As a member of the first cohort of students in the MSc Digital Management program, there were many unknowns when I first embarked on this educational journey. Leading up to the start of the program, I was very excited to uncover the meaning of buzzwords like “cryptocurrency,” “Big Data,” and “platforms,” and to learn how businesses can harness the potential of these the valuable concepts. I found myself balancing this excitement with feelings of uncertainty. Entering a program that would be primarily virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was worried about making connections with my classmates. I also felt self-doubt; I had limited prior knowledge of digital technologies and believed that many of my classmates were probably more knowledgeable about this area than I was. After completing my first semester, I have gathered a few learnings that I would have liked to tell my former self prior to beginning the program.
- Reach out to Classmates: It can sometimes be awkward to message someone who you have never met in person, but I found that whenever I reached out to my peers to ask them a question it always bloomed into a friendly conversation. Everyone I have talked to has been warm and willing to chat, in part because there seems to be a notion among all my classmates that we are really in this experience together. Everyone is looking to build relationships with each other, so take the opportunity to reach out to classmates.
- Share your own Experience: As part of our Design Driven Innovation Class, I read the book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein. This book provides case studies that show how breadth of experience, training and education leads to better outcomes in sport, science, art, and business. For me personally, it assured me that my background in business would be very valuable during our class sessions as I can introduce different perspectives into discussions. My classmates come from a range of educational backgrounds including engineering, psychology, art, and health sciences; when each person applies their experiences to class concepts, the group benefits.
- Keep an Eye on the News: One of the most enjoyable parts of the curriculum thus far has been how relevant course topics are to the world around us. In our Digital Transformation class, we learned about the power that tech platforms possess and how this power creates the potential for an oligopolistic market structure. This discussion happened to coincide with news of anti-trust lawsuits being filed against Google in the United States. Being able to connect course concepts to these real-world topics has enriched my understanding of the concepts themselves and emphasized the importance of being knowledgeable on these topics both inside and outside of the classroom.