Tag: #MIPexperience

Learning in pandemic times

Posted on | by Simona Strepparola | Leave a Comment on Learning in pandemic times

The spring of 2020 came with some unexpected news: with the arrival of a pandemic emergency, everything needed to be changed.

All businesses, from manufacturing firms, small retail companies and even single professionals, had to review their way of operating in order to adapt to distance working. Normal life became familiarized, with major and minor difficulties, with the policy restrictions imposed by each government. And, of course, education has also been impacted by the necessity to deal with the impossibility of having face-to-face lessons.

The widespread concept of didactics includes three main components. Essential is the ability to transfer knowledge, including theories, principles, models and best practices. The student needs to understand the “know” of a specific subject, through personal study and direct clarifications. But then with the next step comes the “know-how” to apply the knowledge to cases and problems. It needs practice and exercises to build skills, considering hard skills relating to the subject but also soft skills, more and more important in today’s working environments. And once the topic is clear, you are able to apply, socialize with other students and practitioners, trial real cases and review them with professional and personal experiences where they have been already faced. In other words, create your demonstrable and recognized competences.

When switching from an onsite to a remote approach, considerations go beyond only being enabled to participate in lessons from home. It’s necessary to reformulate the way of explaining, teaching and helping the student to learn. It is surely a process that needs time to reorganize and to prepare the required tools. In this context, the i-Flex program makes its entry. By now, I have been following the i-Flex Executive Master in Business Administration at MIP for several months. The inherent concept of the i-Flex program conceived a learning path which would already be online, hence there has been minimal impact following the restrictions and changes imposed by the critical situation. The teaching combines tools, documents and videos which can be followed remotely in your own time, lessons via video conferencing with professors, series of additional webinars to improve learning and review concepts, forums where you can meet other students and professors in order to refine understandings, and so many other things.

Distance learning comes with additional benefits such as a customized path, extracurricular materials and insights, and a personalized schedule. Considering that “out of crisis comes opportunity”, what better occasion to appreciate what distance learning allows you to achieve?

“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger ̶ but recognize the opportunity.”

About the author
 Vito Conversano

Student of the International Flex Executive MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano.
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.

The elective courses make the MBA path unique, tailored to your own goals and expectations

Posted on | by Simona Strepparola | Leave a Comment on The elective courses make the MBA path unique, tailored to your own goals and expectations

In addition to traditional lessons, the International Part-time MBA program as defined by MIP and the Politecnico di Milano School of Management includes in-company classes, elective courses and the opportunity to attend some courses abroad, thanks to the International Exchange Program.

When I decided to enroll in this MBA, I was working in a big multinational company. I thought that this MBA could help me to develop my soft skills such as team building and managerial leadership, teaching me to be responsible not only for myself, but also for my whole team and, at the same time, to acquire new knowledge and boost my career. So I never had any doubt that the elective courses I would choose would be “Soft Skills” and “Global Management Bootcamp”.
Elective courses are open to students from the International Full-time, Part-time and FLEX MBA courses, and also to Exchange students from partner schools.

I followed the Soft Skills course during the first academic year. In this class we analyzed the personal skills required to succeed and developed a personal plan for reaching our professional goals, guided by professor Filippo Passerini, former CEO of Procter and Gamble, and professor Emre Soyer, behavioral scientist in the Business Faculty at Istanbul’s Ozyegin University.
Both are professionals with great experience and personalities who have achieved ambitious goals and prominent positions in their careers. Their lessons focused on topics such as emotional intelligence, effective communication, problem solving, people and change management.

During the second year I followed the Global Management bootcamp, focused on the business skills relevant for pursuing managerial careers in an international context. This year the course was conditioned by the fact that a few days before the bootcamp week, the Italian health institutions decided to close all schools and universities as a precaution amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
MIP decided to respond to this emergency situation by using the experience, gained over the past years, in providing teaching digitally. Only three days later, the Global Management course professors were ready to provide all the scheduled lessons online.
The course ended with a group presentation about the assessment of a country’s risks and opportunities for international business. On this particular occasion, the “working in virtual teams” course that I followed at the beginning of the first academic year was certainly useful and once again demonstrated the avant-garde level of the master’s program.

