The journey between undergrad and graduate school doesn’t have to be immediate and direct, like a conveyor belt that carries students from one degree to the next. The journey might instead take years full of unexpected twists and turns. And often, that may be for the best.
Such is the case with Yang “Eileen” Chen, whose mantra is “it is never too late to learn.”
Born and raised in the Liaoning Province of China, Yang graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in English literature from the Shenyang University of Technology in 2006. She loved linguistics and was originally looking forward to teaching English literature and culture, but as she neared graduation and began teaching classes, she says she didn’t find the work stimulating.
“I felt that it was not really challenging work anymore,” says Chen. “For me, I always wanted new things and a new environment. I wanted change.”
That’s when she did a complete 180, leaving the classroom for the entirely different world of supply chain management, which was introduced to her by a friend.
“I’m very lucky to have known that friend who introduced this new world that I feel is very interesting,” she says. “I realized, no matter the physical materials or virtual materials we use, they are all related to supply chain. [The materials] are all related to our work and also our lives.”
In other words, the world couldn’t function without supply chain management and people like Chen, who study the intricacies of international trading and supply.
