrospection, I must have came across similar self-questioning back in high school. Taiwan promises familiarity, comparative stability, and comfort. Yet, I chose to step out. It has been an uncomfortable journey with many challenges, failures, and regrets. Yet, this departure from comfort zone also blessed me with immense learning opportunities, shaped personal values, and came with an unique resilient confidence after experienced walked through. I don’t regret such a decision.

Diving deeper into such decision, I’d ask what the initial trigger of stepping outside was. Curiosity. Discontent. Aspiration. These were triggers that pushed me to explore fields of uncertainty, make commitments, and take in challenges along the way. So I guess these would continue to be forces driving me forward, on explorations in graduate studies despite the complexity, uncertainty, and distance from my current starting point.

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Transitions

Excitement, apprehension, insecurity, revitalization. These are the emotions when we envision and encounter the journey of transition, no matter in life stages, academia pursuits, or geographical switch. Planning for transition requires long-term perspective, risk-taking adaptability, and active exploration. Such mindsets are broadened with imagination, curiosity, and conviviality — we plan with more nonconformity and ingenuity. In contrast, such planning could be limited due to constraints — resource and time availability and current-stage distractions that require our attention. In return, this results in limited perspective, reined vision, and practicality before aspirations.

It seems like yesterday when D*** and I met with M****** three years ago, the two of us wondering about the vast ranges of possibilities that university would bring us. Naïve, unassuming, and curious, it never occurred to us that the years ahead were welcoming us with different challenges, while mutual support bounded us towards the still ongoing journey. Last Friday, we met again with M******, and it was amazing how three years apart accelerated growth and perspective. The questions we pondered and the matters brought to the table were not of academic pursuits, but rather planning towards post-graduation and possibilities leading forward.

When in search of further studies, clarification of hygiene factors and motivation factors are of utmost importance. Initially, I was in search of further studies with simplified goals in mind — areas of interest, prestige of institution, career transition, geographic exploration, and practicalities of time and budget.

This enabled me to narrow down my choices into focus — I started off with interested areas: Financial economics, Political economy, Data analytics, International relations, Public Policy, or a blend of the above. By narrowing the areas down with geographical location, school reputation, and studying practicalities, a number of programs surfaced, and I was assured of my direction… but only for a while. I started pondering if those were just hygiene factors that I considered. I asked myself if I had a clear goal in mind, the transition that I’d want to achieve after these further studies. Public sector? Private sector? A change of geography?

A person of experience might look back in retrospection of his or her wealth of experience and assure you that you assemble puzzles and connect the pieces and form a picture of greater clarity as you embark on the journey. I might not have a clear idea, feel a bit lost, and that is ok. “A lot of things will change in the initial years of your job. Whether you like it or not, you will know. And that will be the time for you to consider further studies, a transition, and plan forward.”, says M******. I agree and disagree. We might be too dependent on a certain level of comfort or lifestyle after accommodating to daily routines — of our school, our jobs, or responsibilities. At that stage, thinking about possibilities from scratch might be too late.

University is a time with comparatively loosened schedule in such imagination in our future blueprint — right now with my graduation “next-step” clarified, I have a huge window of independence for imagination. With hygiene factors clarified in further studies, think about your motivation factors. Take a further step — the courses in depths, the level of commitment required, and talk to people of knowledge and expertise. In retrospection, I have feared stepping into areas of unfamiliarity, stepping away from it in pursuit of getting better at areas where I excel. Yet, the greatest learnings chip in when we step outside our comfort zone, head-in with previously exotic frontiers. Didn’t you perceive DCF models as complicated and tedious? Yet the rewards of understanding the estimations required, the inter-connectedness of the line items, and the prediction of a firm’s health gave a rounded and rewarding sense after hours of devotion in the piece of work of art. Didn’t I perceive the French language as perplexing and mysterious? Yet the fruits of understanding a language was extremely rewarding, with the ongoing journey of learning each day.

Attending panel discussion sessions organized by the FDSC nurtured perspective on Hong Kong’s broader financial industry and the technological disruptions stimulating transition. Insur-tech, virtual banking, traditional financial services, and cross-selling of accounting and consulting services combined with the expanding of geographic market focuses were the topics discussed in the great panel sessions. I found it rewarding the the areas that I previously least understood were tapped into with further clarity, especially in areas of insurance and Fintech which I once had one-sided biases and incomplete knowledge. “Get a broader understanding of issues emerging. Delve into topics of interest. Pay attention to rapid transformations in the industry and globally, which enables you to share sensitively, engage more purposefully, and communicate effectively.” For me, emerging markets, technology, gender equality, education, and political economy has always yielded an attraction. But these shouldn’t be 紙上談兵。Translate them into real action, with forethought and perseverance.