During this period not only lessons and teaching activities were carried out as planned but MIP also organized specific lectures, such as those on the prospects for the Italian economy or the Career Workshops in light of the current coronavirus evolution.
There is no doubt that MIP has been able to respond to this emergency situation in the best way, also being an example to other schools and institutions. However, I am very happy to have had the opportunity to personally and actively follow the Soft Skills elective course held by two professors with great charisma such as Passerini and Soyer. Not all sensations and emotions can be transmitted in the same way through digital tools, although highly innovative, and that is why typically courses on this topic are usually provided on campus by the school.

About the author
 Andrea De Donatis

I am Andrea De Donatis, a student of the international part-time MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano. I Graduated in energy engineering and I am currently working in technical sales for a leading multinational electronics company based in Milan.
I am very passionate about technology, IT and digital marketing. I strongly believe that disruptive innovation is vital to create new value.

 

A Smiling Mind for future leaders

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on A Smiling Mind for future leaders

 

It all started with some of us being curious to know more about who everybody is are beyond busy classes and aperitivo time, when you chit-chat with people, randomly passing from one to the other sometimes with small talk, at other times with meaningful conversations that nonetheless stay private. It all started with us needing some real space and some time to bring a small audience together, to be able to speak freely and have some space to share. Back then, the MBA program was starting to be very condensed and most of the time it required so much attention and work in and out of the class that sticking together on a personal basis was a need felt by many. Bringing thoughts and doubts, freely speaking about who we are, why we are doing the Master, what brought some of us to move from faraway continents to Italy and where we are heading to are all topics MBA students would want to put on the table to start an exchange with the people they are seated next to the entire day.

The Smiling Mind Talks came to life out of this malaise as an informal project created by my classmate Victor, an immunologist with a research background all around Europe. At the beginning of the year, right after the first intense weeks of lectures, he proposed that we should have the chance to express ourselves in a direct and open way through our personal stories. Once a week, on a voluntary basis, two of our classmates could make a small chalk-talk or presentation following a rather free format, where they would tell us about themselves, their passions or projects. At the beginning, the number of participants was narrowed down to a few, but as time passed, and people asked to be listed for their talk, the buzz spread amongst us and the audience grew from week to week, until Smiling Mind bloomed into a long-awaited, rather crowded event of the week, anticipated by much joy, beers and food for all.

Thanks to Smiling Mind, I learnt about my Turkish friend Demet and the fears and thrills of her entrepreneurial project. Demet moved from New York to start working on a long-desired plan revolving around women’s empowerment in disenfranchised rural communities, that will enable an ancient form of handcraftsmanship – jewellery filigree – to become known to the broader public. I also had the chance to get closer to Felipe, a business analyst who embarked on the MBA adventure from Chile with his inseparable wife Carolina, with whom he has literally climbed mountains all around the world. Felipe comes from a sporty family and is also a runner, and some years ago he was involved in a major accident. Hearing his story of recovery and resilience created a beautiful energy amongst all of us. The day I did my talk, I myself felt very nervous: I was going to share something private about my life, past experience and future expectations; but the reassuring gaze in my classmates’ eyes made me feel at ease as I concluded towards a feedback session where comments and encouragements made me understand how a moment of spontaneous deep connection can make us improve as human beings and feel more engaged.

In the past weeks we have learned from the innovation course that in order to make a radical change, you need a shift in the meaning of things. In an age where words like mindfulness are often overused and misinterpreted, an activity like the Smiling Mind talks really have an impact on the way we learn, from top-down to team-based interactions that help us create a sense of community stemming from experience-based practices, where we can learn from each other how to become future leaders.

About the author
 Marianna Trimarchi
I am a candidate of the International Full Time MBA at MIP. I have a background in academia as a PhD in Communication and Strategic Analysis and a career as content producer in the Media Industry.I have worked for the Italian Television as author and assistant producer for cultural programs as well as for other media outlets as journalist. I am passionate about understanding complex phenomena particularly related to internationalization and global development from a multidisciplinary perspective.

