Category: Educations Series

How the MBA made me discover the usefulness of Machine Learning in my daily job

Posted on | by Angela Leone | Leave a Comment on How the MBA made me discover the usefulness of Machine Learning in my daily job

Big Data. Machine Learning. Artificial Intelligence. Terms on everyone’s lips. Everyone wants them. Few have any idea about what they are.

My opinion? Actually, I didn’t have one. This is why I tried to exploit my experience of the International Part-Time MBA at MIP to create one. But let’s start from the basics.

To define what Big Data is, let’s think for a moment about our daily life: interactions on social networks, a click on a website, our interconnected smartphones. All this generates an incredibly high amount of data compared to a few decades ago. Huge volumes of heterogeneous data by source and format, which can be analyzed in real time: all this is Big Data.

In short, we are increasingly surrounded by data, but how to extract value from Big Data? Big Data Analytics is talked about a lot, in every area.

Having defined what Big Data is, however, is not enough. It is also necessary to know how to exploit them and with what techniques. One of these is certainly Machine Learning, which is nothing more than a system capable of learning from experience, with a mechanism similar (at least in appearance) to what a human being does from birth.

From an IT point of view, the programmer’s approach radically changes: if before, it was necessary to write detailed lines of code to instruct the machine on what to do situation by situation, today it is the algorithm itself that develops its own logic and consequently performs certain actions, depending on the data set available.

Well, all this information may seem relevant only to slightly nerdy data scientists, like the “Big Bang Theory” ones. But believe me, it’s not.

As previously mentioned, the managers of the future will have to make the most of the greatest resource they have available: data. Data are the new oil, the new gold, and knowing how to extract value from them is the real competitive key for large companies and SMEs. It is the skills and technologies of Analytics that transform raw data into valuable information for business decision-makers: it is now possible to gain a competitive advantage thanks to timely and more informed decisions, not only for larger organizations but also for small and medium-sized enterprises.

This is the main reason why I decided to select the elective course offered by MIP Politecnico di Milano related to “Big Data & Machine Learning”. I admit that before taking this course my ideas regarding these issues were quite confused. They were “fascinating” and “fashionable” topics, but I never thought they could have such a tangible impact on my everyday work.

I am a Supply Chain Manager, and in my daily life I deal with sales forecasts, margins, pricing strategies, etc. I therefore deal with data, which have a certain meaning and which I often evaluate in a “standard” and “repetitive” way. Here, I learned that everything that is “standard” and “repetitive” can be analyzed and automated in some way through Machine Learning.

Obviously, I am not a Data Scientist, but it is becoming increasingly necessary to understand this “new language”, even to managers: knowing the possibilities offered by technology is the first step to making the most of it, interacting with data teams, or other experts in the sector.

Ignoring these skills means falling behind. And today’s world, with its constant changes, no longer allows the existence of the so-called “old guard”. Today’s world needs managers who keep up with it. Take it or leave it.

 

About the author
 Marco Di Salvio

Alumnus of the International Part Time MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano.
Industrial Engineer currently working @ Gucci as WW Supply & Demand Planner, based in Florence.
Tech passionate, Cinema-lover, Sports addicted.
Solving the world’s problems one spreadsheet at a time.

 

Post MIP, our alumnus goes global

Posted on | by Angela Leone | Leave a Comment on Post MIP, our alumnus goes global

Varun Bohra, an alumnus of MIP’s International Full-Time MBA, has packed a lot into the few years since he left Milan, travelling around the world and working in several sectors of industry. Here, he recounts his time following graduation and his motivations, and gives some advice to those contemplating following in his footsteps.

You’ve done a lot in a relatively short space of time. Could you please give us a brief outline of where your MBA journey has taken you? What would you say is the motivating factor which leads to you taking decisions to make a major change  ̶  changing countries, for example?

So, after finishing my MBA in 2015, it’s now 2021. I have changed two jobs and moved to three different countries in six years. After the MBA, I joined SanDisk Corporation in Malaysia in a greenfield plant to set up multiple processes and, based on my performance, I was promoted and moved to the headquarters in San Francisco.

