From genetics to an MSc in International Management and a great tech job

At 23, Caroline Meng has already landed a role as a business analyst for Southeast Asian e-commerce giant Lazada in Bangkok.

But she wasn’t always someone with a highly relevant degree like MSc in International Management.

Meng started out at University College London (UCL) pursuing a degree in Human Sciences with a focus on anthropology and human genetics.

It was only through her internship experiences and lab work at UCL that she realised research wasn’t quite for her. 

She decided to move to the tech space and onto a career path that allowed her to combine both the sciences and the arts. 

“I decided Imperial College Business School was the best for this career goal as the university was well known for its innovation and sciences,” shares Meng. 

Caroline chose to pursue an MSc in International Management as she felt that it was more suited to her as someone with a science background. Source: Caroline Meng

MSc in International Management at Imperial College Business School

Meng ditched the MBA for an MSc in International Management (MiM) “as the broad course allowed me to further explore my passion, strengths and weaknesses in all areas of business.” 

Plus, her background was in science.

True to its name, the programme had plenty of “international” aspects as well. Meng could collaborate with people from different countries and disciplines. She worked on case studies abroad too. 

“One interesting project my group and I worked on was when the MiM programme took us to Estonia,” she says.

“We were assigned to a start-up that sold AI software detecting illicit trade activities, and our task was to select a new country for the business to enter.”

Brighter career prospects back home

Upon graduation, Meng returned to Bangkok to build a career. It was hard to find a job in London. Moving back to Asia, she hoped, would give her “better opportunities.” 

What’s more, she feels that Thailand provides enough career and personal opportunities for international graduates. 

“Although the start-up scene in Thailand is still nascent, there are still a lot of big companies that provide graduates with various learning and self-development opportunities,” she says.

Today, Meng is a business analyst under the Strategy and Project Management Office team for Lazada.

Her daily tasks include conducting market research, working with the product development team to improve UX/UI designs and analysing ways to improve the company’s e-wallet. 

Her advice to those looking to work in e-commerce as a business analyst is to make sure you fully understand the industry and the skills needed to be an appealing candidate for the role.