 

 

 

Coronavirus and online learning: the word to our students

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Coronavirus and online learning: the word to our students

Davide, Massimiliano and Sergey tell about their experience with lessons via web, which are currently substituting those previously scheduled for the classroom: «A positive solution, that allowed us to also take part in complex activities like group work»

The Coronavirus has had an impact not only on productive activities and commercial establishments, but as we know also led to a temporary suspension of educational activities, including of course those of MIP. That which at first seemed like a hard to overcome obstacle, instead turned out to be an opportunity, highlighting the school’s great responsiveness and its digital DNA: indeed, numerous lessons nonetheless took place (and are taking place) regularly online. Not only those originally slated to be held via web but also many of those that were set to be held in the classroom, so as to guarantee as much as possible the continuation of activity, limiting the inconvenience for students.

Theory and practice: the lesson is via web

Davide is enrolled in the Master in Supply Chain Management programme: on Tuesday, 25 February his agenda included a classroom lesson on the negotiation of contracts with Professor Ronchi. A lesson that was also to have included group work with other 25 students, in which negotiations were to be simulated. The day before – Monday, 24 February – an e-mail informed him that the lesson (which he thought was cancelled) would be held all the same, but in a digital mode: the e-mail had a link to a virtual meeting room on the digital platform.
«It’s a tool that we were already familiar with –says Davide – and which can also be accessed via smartphone or tablet, and this made everything easy. The teaching part went smoothly, we followed the slides prepared by the professor as if we were in the classroom. Once it was time for group work, other private meeting rooms were opened to discuss – by voice or on chat – with colleagues in the same group and with other groups separately, to then all be joined up again at the end of the lesson for the debriefing». A successful experience, then? «Everything was organized very quickly, for this we must thank the course leaders. There were no particular problems with the professor’s lesson, it was like being in the classroom; it was stranger to carry out group work over a device, but we quickly got used to it and, even if all the dynamics you experience in person can’t be replicated via web, the experience was positive, especially because it allowed us to not lose the lesson».

Students also meet online

Massimiliano, enrolled in the Master in Energy Management programme, also had a similar experience. Also in his case – and with the same timing – starting from Tuesday, 25 February, different lessons were moved online: «Normal teaching, but also external testimonials from professionals in the sector who shared their experience. I must say that in the beginning I was a bit sceptical on the effectiveness of this method, but I quickly changed my mind: a microphone was sufficient to speak with the professor and participate actively in the discussion. Considering the rapidity with which the school had to implement this system, it proved to be a very valid solution».
In Massimiliano’s case, then, the stop to lessons could have led to a further complication: in those very days, his course had foreseen the delivery of a group project on energy efficiency. «We had to analyse the energy situation of a company starting from its audit, map out measures and propose new ones, obviously considering economic aspects. In short, a very complex assignment. Thanks to this method, each group managed to complete the work in time for the deadline».

For Sergey, a student from Russia, the emergency could have caused even more serious problems. Indeed, Sergey came to Milan the day before the cancellation of lessons, to attend an MBA Bootcamp on Global Management; news of the measure reached him as just as he arrived in our city. «For me the timing was really bad. However, if the Bootcamp had simply been cancelled, it would have been much worse, with all the time and effort put into participating. It’s truly fantastic that MIP gave us the possibility of studying online. Of course I was very sorry to not be able to meet the students from the other countries in person, but current technologies give us the opportunity to respect the schedule and follow education programmes even in the event of an emergency: I had to follow the lessons via smartphone – I didn’t bring my laptop with me to Milan – but I appreciated them a lot. Moreover, the events of the following day showed that it was a responsible decision, that had to be taken».

Leading the new generation workforce

Posted on | by Tania Tornese | Leave a Comment on Leading the new generation workforce

 

The essential digital skills for the leaders of tomorrow

To be a successful leader you need to have the right mix of soft skills and technical knowledge.

Soft skills, also known as “interpersonal skills“, relate to the way we interact with other people and include reliability, effective communication, problem-solving, people management, change management and more…

Alongside these very important skills, there are hard skills, the job-specific knowledge and technical abilities which are constantly shifting and evolving over time in the dynamic working environment in which we work today.

