Zhang Ying Ying
Master of IT in Business (Financial Services)
Graduation Class of 2016
Test Analyst, DBS Bank
I’m ZHANG Yingying (MITB-FS, Jan15 intake) from China. Before MITB, I completed my bachelor of Economics in Shanghai, after which I started working as a marketing specialist for Lenovo (China), primarily interacting with the core marketing and sales teams. But since a long time, I had always been fascinated by the world of banking and finance. The conventional career path for me would be to do an MBA from a reputed college. But rather than choosing the obvious path, I took the road less travelled and decided to pursue my post graduate degree with MITB, as it combined the best of financial services & technology, which is a huge advantage for someone with my background.
Currently I am working as a Test Analyst with DBS bank, on cards and unsecured loans approval project. My primary duty is to ensure that the new systems being implemented for DBS card customers work seamlessly so that clients do not face any difficulties while using DBS cards. The project is huge, as it comprises of several aspects such as new customers onboarding, product applications and personal loan applications. For a person of my profile, this opportunity is a great experience as it has helped me understand the cards & loans segment of a bank, how it works, and what goes on behind in working and maintaining such complex systems.
MITB has helped introduce me to finance and banking industry of which I had limited knowledge about previously. It helps me appreciate finance and financial services industry from a technical point of view. Studying MITB courses as well as working on academic projects and assignments have armed me with knowledge and extensive work experience both functionally and technically.
Speaking of projects, MITB courses offer great hands on experience and great learning opportunities to understand in depth the topics being covered. From creating a home loan approval application system to working on something as complex as market sentiment index for trading purpose, these projects cover the whole array of the banking and financial spectrum. Another great feature is the people you work with in these projects. You get to interact with people from different cultures and nationalities, and experience working in a global environment.
The professors are well experienced in their line of work and have a deep knowledge of their subjects. It was my pleasure being taught by these highly experienced teachers who are able to make learning effective, easy and fun. One could easily approach any professor to help them with any problems/doubts and the professors would happily answer them for you. MITB professors are dedicated to up keeping the quality of education within SMU.
For prospective incoming students, two things are very important to fully enjoy and benefit from MITB project.
- Always be prepared to step out of your comfort zone, as it will help you grow and nuture in a global environment
- Be open and accepting of new ideas, as you never know when a good opportunity might come knocking down on your door
