VIP Class Notes (Tibo) [W]

How can you express the last part in a positive way rather than presenting the online course as a second choice because you cannot go to the US?

Statement of Purpose

Ying Chen

In 2008, one year before I graduated from Wuhan University with a master’s degree in Information Management, ZTE had an on-campus recruiting event which I participated and was hired. I chose software in my application but I was assigned to the technology management department instead of R&D department. Though I was a little bit disappointed about it  I worked very hard to gain as much as experiences as possible. I was responsible for collecting project process data such as the status of critical milestones, and the deviation of project implementation versus planning. Additionally, I needed to analyze this process data and generate reports for senior managers. After four years of hard working in ZTE, I gradually gained both the whole view and every detail of project management. In 2011, I obtained the Project Management Professional Certification (PMP). In 2013 one idea came up in my mind: I need to participate in specific projects to be able to do an in-depth analysis about success or failure of a project which can make me write more insightful reports for managers. Just having tons of process data is not enough to achieve the goal. Therefore, leaving this job to do specific projects was a necessary choice.

In 2013, I went to China Eastern Airlines as an IT project manager. I had the opportunity to participate in a specific project fully. I was responsible for the project result. I communicated with internal customers for detailed requirements and translated them to external vendors. Meanwhile, I made sure the project schedule and budget meet requirements. During this period, what made me feel satisfied was that I acquired a deeper understanding of the knowledge learning from PMP and I took part in every detail of a project.

I joined Michael Kors in 2015, where I am responsible for customized internal business systems and reporting systems. There are over 100 stores in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan,  with thousands of transactions and inventory movements every day. Everyone in the company confronts high pressures because of high comp growth requirements. Not only the top managers but also the store managers need systems to generate analysis reports. As an IT project manager, I need to find every way to meet customers report requirements quickly and precisely. We have customized reporting systems which can generate reports and sending reports automatically. I also tried some light BI solutions such as Qlikview to let users generate and demonstrate data in their way. I love this job because it satisfies me in terms of meeting career goals. At the meanwhile, over three years of hard-working on related data analysis made me feel very happy. More than 50 reports were designed and generated. However, I often ask myself the same questions: Can these reports really help them to pursue higher comp growth? Can reports really help the company in the long run? Do customers really know what they can acquire from these reports? Is this what I really want? I don’t have a definite answer to any of these. Busy work often makes people forget to stop. A pause from work at this moment is essential for me to find answers. At the meantime, continued graduate education can be a provide me with a new aspect of looking at these issues. When methods meet practices, the spark will be ignited. Trying to be a controller of the data rather than the presenter may be a core driving force for me want to start a new program learning.

Online Master of Science in Analytics program at Georgia Tech University is an ideal choice for me to pursue further study. I always want to study at a top university like Georgia Tech University.  But on-campus learning means that  I have to give up my current job and cannot take care of my family. My husband is employed by a company in the United States but he needs to work in China for a long time. So our family cannot leave China for 2 or 3 years. After I heard about this online program, I made much research on it. The curriculum is super matched for my expectation. Attending the program will not only allow me to continue my current job and take care of my family but also allow me to use what I learned to daily work, which I believe will solve many of my confusions.

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Statement of Purpose

Ying Chen

In 2008, I was studying information management in Wuhan University. I joined an on-campus recruitment event organized by ZTE and they hired me directly. I chose software in my application but I was assigned to the technology management department instead of the R&D department. Though I was a little bit disappointed about it  I worked very hard to gain as much as experiences as possible. I was responsible for collecting project process data such as the status of critical milestones, and the deviation of project implementation versus planning. Additionally, I needed to analyze this process data and generate reports for senior managers. After four years of hard work in ZTE, I have gained both a deep global understanding on the R&D projects and a meticulous attention to details on project management. In 2011, I obtained the Project Management Professional Certification (PMP). In 2013 one idea came to my mind: I wanted to get deeply involved in one specific project and see it evolve from the beginning to the end. It would help me gain a deeper understanding of what makes a project a success or not. As a result/consequently I left ZTE.

In 2013, I went to China Eastern Airlines as an IT project manager. I had the opportunity to fully participate in a specific project. I was responsible for the project results. The goal was to create a new system module to add to the company’s ERP.
To do so I communicated with our customers to understand their needs and requirements. Then I  accompanied an external vendor as it developed the system for us. , I made sure the project schedule and budget met our requirements. After being involved in every detail of the project I feel I was able to apply many of the techniques I learned with the PMP certification and gain a more practical view on how to use them.

I joined Michael Kors in 2015, where I am responsible for customized internal business systems and reporting systems. There are over 100 stores in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan,  with thousands of transactions and inventory movements every day. Everyone in the company works under high pressure because of high comp growth requirements. Both top managers and store managers need systems to generate analysis reports. As an IT project manager, I need to find every possible way to meet customers report requirements quickly and precisely. We have customized reporting systems which can generate reports and send reports automatically. I also tried some light BI solutions such as Qlikview to let users generate and demonstrate data in their own way.More than 50 reports were designed and generated.

I love this job because it helps me to meet my career goals. The time I have been working in Michal Kors was both challenging with hard-work on data analysis but also very rewarding and made me feel fulfilled professionally.
However, I often ask myself the same questions: Can these reports really help the company pursue higher comp growth? Can reports really help the company in the long run? Do customers really know what they can acquire from these reports? Is this what I really want? I don’t have a definite answer to any of these questions.  After being so focused on work I feel like I need to slow down and find myself again. I believe using this time to widen my horizon is essential. Joining the online program feels like the perfect way to do so. I believe it will help me put in perspective theory and practice  and help me evolve as a master of data.

The Online Master of Science in Analytics program at Georgia Tech University is an ideal choice for me to pursue further study. I always wanted to study at a top university like Georgia Tech University.  But on-campus learning means that  I have to give up my current job and cannot take care of my family. My husband is employed by a company in the United States but he currently work in China on a long term mission. So our family cannot leave China for 2 to 3 years. After I heard about this online program, I made much research on it. The curriculum matches my expectations perfectly  Attending the program will not only allow me to continue my current job and take care of my family but also allow me to use what I learned in my current work, which I believe will solve many of my confusions.

Vocabulary

meticulous / great attention to detail
He was meticulous about his report.

to transmit / to send
I transmitted the data by email.

practical / based on experience rather than theory
I gained a practical understanding of what makes a project successful