To manage resources and interact with different teams, you need important leadership skills but also specific digital hard skills that an International Part-time MBA at the MIP School of Business aims to develop in its traditional courses, elective boot camps and company visits.

 

  • Data science skills and the ability to make data-driven decisions: a leader must know how to read and manage data, generate reports and forecasts, identify sales opportunities and estimate profitability since organizations collect and analyze large amounts of data to make objective decisions and transform their processes. In the Data Analysis course, for example, I learned how to apply statistics to business from collecting the relevant data to writing technical reports useful for strategic decision-making.

 

  • Programming and software development: basic programming, web and app development knowledge are required to work with both internal resources and outsourcing agencies. Programming is also important for knowing how to identify opportunities, define specific project objectives and requirements, estimate the times, costs and resources necessary for implementation and guide technicians in development. In this case, the boot camp dedicated to Biomarketing used real cases to show how to use digital technology to analyze the market and to improve our understanding of the customer. Moreover, the company visit to Accenture highlighted how the company supports other businesses in the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and in the development of software used for data collection and analysis with the aim of improving sales strategies, customer management and process transformation.

 

  • Network and information security, cybersecurity and privacy knowledge: the advent of the GDPR in Europe during May 2018 put data security and privacy at the top of the agenda for many project teams. Also, consumers are now more conscious of the risk of sharing their personal information online and they expect to have their data protected. As project leaders, we will need to be able to set guidelines for project delivery that include data security approaches, work with the IT and legal teams and ensure that the required standards for security and privacy are met.

 

  • Social media selling and digital marketing: today, buyers won’t engage with a seller without visiting their company website first. Social selling uses social media to find, connect and develop meaningful relationships with potential customers. Product managers must master digital marketing skills to create digital content and promote products and services. The company visit to Moleskine, in this case, was very impressive. The company is completely digitized in its processes, marketing and customer relations while selling some of the most traditional products on the market: diaries and notebooks.

 

In the next few years, when we will be in team leader positions, we will be working with a new generation of workers who have grown up in a fully digitalized world. We should use our digital skills to coordinate them, understand their needs, support them with the tools they require, set goals and evaluate their work.

On the other hand, since technology allows new generations to be confused in values ​​and ethics, and to be lazy in habits and have little emotional intelligence, we should teach them the timeless virtues like commitment, responsibility, and the valuable soft skills that they may not understand, like emotional intelligence.

We will learn from them how to take advantage of new technologies and we will use our digital and soft skills to leverage their abilities and create the best working conditions to maximize their performance.

That is the critical role we will play.

 

About the author
 Andrea De Donatis

I am Andrea De Donatis, a student of the international part-time MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano. I Graduated in energy engineering and I am currently working in technical sales for a leading multinational electronics company based in Milan.
I am very passionate about technology, IT and digital marketing. I strongly believe that disruptive innovation is vital to create new value.

 

 

Life is great in Milan

Posted on | by Tania Tornese | Leave a Comment on Life is great in Milan

Life in Milan is definitely amazing! Maybe here, my “Milanese” pride is coming out, as Milan is my home, where I live, study and am building my family ̶ but it’s true that it’s a really great city!

First of all, to describe Milan I have to say that it is not a city you fall in love with at first sight; life here must be lived to the full and Milan discovered before you can really appreciate it. My colleagues and I are finding that the International Part-Time MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano certainly gives us plenty of opportunities to do this, both in terms of the access we are given to the thriving world of business and, of course, socially, where there is so much choice available. I am happy to act as a guide to show off the many facets my home city has to offer.

So, where to start to convince you?

