Ting Chan
International Officer at Coventry University
Aspects of my course are relevant to what I do but I wouldn't say it has an obvious link.
My degree and my university experience shaped me as a person - it gave me the confidence to be more vocal, to be open-minded about relocating anywhere the new job opportunities take me.
There are technical skills, such as report writing and developing business proposals which really do come in handy for my job too.
Post 16 Education: A Levels Geography, Biology, Media and Communications & Chinese
Higher Education: BSc (Hons) Economics with Accounting, MA Marketing and Management
Why did you choose to study Business?
I thought I wanted to be an Accountant. Obviously, I'm not one right now.
I didn't do enough research when choosing my degree and the more I studied it at University, the more I realised it was not the right course for me. But I was determined to finish it and I did learn that I enjoyed the marketing and business elements of my course. So I pursued a Masters' Degree in Marketing and Management.
Economics with Accounting focused on how society works with international trade, competition across companies as well as how business records income and expenses.
Ting’s experience as a student
It was so different to studying at sixth form college!
Living away from home, the way we were taught and having so much freedom and control over how I spent my time was such a new concept. I really enjoyed the group coursework (presentations which were assessed) alongside the independent assignments and exams - it all taught me many new skills.
Ting’s Career
I am now an International Officer at Coventry University, where I do a lot of travelling both across the entire UK and overseas to different countries to meet students to tell them about what the UK and our universities are like. It has been a great experience so far, learning about different cultures and education systems outside the UK and being able to speak to so many different people.
Before this role, I worked in marketing and also in charities to support home students from less privileged backgrounds into top universities. All in all, I've been working for 7 years since graduating from university and I have moved up and down the country for new jobs, from Bedford, to London, Birmingham and now Coventry.
Ting’s advice
If you already know what you want to study or what profession to go into, fantastic! If you don't have a clue, also fantastic!
I had no idea what to study or what to do for a career when I was 16 and I had so much family pressure to study something along the lines of Dentistry or Law.
My advice? Go for something you really enjoy. Have a look at courses available at some universities, courses you may not have heard of. You'll do much better at something you're interested in. Life is a journey of learning more about yourself, especially when you get to and then finish University. Even when I finished university, I still wasn't sure what to do for a career so I’ve essentially job hopped every couple of years.
Loughborough University offers undergraduate degrees in the following areas:
Accounting and Financial Management, Finance and Management, Business Analytics, International Business, Management, Marketing and Management, Economics, Business Economics and Finance, Economics and Management.