How May Wong mastered a Part-time MBA while raising kids
With two small children – and a third on the way – May Wong juggled her part-time MBA and pivoted her career to land a new role as a Strategy Business Partner at Coles Group.
For many people considering a Part-time MBA, the time commitment is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome.
But recent graduate May Wong wants people to know it’s not as daunting as it seems.
“I think the important thing to know is – yes, core subjects are more demanding – but once you get past them and into the electives, it is a lot more manageable,” May said.
May’s advice comes from first-hand experience, having begun her part time Master of Business Administration (MBA) journey with a one-year-old and graduating with two children, and a third on the way.
Even with such demanding home commitments May was able to fully immerse herself in the MBA experience, acting as President of the Student Representative Council (SRC) and going on a four-month exchange to Kellogg School of Management in the United States.
"There will be challenging times, I’m not going to lie. But it’s not crazy having to manage that,” she said.
“I didn’t watch TV for three years, that’s the reality. But I think knowing it is temporary, and I’m doing something for myself that’s adding value really pushed me through."
Embracing the flexibility of a Part-time MBA
Beginning her career in credit and finance at Macquarie, before taking over the running of her family’s travel retail business, undertaking an MBA had always been on her to do list.
It wasn’t until she was on maternity leave however that she had time to really consider it.
“I’d obviously been putting it off because work was really busy," she said.
"When I had my one-year old, my thought was all right – if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it.”
Uncertain about whether she could manage the juggle, May was grateful for the School’s student services team’s advice before applying.
“I still remember the day I rang them,” she said.
“That was very important to me.”
May also researched the hours that were required each week and used this information to carefully plan her study and know what to expect.
This forward-planning meant May was able to consistently complete one subject each term and only ended up taking one term off when she had her second child.
“Only because it's quite impossible to sit an exam while breastfeeding.” she said.
Finding a supportive community
One of her biggest concerns was how she was going to manage the group-based assignments which MBA subjects are built around.
“With my personality, I tend to not want to let people down – and an MBA is all about teamwork, so I was very concerned. I didn’t want to be that person who is always absent,” she said.
What she discovered though was her fellow students were incredibly supportive and accommodating.
“If they tried to schedule meetings for 7pm weekly, they would understand that’s a period I need to block out because its dinner and bath time.”
Many of her teammates would become lifelong friends over the course of the program.
“I really love that connection. It never felt like work, it felt more personal, more social,” she said.
“Some of us work together in Coles and we’re still always constantly meeting up,”
Tackling council duties and a business school exchange
With the support of her MBS community and family, May found herself able to even take on additional duties throughout her studies.
“I was President of the SRC for a year," May said.
"This allowed me to really see the other side in terms of how the School runs and the governance. I learnt a lot working with very ambitious people.”
She also took advantage of the opportunity to do a four-month exchange to the prestigious Kellogg School of Management.
“It was tough at the beginning, but it was great to have the opportunity to experience Business School outside Australia, especially in the U.S,” she said.
The way they think and the culture is so different, they just really live and breathe capitalism.”
She also had the opportunity to meet incredible business leaders, including shoe company founder Stuart Wietzman and the Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo.
From family business to corporate strategy
Working alongside her cohort at Melbourne Business School made May realise how much she missed the collegiality of corporate life.
“I felt really fulfilled during the MBA and I thought to myself that actually, maybe corporate is where I’m more suited. I do prefer working with a large pool of resources,” she said.
After a small period of working in management consulting to find her sea legs – and giving birth to her third child - May took a permanent position at Coles Group in the commercial strategy space with some of her MBA colleagues.
Doing my MBA I’ve really re-found my passion,” she said.
To find out more about studying part-time at Melbourne Business School, visit our Part-time MBA page for all the information you will need to help inform your decision.