Milan has changed a lot throughout these last few years and I can say that now it can easily be compared to the most glamorous European destinations. It is a city where you can have all types of experiences without ever getting bored. In many aspects you can feel a rare energy of a city that is growing and remains true to itself. Let’s start for example with culture: Milan has its own hidden and less hidden gems, such as Castello Sforzesco or the Duomo with its amazing Madonnina (built in 150 years through the donations of the people of Milan), the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, the Pinacoteca of Brera, the Cimitero Monumentale and so on… places like the universities are worth a visit: the Politecnico, the Università Cattolica (where I left my heart) or la Statale are amazing ancient institutions of culture and beauty (but also incredible places to rest). The entertainment scene is also varied: you can go to one of the most famous opera houses in the world, La Scala, or to the cinema or to the many museums or exhibitions that have started up in recent years. Milan, of course, is famous all over the world for its fashion, with opportunities including shopping in the iconic via Montenapoleone or visiting the Prada Foundation. In any case, whatever your destination, you will notice that most people in Milan pay great attention to their clothes and to beauty. There are so many little made in Italy boutiques that have risen up all over the city that if you are addicted to fashion, you won’t be disappointed.

If you are a sports fan, you cannot miss a match at San Siro, the heart of soccer in Milan (A.C. Milan is now struggling a bit, but new support is always good!)

Of course, we are in Italy, so food is fundamental! Milan is known for its risotto giallo with ossobuco (though this is a bit heavy for summertime…) or the cotoletta or panettone. In any case, if you feel homesick, Milano can offer you every type of cuisine at a high level.

You will fall in love with Milan simply by walking (or taking its iconic tram) through its streets and its neighborhoods, each so different from the last.

You will find your own favorite: Porta Romana if you want to chill out, the Navigli if you want a good drink and some romance, the beautiful new skyline of Garibaldi and City Life if you like modern style or Isola if you are an hipster ̶ and even all this is only scratching the surface.

In few words.. “Milan l’è un gran Milan“

 

About the author
 Pietro Cavallo

My name is Pietro and I grew up in Milan, where I am currently living. I work in Switzerland, in the Supply Chain division of a clothing multinational. I am the husband of an incredible wife and father of 1 crazy kid and ½…  I’ll keep you posted when the second ½ arrives…

 

i-Flex EMBA: Kick off of amazing journey

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on i-Flex EMBA: Kick off of amazing journey

 

I’d like to introduce to you my first, kick-off week of the i-Flex Executive Master of Business Administration at MIP Politecnico di Milano by starting from the end: the warm hugs, the willingness to meet again soon and the mutual feeling that it was as if we had known each other for years.

Yes, it might seem odd, but in just a few days we started to build up a strong relationship that we are sure will last for the whole 20 months of the program and even longer. It started on the introduction day when we first met up, a class of 61 friends coming from all parts of the world. It’s a melting pot of people from China, Japan, South Korea, Mozambique, Nigeria, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, the USA, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Hungary, Germany, Finland, Romania, Turkey, Switzerland, Poland, etc. ̶ and, of course, Italy. Everyone brings with them their experience, professional and, mainly, personal views, their culture and way of facing problems.

How did it begin? We passed two days in a quiet atmosphere at a historical Italian countryside “villa”. The silence of the Ligurian mountains was our background. Talking (it’s so essential to communicate), doing outdoor activities together (emphasizing the concept of learning by doing) and briefing what we actually did, all helped us to get to know the other participants, understand their way of thinking, trust each other and collaborate toward a final common goal: to learn.

The initial hesitancy soon broke up. It was so pleasant to find other open-minded and easy-going people, too attractive the sharing of their own experience and learning from others, too important the common goal. The structure of the activities, with a gradual increase in the level of cooperation, facilitated a gaining in confidence and the ability to recognize other participants’ strengths.

With this awareness we tackled the first week of lessons, analysing the problems with everyone’s contributions, looking hence from all our different points of view. It was an immersion in the initial topics, into which we surely could not have gone in such depth if we hadn’t trusted and respected each other. We built up a class, we become friends.

We all now have great expectations from the amazing journey that awaits us, and we know that it’s feasible to all go on together, as a unique team. To use one of our outdoor activity mottos, we are “stronger together”!!!

 

About the author
 Vito Conversano

Student of the International Flex Executive MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano.
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.

 

 

The first step of a long journey

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on The first step of a long journey

 

When I am asked to tell people about the week in Barcelona I say: “It was amazing, I’m proud to be part of that group, I’m proud of my choice to study for an MBA”.