After that, for personal reasons, I moved to India into the world of supply chain consulting. I am currently working at Accenture Strategy as a Manager in the Supply Chain and Operations division.

The key driver to move to different places was to learn professionally and culturally. At the same time, I wanted to see the world.

My mind was opened up to learning culturally during the MBA at MiP and it intrigued me to discover that there is a lot to learn from other cultures which also helps in professional life.

What do you think, if anything, has changed substantially in the business world since you graduated and what should an MBA candidate bear in mind in this regard?

From 2015 to current times the biggest change has come through COVID-19. It has shown that work does not require us to be sitting at a desk in an office. It can be executed from anywhere. Recently, I have taken a staycation and sat in the hills to work and relax.

Also, future MBA aspirants should focus on what kind of profile they like and focus on their personal life too. Also, since the times of covid, corporates have realized that employees do not only need good remuneration but also a work-life balance and flexibility in working. On top of that, especially right now since the arrival of covid, the world’s organizations are realizing the value of supply chain. So if anyone is interested in supply chain and operations, right now it’s a booming industry.

How would you evaluate your studies now in terms of the long-lasting benefits? What have you learned or gained during your MBA which you consider to be the most important aspect, either in professional or personal terms?

I’ll make one point on this subject: Organizational Behavior. I came from a background in engineering and manufacturing and I had always thought everything needed to be quantified. During the MBA, I thought supply chain, statistics and business strategy, etc, were important subjects, but after graduating and joining the corporate world at mid-senior level, I released that it is organizational behavior that helps a lot when working in a corporate environment.

Do you still use the network of contacts you made back in your MIP days? Do you manage to meet up in person as well?

Personally, I got to learn about so many cultures from my lovely classmates. Yes, I keep in touch with my classmates over social media and personally. I have not been able to meet them in person but would really love to see them again in the near future; maybe in 2025 we can all celebrate the 10-year anniversary of our MBA.

 

A chat between classmates: Maria’s experience

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I have asked some classmates to share their thoughts about the International MBA path at MIP Politecnico di Milano. We are still on the first half of our journey together but we have already made it through several lectures, group and individual assignments, workshops and the first interviews with the Career Development Center.

Here are the personal experiences of Maria. Introduce yourself!

I’m Maria Antonietta Caucci, I am a 28-year-old dynamic and curious Management Engineer. I obtained my master’s degree at Politecnico di Milano following a 2-year intensive Double Master of Science reserved for five selected students and spending one year studying at the Audencia Business School of Nantes (FR). In the last four years I have been working in Milan as a Consultant in the Human Resources & Innovation field and, recently, I enrolled in a Master of Business Administration at MIP.

Would you like to describe the experience you had during the selection phase? Would you consider it as a glimpse of the effort requested by the lectures and assignments?

The selection procedure consisting of a motivational interview and a test session is both fluid and highly personalized at the same time. It is certainly challenging, since the program is limited to a predetermined number of students; however, the support given by MIP in the form of guidance and assistance spans the whole process, helping candidates to find their best path and succeed.

Have you received support from your employer? Was the decision appreciated by your line manager and colleagues?

During the last few months, I have successfully managed a challenging timetable, having had to combine the profession of consultant with my MBA attendance. This achievement has certainly been possible thanks to my manager and colleagues at work, who have supported and encouraged me since the beginning of the journey.

What about your classmates? Do you think that MIP managed to select and mix fields of expertise and seniority?

I firmly believe that one of the main strengths of the program is the contagious positive energy of the other classmates, enterprising people who are aware that they made the right choice to grow in various aspects of their education. The course mixes people from different backgrounds and academic training, creating both a professional and personal wealth that will aid us when launching ourselves into an increasingly global job market, one that is increasingly attentive to evaluating relational skills.

Would you recommend the MBA at MIP to other friends and/or colleagues?

I would recommend the MBA at MIP since I believe the program can represent a solid step forward for the future career of professionals.
I would like to thank Maria, who managed to find time for this interview between her work, exams and private life. See you and other friends in class, ready to start the second and last year of this challenging and exciting experience.

