Ivan Popov found his first few months pursuing The NUS MBA in 2019 very challenging.
Accustomed to being the best, he went from being top in class during his engineering days to being immersed in unfamiliar and challenging business modules. On top of that, he also had to balance work, family and studies.
In spite of the difficulties, Ivan persisted. He was determined to prepare himself for management roles after spending some fifteen years as an engineer in the oil and gas industry.
Fortunately, Ivan managed to overcome things, and even developed an interest in the programme’s entrepreneurship modules.
Visiting NUS
During the process of exploring different MBA programmes, Ivan took the initiative to visit the NUS Business School unannounced to discover what the programmes office can offer. He did the same with some of the other universities he was considering. He ultimately settled on The NUS MBA because of his interaction with the admissions team.
“The best thing about that chat was that they were not telling me what I need to do, but were keen to find out why I was thinking of taking up an MBA,” he said. Ivan was impressed that the team took the time to understand his career goals before talking about the School’s MBA programme. “The personal experience was crucial in my decision,” he added.
Ivan moved to Singapore in 2013 for work. In order to stay with his current job at BW Offshore and continue to support his family, he decided to enrol in the part-time programme.
The NUS MBA candidate Ivan Popov
Transitioning from engineering to business
After his initial struggle, Ivan realised that the way forward is to be resilient and that adaptation is part of his learning journey. “The important part is to keep trying even if you are making mistakes. That learning process itself is the goal of studying,” he said.
Ivan was inspired by Jonathan Kwan, a facilitator at the Launch Your Transformation workshop, who taught him that the MBA is a learning journey and failure is part of the learning process. The workshop uses role-playing scenarios to hone NUS MBA candidates’ soft skills.
Ivan took a systematic approach to achieving work-life balance. “I assigned specific periods of the day to either prepare for lectures or do the homework,” he said. “This allowed me to concentrate on school assignments and not be distracted by work.”
He also credited the faculty for easing him into his studies. “The professors are very approachable. They encouraged students to ask questions and even challenge the lecture materials.”
For instance, Assistant Prof Adonis Antoniades of the Financial Management module advised Ivan that one does not need to be the finance professional, but needs to learn the concepts and communicate in the financial language.
The value of teamwork
Ivan started his second year in August 2020, and he said his biggest takeaway so far was the importance of teamwork. “It is not about being the smartest,” he said. “More importantly, it is about figuring out how you can add value to your teams as there is a lot of group work in the programme,” he said.
One module that Ivan found most impactful was the Launch Your Transformation course that is exclusive to The NUS MBA programme.
The role-playing exercises and icebreaker games are designed to help participants boost their public-speaking comfort level. The sessions also grew the trust and teamwork dynamics among the students.
“We had activities such as giving a speech on a random topic in front of people you barely know. This shared experience, which took place at the very beginning of the programme, helped us forge enduring bonds,” he said.
The NUS MBA’s entrepreneurship specialisation led Ivan to develop an interest in the area. “I am a curious person by nature. The school environment means that there is a safety net when you are keen to try new things.”
The programme has spurred his eagerness to join entrepreneurship-focused programmes such as Lean Launchpad. Lean Launchpad is a short training programme that teaches academics to commercialise their research. The initiative got Ivan involved in the early stages of start-ups’ life-cycles, utilising his business skills to help drive these firms to market.
Putting the MBA to work
Looking back on his first year in NUS, Ivan said one thing he would like to focus on in the second year is to participate more in the networking sessions organised by the School.
In one such session, Ivan connected with his mentor John Zacharia, an alum (MBA 2003) who also hailed from an engineer background. “I can talk to someone who was in my shoes before,” he said.
Having overcome his challenges, Ivan believes the knowledge from The NUS MBA, coupled with his engineering know-how, will help develop his career. The soft skills and even entrepreneurship can be easily applied in his workplace, concluded Ivan.