When I chose to enroll, it felt like a leap in the dark: I was going to be bearing a long-term commitment, filling up my daily schedule (and the weekends!) without any guaranteed profit at the end of the path.
After the week in Barcelona, I’ve been able to have the first sight of the benefits: great courses, a super group and the mandate to lead my own career.

At EADA (the business school that hosted us in Barcelona), we attended courses about Leadership, Organizational behaviour and Macroeconomics: for me, it was a first time for all three subjects, but the professors were crystal clear in transmitting the core knowledge and, most of all, the right state of mind for approaching problems.

The two soft skills courses brought me a new awareness: leadership is an attitude, not a blessing, and thus must be learned and chosen as an approach towards team-members, regardless of the role.
The group is the greatest surprise: I didn’t expect it could be so easy to build bonds in such a short time. I think that the key of this link is the common state of mind: we all want to be leaders of our future.
We have been great colleagues during the courses, sharing personal experience and knowledge and helping each other to complete the assignments: the outdoor activity of the leadership course was a great idea to break the ice during the first day.

Due to the epidemic of fever that spread among us, we also jokingly supposed that this time spent outdoors had ruined our health: however, it strengthened our attitude of comradeship, leading us to share medicines and help those who couldn’t attend the lessons.

At the end of the day we also became friends, hanging around in Barcelona for tapas and a drink: now I can say that all the effort we will need to make on the hard path of an MBA will be less of a burden, because it is going to be shared in a supportive environment.

This MBA will be a long and demanding journey to build my career: the Barcelona experience is the cornerstone that makes me feel confident of the final result.

About the author
 Fabrizio Liponi

My name is Fabrizio and I work as a tunnel engineer in the construction of Underground Line 4 of Milan. Born, raised, studied, living and working in Milan: I love my city and I’m proud to take part in building its future. Travel addicted, I love to meet people and different cultures.

 

 

From MIP to Luxottica: the story of Thea

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on From MIP to Luxottica: the story of Thea

Thea, Alumna IM4

 

Graduation Day, for most of our students, is not only a goal to reach but also the launchpad for new challenges. That’s exactly what happened to Thea Lovise Jorgensen, Alumna of the International Master in Multichannel Marketing Management (IM4), who’s now part of the Luxottica Futuresighters International Graduate Program.

Proud of her achievement, we could not miss the chance to have a chat with her!

Congratulations! How did you get to apply for the Luxottica Futuresighters International Graduate Program?

Luxottica’s company presentation was one of the first I attended at MIP. I still had months before my master would end and was pretty fresh in the search of what companies to apply to. However, there were two things I was sure of: I wanted to be part of something that enabled me to continue learning and develop in different fields, and secondly, I wanted to be part of a company which had a mindset and a culture that I could associate myself with.

The graduate program at Luxottica had exactly those two things. The culture inside Luxottica fosters integrity, respect, transparency and fairness. Being a Luxottican means that you are hard-working and proud of what you do, but at the same time very humble and enjoy every step of the way.
Their graduate program, in particular, is a 24-months development path that offers a 360 degrees insight into Luxottica’s vertical integrated business model, experiencing a cross-functional and cross-country rotations career path. I can not think of any better way than this to fully emerge myself into continuous learning and develop as a professional.

This looks great! You mentioned that was thanks to MIP company presentation that you got interested in Luxottica. Besides this experience, is there any other skill acquired during the Master that helped you to succeed in the selection process?

The most important learning that was crucial for me to succeed in the selection process at Luxottica, but also something I will take with me for the rest of my life, was the value of working with people from different cultural and professional backgrounds. Different-thinking minds working tight together everyday to reach different goals is hard, but in the end, it has a value that no career or money would ever make up for.

Indeed, the international spirit is one of the main characteristics of our Specialising Masters. Are there any other aspects of your #MIPexperience that made an impression on you?