 

About the author
 Simone Moscato

Having graduated at Politecnico di Milano, Simone is now working as a civil engineer in an international EPC Company while attending the International MBA at MIP. An enthusiast for travelling and fighting sports, he’s always searching for new challenges. After years, he’s still struggling to learn how to play the guitar.

 

 

Corporate Leadership & Different Types of Leaders

Posted on | by Angela Leone | Leave a Comment on Corporate Leadership & Different Types of Leaders

A key part of our MBA at MIP, Politecnico di Milano, has been about developing an understanding of our future career path. Since the course admits high-calibre individuals with prior experience, a lot of its graduates find themselves in a leadership position.

Therefore, it’s important to understand what kind of a leader you wish to grow into as an industry professional! Let’s start with an overview of some different styles of corporate leadership:

Laissez-faire leadership
The laissez-faire leadership type, also known as delegative leadership, is a style of non-intervention and is characterised by a lack of regular feedback.

Autocratic leadership
Autocratic leadership allows supervisors to make decisions and set guidelines without group participation. The leader concentrates all the power and no one challenges his/her decisions.

Democratic leadership
Usually called participatory leadership, this type of leadership is characterised by creating enthusiasm among workers by prioritising the participation of the entire group.

Transactional leadership
Transactional leadership is based on transactions, that is, an exchange of processes between leaders and their followers. Followers receive awards for their job performance and the leader benefits because they fulfil the tasks.

Transformational leadership
Transformational leaders use high levels of communication to achieve the objectives and provide a vision of change that they manage to transmit to the employees.

If I could only pick one, I would choose to be a transformational leader; someone who is able to generate maximum output with a vision towards the future. A leader should try to ensure clear communication coupled with empathy among his/her teammates. It is important to understand the motivations of your team and what drives them at an individual level.

In view of the way businesses have had to adapt to the hybrid model that combines working in an office with working at home, as a leader I would like to keep my team congruent with the overall goals. A leader should exhibit a certain sophistication in emotional intelligence in ensuring that nobody feels like they have been left out, whether they are slogging away at their desk or at home. It becomes important to learn quickly and to be comfortable with the technology that allows for efficient communication and for daily operations to run on schedule.

Despite classifying leadership in different styles, we have often seen that it doesn’t happen in a “one-approach-fits-all” style. As a team is composed of diverse individuals, various situations might require us to be a different kind of leader while leading a team. As an individual, I have to try to take responsibility for my work, so I love working with laissez-faire leaders. A leader should keep his/her team motivated by always acknowledging their work. Sometimes you will have a view that is a little different from that of the rest of the group; a democratic leader would try to understand my perspective in order to achieve better results.

As a professional looking to grow into the role of a leader in your own field, you should try to understand which approach suits you best and keeps the morale of your team high, while simultaneously achieving the goals you have set for them. If you manage to stay involved, have good  communication in place and a clear vision of your objectives, the knowledge gained from the International MBA will help you implement successful corporate frameworks to optimise the results achieved by your team.

 

About the author
 Rakshit Behel

A results-oriented marketing communications professional helping brands achieve objectives with integrated marketing campaigns built around branded content. From creatively developing and implementing digital marketing and content strategies to measuring performance with analytics and providing insights into useful data, aligned to brands’ business goals; experience of working with clients from different industries: Hospitality, IT, Fintech, Media and Healthcare.

My i-Flex EMBA experience

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It was not so long ago that we celebrated the end of my/our MBA in Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan. The festive atmosphere and happiness of the ceremony were mixed up with Covid restrictions, which made the event different, but still very enjoyable. One evening this weekend, just a few weeks after that day, I wanted to sit down and take stock with a few considerations on what the i-Flex experience has meant to me and how fruitful the past two years have been.

