From Seoul to Shenzhen—how a Global MBA in China helped me build a truly international career

Originally from South Korea, Soogi Ahn has built a career in technology, energy and global supply chains, moving from corporate strategy roles in Seoul to a strategic sales position with SK Hynix in Shenzhen, China.

His decision to study the Tsinghua-MIT Global MBA at Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management (Tsinghua SEM) was an important turning point that changed his path from a Korea-based one to a truly international career, anchored in China.

Moving from Seoul to Beijing

Before enrolling in his MBA, Soogi worked in the shipping and energy industries, analyzing global markets.

“I had worked in corporate strategy and planning, but I often looked at business issues mainly from the perspective of my own role,” says Soogi.

Choosing to study in China was a deliberate move to gain a more practical understanding of China’s economy and business environment, he says. The Tsinghua Global MBA stood out to him for its reputation in technology, engineering, and manufacturing-related industries.

“The Tsinghua name has very strong recognition in China. Tsinghua is particularly well-respected in technology, engineering, and manufacturing-related industries,” he says.

Sharpening managerial skills at Tsinghua

Academically, the Tsinghua Global MBA helped Soogi develop a more structured and integrated way of thinking as a manager. Through core courses in finance, accounting, marketing, statistics, and strategy, he learned to see how different functions fit together.

“For example, a pricing decision is not only a sales issue,” he explains. “It is also related to finance, market demand, operations, customer behavior, and long-term strategy.”

Group projects and class discussions with classmates from different industries and countries, spanning technology, finance, and startups, shifted the way Soogi approached business problems.

“I realized that people could look at the same business problem from very different perspectives,” he says. “This experience taught me that business problems rarely have only one correct answer. A good decision usually comes from combining different perspectives and finding a practical solution.”

Soogi also highlights Management Thinking as a particularly impactful course for him.

“In that class, we discussed how to use AI tools such as ChatGPT for managerial statistics to support decision-making,” he notes. “In today’s business environment, every company is thinking about how to use AI more effectively, so this course felt very practical and relevant.”

Building a career in China

Moving to Beijing for the MBA was Soogi’s first time living overseas and was a steep learning curve.

“I had to adapt to a new language, culture, and business environment, and that process helped me grow a lot,” he says.

Outside the classroom, living in Beijing, traveling across China and engaging with local enterprises offered him far more nuanced insights into the domestic business landscape than any media report ever could.

“I realized that the business environment in China is much more diverse than I thought,” he says.

Soogi was impressed at the fact that many Chinese companies are investing heavily in R&D and new technologies: “They never hesitate in adopting new technologies and are very open to it. Living in China allowed me to see this transformation directly.”

Soogi’s career goals also evolved over the course of the MBA. He had arrived focused on corporate strategy, but through the curriculum, his peers, and life in China, he began to understand just how central China is to global supply chains and technology development, particularly in sectors that matter to Korean companies such as semiconductors, EVs, electronics, and advanced manufacturing.

“I started to think about how I could build a career that connects my Korean corporate background with China’s market opportunities. Joining a Korean company in China felt like a natural next step. It would allow me to work at the intersection of China and Korea.”

After graduating from the Tsinghua Global MBA in 2025, Soogi joined SK Hynix’s Shenzhen sales office as a strategic sales manager, focusing on the Chinese semiconductor market. In his current role, he says, “I mainly monitor market dynamics and customer demands and support decisions related to production allocation and pricing policy for customers in China.”

For Soogi, moving to Shenzhen felt like moving from learning about China to actually working inside one of its most dynamic technology environments.

“Beijing gave me the foundation to understand China at a broader level, while Shenzhen allowed me to experience the speed of China’s technology industry in real business,” he says.

Competing in the Chinese job market as an international graduate

However, entering China’s job market as an international graduate came with challenges, from navigating different CV formats and interview processes, to understanding local communication styles and expectations.

“Even if you have strong professional experience, it is still important to understand how business works in China, how they communicate, and what kind of talents the companies are looking for,” Soogi says, “In China, building trust and showing that you understand the local market can be just as important as showing your qualifications.”

Here, Tsinghua’s Career Development Center (CDC) and its networks were helpful.

“The CDC helped me better understand the Chinese recruitment process and gave practical support, from resume preparation to interview guidance,” he says. “The broader Tsinghua network, including alumni, company recruitment sessions, and job opportunities connected to Tsinghua students, made it much easier to approach the Chinese job market.”

For Korean professionals considering an MBA in China, Soogi’s main advice is not to judge the degree purely by short-term return.

“If we only see the MBA as a degree, it is easy to question its value. The real value of an MBA is broader than that,” he argues.

“It helps you build soft skills such as problem-solving, communication, teamwork, leadership and cross-cultural understanding. These skills are becoming even more important in today’s business environment, especially as AI tools can increasingly support many hard-skill-related tasks.”