For me, the time I spent at MIP was a time filled with opportunity. When you start studying at a university, your main objective is to learn from the time spent inside the classroom. Of course, this happened at MIP, but there was also so much more. The university gives you the opportunity to learn and develop through promoting teamwork, organising numerous events like company presentations, workshops and outings, and, more important than anything else, MIP foster and facilitate for their students to be creative and start their own activities. Combining a schedule filled with exceptional opportunities, an international network of students, and great team-players that turned into my best friends, MIP gave me one of the best years of my life.

So glad to hear that! Do you have any tips for current and future IM4 students to enjoy this experience as much as you did?

A year might seem like a short time, but if you make the most of it, take opportunities and work hard, it can change your life in directions that you could never imagine.

Just a last question before saying goodbye. What are your plans for the future?

Right now my focus is to do well and make the most of the opportunity I have been given inside Luxottica. I am currently working in e-commerce in Milan, but in a few months, I will move to Agordo, the place where the company was founded more than 50 years ago, and where they now have one of their largest manufacturing plants. After this, around October next year, I will be moving abroad for my international rotation of the graduate program. Where I will go and what I will do is still unknown to me, but I am sure that whatever comes my way will teach me a great deal and shape my life in a positive way.

Thank you Thea for sharing your experience and your career growth! Good luck!

Learn together, build together

Posted on | by Veronica Rafaniello | Leave a Comment on Learn together, build together

 

Two entire weeks abroad at leading European business schools are part of the International part-time MBA program defined by the MIP Politecnico di Milano School of Management, which has a duration of approximately two years.

During the first academic year, I had the opportunity to visit Barcelona and attend classes at the EADA Business School with my colleagues. On that occasion, thanks to the team activities organized by the coordinators, we broke the ice, got to know each other and also developed personal connections. This year, for the second international experience, we flew to Munich in Germany, as guest students at the Technische Universität München (TUM). In this exciting journey, we strengthened the friendships that were born in the previous one and that we had cultivated during the entire first year.

The second international week kicked off, as scheduled, early morning on Monday 28th October but I actually started planning this journey with my colleagues many months before, eager to spend another entire week far from the frenzy of our daily work routine, to meet those companions again who I now call friends and to spend some quality time with them.

Unlike the first experience, this time I was not at all afraid of facing the journey. I already knew that it would not be a further commitment in our already weary working life but rather the perfect getaway. I already knew that finally, I was going to have the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the MBA program but also to be able to count on new trusted friends, divert my mind from everyday problems and relieve tensions.

With this in mind, I left for Monaco early to reunite with most of the other students already on the weekend preceding the start date of the lessons, with the desire to explore the city characterized by the typical calm and tranquillity of Bavaria, taste the traditional local cuisine and, above all, to share our experiences in a pleasant setting.

As colleagues started arriving at the hotel, they were greeted by those already present among great smiles and hugs and a shared feeling of friendship typical of those who have known each other for a long time. In these conditions, driven by the desire to face this experience day by day together, getting up early to go to class has never been a burden but a pleasure!

From Monday to Friday I followed the Corporate Finance, Project Management and Capital Markets Law classes held by the TUM professors. In particular, however, I had the opportunity to get in touch with two of the most important German companies on the international scene: BMW and Lufthansa. For an industrial engineer like me, what could I say? Visiting the production sites of a giant car manufacturer like BMW was a daydream. By giving us access to these two companies, MIP has remained faithful to its promise to offer an International Part-Time MBA which is particularly interesting for those involved in an engineering career path.

Today, from this second international week, I can say that I have brought home a new wealth of scholastic knowledge, a unique experience in direct contact with the excellence of the German industry and, above all, the consolidation of friendships born during the first year. I am sure that with these friends, in the future, I will also weave business relationships and meet them again as customers, suppliers or business partners.

But why wait for our career to bring us together again? We have already organized our third international trip: we are ready to leave together for the next destination as soon as we graduate…

 

About the author
 Andrea De Donatis
I am Andrea De Donatis, a student of the international part-time MBA at MIP Politecnico di Milano. I Graduated in energy engineering and I am currently working in technical sales for a leading multinational electronics company based in Milan.
I am very passionate about technology, IT and digital marketing. I strongly believe that disruptive innovation is vital to create new value.