As with all good retrospective thoughts, I want to start from the objectives of the choice to start an MBA. I wanted to boost my career, learn new topics, and mainly to lay the foundations for increasing my knowledge in a wider business context. The course does not include only theoretical education, but also practical cases and networking with inspiring people. I knew it would not be easy, especially combining all the activities with my already busy life and daily job targets, but my motivation was high.

And it has been anything but easy!! There have been intense weekdays and weekends following clips and reading books and articles, nights watching classes, heavy sessions for extra activities and teamwork, remote “dinners” discussing how to improve ourselves, and several hours dedicated to our project work. All of that would not have been possible without perfect harmony with my classmates, or at least, it would have been so different. A huge thanks goes to them and to MIP, which enabled us to meet. I well remember the energy of the first face-to-face week. We surely deserve a big round of applause. Creating durable bonding is also a matter of attitude and an open mind, expressed by the different cultural background that an international program brings, and it should not be taken for granted in an online program where there could be a gap in non-verbal communication. Sharing knowledge and experiences, supporting each other also in issues outside the course, as well as congratulations for personal and professional achievements, make me evaluate all the people I met during the program as one of the most valuable elements that I am taking home from my MBA.

The second value, not in order of importance, is of course what MIP has given in terms of an opportunity to learn and improve my skills. My thanks are due to all the MIP professors and associates, who, on various occasions, demonstrated their dedication to the subjects and support on our learning path. I’d also like to give just one example of a change in my competences, and I want to underline that there are many other examples I could give. I’m passionate about entrepreneurship, but thanks to the learning materials, sessions and webinars, I am digging further into the startup ecosystem. Maybe I’ll found a business with my collegues soon, stay tuned! In the last year and a half we also had to face an additional challenge: the Covid-19 pandemic emergency. It could have hampered the normal flow of learning activities, requiring rescheduling and re-adjustment of the processes. Special thanks to the whole MIP staff who supported us and facilitated our time at the business school.

Last but not least, my gratitude should also go to my family. I would say to all our (classmates’) families. They backed us, supported us, encouraged us and made sacrifices together with us. Having remote meetings, especially late at night, also meant entering each other’s houses and creating connections.

Now I’m an MBA graduate and MIP alumnus, but I don’t think my experience at MIP is concluded. Many new opportunities have opened up. An MBA is a lifelong decision that can change the course of your personal and career path. You meet a lot of interesting people with whom you can have long-lasting relationships and perhaps create something together. We are already planning our next reunion!!

 

 

About the author
 Vito Conversano

Chief Information Officer @ San Marzano Vini SpA with extensive international experience in IT & strategic consultancy for fortune 500 companies. Creative, Curious, Travel lover. Passionate about discovering new concepts, learning continuously and developing new ideas.

 

Online MBAs in Luxury Management are In Vogue

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Digital degrees are paying closer attention to the sector as it globalizes and emphasizes sustainability and digitalization

The global luxury goods market has boomed over the past two decades, reaching €224bn in annual revenue, and the number of luxury consumers has surged from 140m worldwide to more than 350m.

At the same time, there is growing demand for luxury management programs. Many business school students want to work at prestigious luxury brands such as LVHM, Kering, Swatch Group and Richemont, whose products are more tangible than services.

As the luxury business becomes more global, with growth in sales powered increasingly by Chinese consumers, who make up more than 30 percent of luxury spending, Online MBA programs are paying closer attention to the sector.

But shares in luxury goods companies have suffered in recent years following a fall in luxury sales in China, a trend amplified by the Covid shutdown that hit luxury stores in China as well as the supply chains of western luxury brands.

In the UK, Warwick Business School, which is home to a longstanding Online MBA program, offers courses on luxury management to its online students. “We examine the dominance of western luxury brands and whether that will continue with the rise of China,” says Qing Wang, professor of marketing and innovation at WBS.

“The globalization of luxury is also presenting problems for brands and potentially undermining their authenticity, especially as different cultures tend to interpret the value and meaning of brands differently,” she adds. “How are brands changing their business models for emerging markets?” It is a question explored on Warwick’s luxury courses. […]

Many schools partner with local luxury brands, bringing in executives to teach students or sending students on work placements or consulting projects. MIP Politecnico di Milano School of Management, in the heart of Milan, runs a partnership with a leading Italian fashion house, Prada. […]

Click here to read the full version of the article

How Should Students Network on an Online MBA?

