Cheng Zi Qin

Name: Cheng Zi Qin
Nationality: Malaysia
Current Role:

If you’re currently working, please tell us about your role in your organisation.

Nil. (still looking for a job)

Why did you choose to pursue your postgraduate studies at Monash Malaysia?

I was previously working in the Sales department in the logistics field. While the overall remuneration was good, I always had a thought in me that one day I would want to switch to doing a technical job, which might be more fulfilling and preferable in developing my professional experience. Having completed a bachelor’s degree at MUM some years ago and thus knowing its well-known high teaching quality and research excellence, I immediately checked out what IT postgraduate courses it offered and found out about the MBIS course, which combined both business and IT aspects. I thought this would be a good choice to make my move to be in a technical career as my previous work experience would be relatable and I could learn about IT at the same time. Also, given the close proximity of my house to Sunway, I did not even look at or consider courses from other Universities and went ahead to get my IELTS ready for the course application.

Please tell us about your study experience at Monash. Did it meet your expectations and did what you learn help to open up more career opportunities? 

As almost all my unit lessons were delivered online via Zoom during MCO, it was kind of a special and unique experience to me learning from lecturers through computer screen and working with my peers on assignments using collaborative tools. I liked the bite-size lecture videos that I could visit/revisit before and after a lecture to reinforce my learning, and the online consultation support from our tutors.

Several transferable skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, decision-making are some important ones you get to apply in/learn from the course. Unquestionably, the relevant portable skills would help individuals like myself to continue their lifelong learning, adding value to their employability as well as supplementing their expertise for career progression.

What type of opportunities did you participate in at Monash? (E.g. student exchange, clubs and societies, field trips, conferences, competitions, etc.)

Unfortunately, I did not participate in any of them throughout my postgraduate course due to online study mode and busy schedule. However, I did have a chance to be on a student exchange program to Monash Clayton campus when I was doing my undergraduate study in 2009. It was certainly an enriching experience then (learning how to live independently from parents, gaining an appreciation for other cultures and making new friends etc.).

What did you enjoy most about your student life at Monash? 

From time to time, Monash had different forms of support for students, e.g., the consistent and diverse support from the school such as offering useful (often free) counselling services and workshops (healthy and effective coping). There was also constructive feedback sought from students through the Student Evaluation of Teaching and Units (SETU) survey for most units, driving greater excellence in their delivery.

What is your biggest career goal, or what is the difference you’d like to make?

As I begin to set foot in the IT field, I aspire to gain more industry expertise that helps a company in creating a competitive advantage leading to business growth while continuing to hone my relevant skills and uphold Monash’s motto “Ancora Imparo” – I am still learning.