Now that we have already gained so much knowledge and skills, and the graduation date gets closer, I have mixed feelings of joy and sadness. On one hand, I am happy that I have this opportunity to study at this wonderful university in the heart of Berlin, and that after graduation I will get the chance to make my impact in the world as a responsible leader. From the other hand, I am sad that after a few months I will not be so close to my university, my classmates and all other wonderful people I met here.
The second half of the MBA program is as demanding as the first one. The difference is that now we have elective courses, which means each of us attends those courses that we feel are the most important for our future careers.
One of the courses I chose is International Finance. In the first half of the program we learnt Corporate Finance, and I was very much impressed by both the quality of the course and the professor, and once again I understood that I enjoy finance and would like to work in the fabulous world of finance in the future. Among other interesting courses, I chose classes like Brands of the Future and Managing Technological Innovation. I believe innovation is a very important topic irrespective of the industry one may choose to work in. There is no future development without innovation and renovation.
One of the highlights of the second half of the MBA program is, of course, the International Field Trip seminar. This is an amazing opportunity to visit leading companies in the world and to learn from the successful executives and entrepreneurs how they manage their businesses, how they create demand, do innovations and what is their vision for the future. This year ESMT organizes visits to three countries – the US, Russia and Turkey. I am in the group of students who will visit the US, more precisely, Silicon Valley companies in San Francisco. This will help us expand our practical knowledge and networks, and draw parallels into our minds between our own imagination of the world and those of the successful leaders who live and act in the center of innovation and rapidly developing technology. We are already in the phase of finalizing our research plan for the trip and contacting companies in Silicon Valley in California. Preparation is very important to get the most out of our visit. All my classmates and I look forward to our international field trip.
About Sona Rostomyan
Sona Rostomyan is a full-time MBA student at ESMT who was nominated as one of the Kofi Annan Fellows this year. Prior to joining ESMT as an MBA student, she started her career at one of the most rapidly growing banks in Armenia (Ameriabank CJSC) working first in the customer service department and then in the back office. She has more than four of years experience in the banking industry (including customer transactions formalization, and account management). She enjoys solving mathematical puzzles, reading books and has a passion for photography.
The TopMBA Connect team is located in New York City, a key hotspot for social entrepreneurship, technology and the international business community. 