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The alumni network a big part of the selling power of an Online MBA degree. And digital interactions can be just as enriching as they are in person

The chance to build a professional network is a major draw for prospective MBA students who are building their career. Classmates and alumni networks have traditionally been invaluable resources.

For Online MBA students, the appeal of classroom sessions, group work and intense socializing remotely may seem limited. However, technological advances and changing cultural habits are making Online MBA degrees more attractive for those who want to build life-long networks.

Digital interactions can be equally or even more enriching than the in-person variety, says Birgit Newman, associate director of graduate career services, Indiana University Kelley School of Business.

Improvements in digital communication have played a big part in that. “Technologies such as Zoom, Teams and Google offer the added advantage of a visual interface, and facilitate face-to-face interaction as well as shared experiences real-time,” says Newman. “Quick visual demonstrations and collaboration across multiple applications can be offered.”

She admits that “expressions of emotions, empathy and sympathy tend to be more impactful” in real life, but these can be boosted with techniques that Kelley teaches its Online MBA students. For example, the business school’s Graduate Career Services team makes networking a key part of its coaching as well as the MBA curriculum. […]

Antonella Moretto, associate dean at MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Business in Italy, agrees the pandemic has demonstrated that what really matters is building and nurturing relationships. “Whether is online or offline, it doesn’t make a huge difference anymore,” she says. […]

Click here to read the full version of the article

 

A Holistic Education for an Ideal Future

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As business professionals and entrepreneurs, I believe everyone at MIP (faculty, staff, and students included) has a desire to improve the professional ecosystem. We choose to experience and create an atmosphere of continuous learning to ameliorate the professional world, making it better for ourselves and future generations. The MBA accomplishes this by giving students a holistic approach to business. We take a step back, look at businesses, and then dive into the minutiae.

Pillars of the MIP MBA

The International Full-Time MBA begins with four pillars of management basics. We get to look at a business from every angle, from financial accounting to project management. While some subjects like supply chain aren’t my area of interest, it is important for me to understand their role in the ecosystem so I can improve the entire business. It also allows us the opportunity to experience areas we enjoy but may not have thought about before the program. As the pillars progress, we can see the business as a network, and the importance of each part working together. For me, as someone with business work experience but a humanities education, this allowed me to learn the fundamentals, but also put them into practice with business cases and absorb the experiences of my diverse colleagues.

Experiential Gym

While we are amid the essential pillars, we get to really apply our learnings in the real world, working with actual companies to provide innovative solutions. This takes a real ‘learn by doing’ approach to practice our skills obtained earlier and implement them in real time. It is one thing to learn the theory of something, but it’s another to see the theory put into practice. Viewing the impact of our education so early in the program will empower us to take these learnings into our future careers with confidence.

Bootcamps

The third part of our experience will be spent in specific areas of our choosing. This is where we will dive into the topics that pertain to our path, or our new chosen path. For instance, I am making the shift into the luxury market, so I will be able to learn the specifics of this sector, applying the general business tools I learned in the pillars, and taking them a step further.

Project Work

Finally, we will finish our program with project work, where we will bring our education into full-time operation. Whether we are doing an internship, starting a new job, or bringing our skills back to our previous position, we get to practice our new abilities with the guidance of our professors and mentors.

Putting it all Together

Taking all these pieces, my classmates and I will be able to improve the business ecosystem we enter with a holistic view of the company. For example, I will be able to confidently enter the luxury market knowing how the supply chain affects my final customer, and I can work empathetically with the supply chain to create a better business internally and externally. This step-by-step approach, viewing businesses holistically, allows us to find the gaps in between departments and processes, and creates an understanding as future leaders that every piece of the business has its importance. The more understanding we have, the more we can implement positive change.

