From computer science to business strategy - An inspiring MBA journey

From computer science to business strategy - An inspiring MBA journey

Looking to change his career prospects led Tran Quang Vu to pursue an MBA following 2 years of working as a risk analyst. Read the inspiring journey of a computer science student who learnt to navigate the business consulting industry, and how he now helps add value to the lives of many through the world’s best rice variety!

With a background in computer science, Tran Quang Vu worked as a risk analyst for different financial institutions, rewriting SQL databases, extracting data, and analysing patterns. He felt unfulfilled, however, and found himself more interested in the business side of things, specifically in strategy. 

Not looking to travel abroad, RMIT offered Vu a perfect choice of staying in Vietnam and taking an MBA degree full time for one year.

“When I look back, I remember really enjoying my experience learning and growing at RMIT.  My time with my classmates was a great experience and we remained close for years after graduating,” Vu reminisces. “I can truly say that the knowledge, skills and most importantly, mindset, that I either acquired or honed created the ticket to my life today.” 

After graduating, Vu landed a job at a Japanese consulting and investment firm, which was a position he firmly notes that he would not have gotten without his new degree. Despite landing a good role, he quickly found that the need for self-learning was high. “I struggled a lot in those early days. I spent a lot of time developing myself to just understand what was being asked of me, but luckily my ability to adapt and understand that you never stop learning carried me to success.” 

It was around this time that Vu began to question what type of legacy he wished to leave. Although just in his mid 20s, he asked himself “what type of impact do I want to leave behind?”

What followed was a meteoric rise through the consulting ranks. Vu worked at Deloitte, then became the Corporate Strategy Manager and Investment Manager at THP Group, followed by starting as a Manager at KPMG before being promoted to Associate Director. Each step of the way, Vu strived for customer service excellence in every project.  
 
He explains, “from when I asked myself to define my career, I learned that no matter what, have fun. Get the most out your friends, clients, teachers and mentors. Whatever you learn, whether you like the change or not, it will be meaningful to you in the long run.”

As a part of embracing the journey, Vu joined his wife’s family’s business, helping co-found an upstream venture. Famously, the company is behind the crowning champion of “The World’s Best Rice.” Vu explains, “I really respect and gained a lot of inspiration from my father-in-law. For him, financial success was the not the end-goal. He wished instead to better the lives of Vietnamese farmers. It took him over 40 years to develop various fragrant rice varieties, and finally achieved huge success with the famous ST25 fragrance rice from Soc Trang. Now this rice variety is becoming the leading rice brand both globally and within Vietnam.”  

One of Vu’s company mission’s is to also help increase value for the farmers. “You can see how value permeates throughout our supply chain.  Farmers are making more money, other rice producers and distributors are too. People are proud to be a part of our company and supply chain. It just goes to show what happens when you take care of others and serve a larger purpose.” In the case of Vu, it’s also noteworthy how a small seed of an idea to learn from an MBA experience was able to grow, thrive and eventually, truly give back to society. 

Curious how a postgraduate degree can possibly transform your mindset and give you the necessary skills to positively impact your community? Check out RMIT’s postgraduate programs! 

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