Mai
Quyen Le

Current job title- Project procurement (placement year)
Company- Bosch Rexroth UK

What route did you take into postgraduate study?
Prior to my studies at Nottingham Business School, I completed my BSc in Finance and Banking in Ho Chi Minh. After graduation, I worked for two and a half years as an Assistant Project Manager in Source of Asia Company where I was responsible for the implementation of strategies to complete various projects for our European partners. Working in this field, further developed my interest to pursue MSc Project Management degree.

Why did you choose to study your course and what did you enjoy about it?
The course allowed me to put theory and contemporary thinking into practical settings. I enjoyed guest lectures the most because the professionals shared their experiences enabling us to understand the ways of putting the theory into practice. The one-year placement opportunity stood out to me because I didn’t find other universities, which I applied to, offering this opportunity. I feel NBS solely focuses on student experience and the quality of education, which reflects in the awards and accreditations recently won by the university.

What are the key skills you have developed while studying at NBS?
Confidence! It is the key skill, which I have developed during my studies through various activities such as networking events, workshops, presentations and working in diversified teams for projects, which in turn boosted my communications skills.

How has the masters degree differed from your undergraduate experience?
My masters degree differed greatly in terms of the students contribution in class. Students here are expected to contribute their knowledge and experience at all times. This gave me an opportunity to express my opinions freely on particular issues or topics and derive solutions together as a team.

We are encouraged to work in diversified teams which enables me to discover different perspective for every issue. The case studies are the core for every module. I am confident about the knowledge and skill-set gained in an international environment which will definitely make my profile more competitive in the job market.

Have you benefited from the services provided by the Employability Team?
Yes, definitely! The Employability Team has supported me by giving access to the online documents which helped me greatly in the preparation for my applications. They also provided workshops on interview preparations and CV building exercises. The drop in sessions proved to be very beneficial because they provided instant help with no wait!

What clubs, societies or other activities have you been involved in at Nottingham Business School?
I have been involved in various opportunities that helped me strengthen my project management skills, a couple of examples are  participating in Thinkubator Challenge and £10 Challenge. I am also a student member of IoD that helped me in building a strong network with the business experts. I can proudly say, that I am also a course representative, which enabled me to build my relation with the tutors and my classmates.

How have you found moving to and living in Nottingham?
Nottingham is a safe student city with reasonable living cost. There are discounts available for students. People in Nottingham are friendly and get along easily which makes me feel home.

What can a week in Nottingham look like for a masters student?
As a Masters student, we have classes for 3 days during the week. The timings are usually from 9 am to 4 pm depending on the modules and semesters. On the other days, we can utilise our time for other activities such as working part-time, joining workshops, clubs, societies or participating in volunteering activities to our develop skills.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about applying for the programme?
I would like to advise the prospective students to set clear objectives and think about the goals they want to achieve after  completion of their course. I would also recommend them to make the maximum use of the opportunities available to achieve those goals.

What are your short term and long term career plans?
My career aspiration is to start up my own business, delivering executive projects for European SMEs to develop their businesses in Vietnam. The first step towards my success will be developing my skills and knowledge by managing projects during my course. NBS has influenced my career path by broadening my horizons and opening new possibilities.