 

About the author
 Chelsy Greenman

I’m a current International Full-Time MBA student, originally from the United States. I’m enthusiastic about brand management and customer experience, particularly in the luxury industry. Yogi, WSET3, and art museum connoisseur. I love creating memorable occasions, one customer at a time.

 

Walking Down Memory Lane as an MBA Graduate

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Almost a year ago to the day, I can vividly remember landing in Milan, with unbridled excitement and nervous anticipation! After multiple delays, I had finally managed to make it to my destination of Milan, and I was about to start on arguably one of the most challenging and adventurous paths of my life; that of coming to Italy to add to my professional skills and gain international experience with an MBA from the MIP Graduate School of Business.

What followed has been a life-changing experience! I found myself among a group of some of the sharpest minds from different parts of the world, brought together by a common goal of growing as a professional and adding to their repertoire of skills. The first striking feature of the program was the structure, with lectures having group presentations, encouraging active engagement often graded in assignments produced by people from different backgrounds, with no prior acquaintance, working together. Having random teammates meant we were able to get to know our colleagues on a better level than just as batchmates. On occasions when we thought we were running tight deadlines or the work needed improvements, I found myself working with people from Italy, the UAE, China, Hong Kong, Ethiopia, Argentina, Brazil and with the five other classmates from India. With different backgrounds came different perspectives, different solutions to the same problems. In the process, it has not just broadened our own personal perspective, but some have become a lot more than just colleagues; they have become friends.

A gruelling schedule of lectures and assignments meant that we were always, always, kept on our toes but being a course for experienced professionals, the flexibility of revisiting lectures in MIP’s Digital Gym was a huge advantage. The hybrid model allowed us to keep up with all the coursework as well as giving us valuable practice of managing digital technologies in the most efficient ways. All this was interspersed with company presentations, where people from different industries gave us insights into their professional lives, as well as series of workshops on improving our presentation and soft skills.

The program also provided the scope for industrial exposure to go hand in hand with the classroom teaching. This was immensely helpful to the candidates coming from abroad, such as myself, as it gave us our first experience of working as a consultant with a company from the Italian market, known as the Organizational Check-Up. While OCU is a team project, during the twilight of my course, I also had the pleasure of working on a marketing project with another Italian company as part of my internship. Both projects have added to my professional understanding of European markets, have helped me find new mentors too, and friends with whom I can share the aperitivos over the weekends.

While no journey is without its share of challenges, I can gladly say that most of the challenges I have faced have been outside the classroom. Having to keep up with the visa paperwork, the local bureaucratic work, etc, can get overwhelming when you’re new, but the International Students’ Office has always been available at our beck and call to help us out with any information we might need.

Almost a year ago to the day, I look back at the experience of having graduated with an MBA with a feeling of gratitude! I am thankful to the professors who added to my knowledge, the colleagues who shared their own ideas with me and helped me improve mine, the MIP team, including the course coordinator, the ISO and the CDC for being always available to help. Alas, all good things must come to an end and so did our MBA, as we all flung our graduation hats into the air on 24th of November 2021. A new beginning awaits us all, and I hope that we are all able to implement our vision as Managers in the business world of the future.

About the author
 Rakshit Behel

A results-oriented marketing communications professional helping brands achieve objectives with integrated marketing campaigns built around branded content. From creatively developing and implementing digital marketing and content strategies to measuring performance with analytics and providing insights into useful data, aligned to brands’ business goals; experience of working with clients from different industries: Hospitality, IT, Fintech, Media and Healthcare.

 

Are you ready to take the dive into this new, immersive experience?

Posted on | by Angela Leone | Leave a Comment on Are you ready to take the dive into this new, immersive experience?

Let me introduce myself. This is the first time you are reading content written by me on the MIP Knowledge base. I am Davide Ritorto, a 25-year-old Management Engineer from Bari (Italy), currently working at Lamborghini and living near Bologna.

I say this is the first time, because I am a member of the 2021-2023 International Part-Time MBA class, (which has just started), so you will surely have the chance to read some more content that I will be writing during these years.

