Stepping Outside Farmer Mindset

Mengping Li, originally from a small town in Sichuan Province, was prepping for her college entrance exam when the disastrous earthquake of 2008 occurred. Although surrounded by misery, the testing went forward.  Mengping ended up being accepted at Chengdu University of Traditional Medicine. (See post one.) She soon discovered that this second-tier university did not have all she needed, and went about finding ways to make the experience better. (See post two.) The realization that she held the reins regarding her future lit a fire in her soul, and she began exploring as she never had before. (See post three.) She had thoughts about getting a higher degree, but decided instead to try to find a job. (See post four.) While she had heard it would be impossible to find a job, coming from a 2nd-tier university, she thought she'd test the waters during a holiday break. Through persistence, she found a position promoting VIP cards at a manicure/pedicure salon. (See post five.) While her colleagues were quick to judge customers and decide whether/not to engage, Mengping helped everyone. One impoverished-looking woman turned out to be quite wealthy and connected, and offered Mengping a job in an electronics company. Mengping turned this down.(See post six.) However, a year later, when she was graduating, she managed to snag a job with GE Healthcare, something this woman was also connected with. (See post seven.)

After three years with GE, Mengping decided she needed an MBA to get ahead.
“I didn’t have a career plan when I got my first job.  I think it’s time to stop and think more about my potential.”

This time she was accepted to the tier-one school in Shanghai CEIBS. In case you’re wondering how much MBA programs cost in China, they’re priced similar to the U.S. ($60-70,000 /year). This is expensive--yes, in the U.S. we think it's expensive. But, in China, where the average worker earns about $10,000/year rather than about $85,000/year (according to Forbes 2017), it's way more expensive. Mengping was offered half of the tuition as a stipend. The other half she was able to borrow from the bank at an interest rate of 5.5%.

“Because our school is one of the top schools, the bank would offer the loan.” 

In between quitting her job in April and beginning her MBA in August, Mengping continued to travel.

She went to Italy, France and Germany.

“I told people my plans, and asked if they had friends in those countries to introduce them, as it was my first time to travel abroad. This kind of experience broadened my horizons. I met really wonderful people.” 

In December, during school holiday, she travelled to Japan and Israel.  When the idea of an international semester was offered, she grabbed it.  It was in Austin, Texas. And it was in Austin—while she was at the library—that she saw Microsoft was hiring. The idea of IT was intimidating at first.
“I knew nothing about IT. I always have a farmer’s mindset. (i.e. ‘In the future I must meet a husband who can repair the computer for me.’) But, I realized this is silly and I should learn it. So she applied to Microsoft. 

(To be continued. Next: Taking Advantage of Each Day.)