Yangmeng WANG is just like his Chinese name, with a baby face and full of adorable attributes. However, do not be disguised by his appearance. He obtained his undergraduate degree in automation from Tsinghua University and came to SAIF for Master of Finance. After graduation, he did not choose the traditional path of finance and instead dedicated himself to the Internet industry and entrepreneurship. Within five years, he has already made his way to become the Director of Business Strategy at Eleme. Let’s listen to how Yangmeng, someone who is so accomplished at such a young age, interprets the three states of his life.
What I see is what I see
"At school, my grades were generally ok, so I always felt that life is quite rich and colorful and many things can be achieved easily. Now when I look back, I think I was overly optimistic."
There are many very qualified students at SAIF, and as the Class Representative of MF 2010, Yangmeng was definitely one of them. His path has always been quite smooth, being first sent to study automation at Tsinghua and then entering the SAIF MF program. "In comparison to Tisnghua, both the faculty and the way of teaching at SAIF are more international. At the time, SAIF was like an undervalued stock." Since Yangmeng was looking forward to working in TMT (Technology, Media, Telecom) or quantitative investment, he very firmly chose SAIF.
"After coming to SAIF, I realized that the faulty here are very strong and the students are all the best of the best. The competition pressure was even stronger than Tsinghua, but I think it was pressure that motivated me forward." Speaking of the most impressive course, he mentioned the accounting class taught by Professor Xiaojun Zhang and SAIF LIVE course taught by Professor Charles Chang. "I have never taken an accounting course during my undergraduate studies, so the course was quite difficult to me. However, Professor Zhang had a way of making it easy. There was one class where everyone played Monopoly to further understand the concepts of land rent and asset replacement. I have improved many of my skills during that period." Teachers at SAIF teach in a very unique way, combing recreation with the actual course material. The SAIF LIVE course bridges classroom knowledge with real life problems to help students understand how to resolve similar situations encountered during work.
What I see is not what I see
"After graduation, I realized that many things cannot be accomplished by mere efforts. Opportunity is also very important. When I just graduated, I felt that what I can do and contribute is very limited and I have to inevitably take some realistic factors into consideration."
Yangmeng mentioned, the further he goes, the less professional skills are weighed at work. Instead, the mindset and soft skills he has built at SAIF have become more influential. He believes the fast-learning ability and the international vision he acquired at SAIF are the most valuable assets. "There are many things I encountered which I have not been exposed to before. Therefore, knowing how to view these problems from a broader perspective is the key to knowing whether I have made the right choice or not. Such a mindset is reflected not only in my work, but also in many aspects of my life."
In the first two years after graduation, even as a top student, Yangmeng had to spend a lot of time and effort laying the foundation. "Although we all experienced a lot of stress right after graduation, all my classmates have grown quickly within two years. Now they have all become of the backbones of each field, including fund managers at funds, senior analysts at brokerage firms or leaders at startups." While he was working at Baidu, Yangmeng reached out to directors at each line of business in order to better understand the field. "Reporting regularly to Robin (Yanhong Li), meeting with top managers from different areas and listening to how they explain their businesses have helped me quickly understand the business."
What I see is still what I see
"Two years after graduation, many of my abilities have improved and I can handle more things with ease. At this stage, my idealism is no longer a blind optimism, but a realization after accumulation of knowing how to reach my goals, even ambitious ones. I have made my way back to being idealistic." Then he added, "In fact, I think many SAIF graduates are quite idealistic."
With the profound influence of the MF program, although after graduation Yangmeng had wondered whether he could really make some differences, five years after a wider road has opened up in front of him. "I think I'm still young, so I decided to have a try at a startup." In 2016, Yangmeng came back to Shanghai from Beijing and started working at the Internet company, Eleme. In addition to fulfilling his responsibilities, he hopes to take on some independent businesses on his own in the future.
As a senior, he hopes that SAIF will maintain its current concept of elite education. To current students, he said, "The knowledge you obtain at SAIF will help you greatly in the future, and the friendship you build here will last for a life time. I hope you can all enjoy your time at SAIF."