This article is about exploration and uncertainty. Yes, because my biggest passion is Scuba Diving, so I would like to draw some parallels and take you “underwater” with me in what will be my longest dive so far (almost 2 years long, basically).

Let’s first jump into the sea, so that those of you who have never experienced the underwater realm in any way other than by snorkeling, can have an idea of this amazing adventure.

Nowadays it is relatively easy to cross the surface of the sea, the threshold that divides the two elements, and directly observe the life of this world as never before. The charm of these observations is perhaps only comparable to space exploration: we cannot ignore the sensation of mystery, of fascinating discovery, which is connected to every encounter with underwater life, with the structure of the seabed, with the vestiges of ancient civilizations that the water has jealously and often wisely preserved over the millennia. To feel these emotions, there does not necessarily need to be any encounter with submerged archaeological remains. Indeed, an old bottle full of encrustations is enough.

It’s been ten years since I got my first scuba diving license. I have explored shipwrecks, coral reefs, crashed planes, and this dive (my MBA Experience) carries some of the same emotions experienced during those explorations.

In fact, I am feeling a mix of strong emotions also precipitated by the desire to live this experience in the best way possible: with excitement, happiness, curiosity, motivation and … uncertainty.

Talking with some of my MBA colleagues, I have understood that a common feeling experienced is that of the unknown. Personally speaking, the sense of the unknown relates to how this experience can fulfill me, how it could boost my professional and personal life, what are the ideas and new concepts that I will learn, and who are the people with whom I will develop strong connections, even afterwards. This feeling of the unknown is also similar to the sense of uncertainty that surges before a dive.

We tend to think about the unknown almost as the scariest thing, something to avoid, a fear, basically. The fear of missing out, the fear of not knowing what will happen, the fear of not being good enough, etc.

I, too, sometimes tend to lack this awareness, but I believe uncertainty can actually be a fascinating feeling: an opportunity to explore something new, to explore ourselves, to find things and paths we like the most and eventually to discover that our past fears were unfounded.

Of course, we should deal with uncertainty with the right attitude and preparation.

I will therefore draw one last parallel between my experience in preparing for a dive and what, similarly, I did to prepare for my MBA journey.

For one of my latest Scuba Diving licenses, a game-changer, I trained with an organization called GUE (Global Underwater Explorers). GUE divers follow a standardized sequence to prepare for their dives, which aims to minimize any possible mistakes or omissions that might affect the outcome of the dive. This sequence follows the acronym GUE EDGE.

Well, I would like to try to do the same thing for my MBA dive:

G (Goals) To be concise: my personal goals are to improve myself, evolving as a professional and also as a person, acquiring top-notch knowledge on Business Administration and its related fields in a practical way.

U (Unified Team) Networking will definitely be a plus of this experience. From what I have learned at the Kick-Off, the team of students is made up of people of 9 different nationalities and different backgrounds. Diversity will be a strong enrichment factor for the class.

E (Equipment) As for the equipment needed, we will be provided with teaching materials mostly on the D-Hub Platform (a very well-built platform, I would say). One other useful tool for career development that I will surely use is FLEXA, a personalized continuous learning platform.

E (Exposure) This dive will last 20 months (a pretty long one J).

D (Decompression) Before getting out of the “water” we will test our competences and skills learned during the courses in a final Project Work.

G (Gas) The “fuel” for this experience will for sure be the teamwork with other candidates and the support from my colleagues, family and friends.

E (Environment) The background of this journey will be the beautiful Milan for most of the time, Barcelona and Munich for the International Weeks and hopefully, Silicon Valley for the Exchange Program.

In conclusion, I hope this will be a great dive for all the candidates. See you underwater!

 

About the author
 Davide Ritorto

Davide Ritorto is an ambitious and inquisitive Management Engineer, currently working and learning at Lamborghini and at MIP, where he is studying for the International Part-Time MBA. He is focused on improving himself and putting his passions and skills to good use.

Davide enjoys exploring new things, is passionate about scuba diving, (of almost all kinds) sports, personal finance, vintage watches, food and intercultural travels