MBA Reflection: What I Learned, What I Regret, and Where I’m Heading

I just graduated from Columbia Business School. These past two years have been a truly remarkable journey where I met incredible friends, traveled the world, gained insights into business, leadership, and myself, and, most importantly, became more prepared to step into the real world.

What mattered most to me were the people around me. They helped me grow and stay grounded. Through their diverse life stories and honest reflections, I came to understand the complexities of life and the critical choices we all must make. By witnessing their hard work, struggles, and courage in the face of life’s challenges, I learned that being great doesn’t mean being perfect - it means being complete. They taught me more than any class ever could. They also gave me something precious: companionship. Growing up is never easy. It’s filled with stumbles, doubts, and even tears. But every time I hit a critical moment, there were always friends by my side, helping me weather the storm. So first and foremost, thank you.

These two years of relative freedom after years of work were also incredibly valuable. They gave me time to pause, reflect, and learn. And now, I want to use this final moment to reflect on the most important lessons I’ve distilled from the journey.

Overview: What I Learned and What I Regret

Five key lessons:

Mindset socialization: The most fundamental shift for me was in my value system. I moved from relying heavily on external validation - from teachers or bosses - to measuring myself by my own standards. I gradually figured out what I truly care about, and started using that internal compass to judge my outcomes. It’s made me more consistent and complete.
Self-exploration: I tried many things over the past two years and, fortunately, discovered a deep interest in AI and investing. The U.S. offers one of the most advanced ecosystems in these fields, and I’m grateful to have immersed myself in it. I may not have achieved much yet, but it feels good to have found a starting point that’s truly mine. More importantly, these experiences have raised my risk appetite, both professionally and personally.
International perspective: This wasn’t just about meeting people from all over the world, but was also about building the confidence to survive and thrive in any environment. With that courage, I began thinking more globally, searching for new growth opportunities and positioning my own path.
Leadership education: To be honest, many of the hard skills I learned have already faded. But the leadership lessons about organizational change, negotiation, governance, and empathy, have left a lasting impact. Before MBA, I saw myself as just a cog in the machine, focused on doing my job well. Now, I’m learning to think from a higher perspective: about the organization, the people, and myself.
Self-understanding: I’ve had plenty of time to reflect, and to talk with friends about how we see ourselves and each other. These conversations helped me discover who I am, what I care about, where I shine, where I struggle, and what patterns I fall into. I’ve also learned to ask myself “why” a lot more.

Three small regrets:

Lack of focus: I started my MBA not knowing what I really wanted, so I spent a lot of time blindly trying everything. Meanwhile, some classmates focused early on one path, like value investing or startups, and made impressive strides. Looking back, it’s not just about trade-offs, but about making better decisions. There’s a principle I like: use the first 38% of your time (1/e rule) to explore, then narrow down and commit to what seems best. That’s how we balance exploration and focus.
Building a professional network: This ties into the previous point. Because I didn’t narrow my focus early on, I didn’t invest enough in connecting with like-minded people or expanding my network. New York is a goldmine for networking - through professors, peers, events, or content creation. Some even built strong social platforms that attracted opportunities. I could’ve done better here.
Personal discipline: Compared to where I was two years ago, I feel lazier and less organized. Without a job or hard KPIs pushing me, I let myself relax too much. My focus and productivity suffered. That said, I’ve also heard how just four productive hours a day can change your life. I’m trying to regain those habits now, and that’s why I recently started practicing meditation.

On Career: How My View Changed

Focus on self-growth: I shifted my focus from being a corporate machine to growing myself—what new skills I can acquire, what new verticals I can explore, and what resources I can accumulate. A former C-level executive from Pepsi once told us that his north star metric for career decisions was always: pick the path that maximizes your growth. As long as you get what matters most to you, it’s the right decision.
Treat work like a game: before MBA, I worked like a good student, striving to deliver perfect results and carefully waiting for feedback. Now I see work more like a game. Every task is a new level. If I fail, I recharge and try again. If I win, I level up. This mindset makes things a lot more fun and brings me peace. Everyone in the corporate world is just trial-and-erroring their way through.
Upward management: I used to focus only on my own tasks or collaborating with peers. Now, I understand that even my boss appreciates input. I’m the one who knows the details best in my scope. With that knowledge, I have both the right and the ability to help shape the agenda - which can be more valuable than simply following orders. Be confident and take a stance.
T-shaped skills: I was trained to be a generalist in my previous work. But as time goes on, it becomes increasingly important to find your niche and become really good at it, so people always think of you first when that topic comes up. That’s how you transition from someone who trades labor hours to someone who owns assets, and lets those assets roll.
Asymmetrical opportunities: to me, this means looking for opportunities where the downside is limited, but the upside is massive. Back in college, I saw big corporates and established brand names as the best places to grow a career. But now I realize that’s a very linear path, because at the core, I was just selling my labor hours. True wealth, though, comes from betting on asymmetrical opportunities. The success formula, as I see it, is: build a solid safety net, then keep making thoughtful bets, and stay at the table until one of them to hit. So now, I aspire to become the kind of person who always goes after high-growth opportunities, dares to take on risk, owns equity, and has real skin in the game. Hopefully, I’ll be able to step onto that path soon.

On Myself: What I Learned

Clearer self-image: this includes many folds. 1) I realized that although I enjoy analytical rigor at work and have spent most of my past career in related fields, compared to many of my “model-addicted” friends, I’m actually more passionate about presenting ideas, interacting with people, and building reciprocal connections; 2) I still consider myself a true generalist at heart, someone who genuinely believes in the 80-20 rule. That means, instead of spending 100% of my time to score 100 points on one thing, I’m better at dividing my time across five different things, spending 20% on each and scoring 80 points. That said, I’ve also realized the importance of finding my own niche. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a specific function, but could be a transferable skill that scales horizontally across different verticals; 3) Where my boundary is: Knowing what I’m not good at has helped me understand what kinds of people I should work with to complement myself. Personally, I suck at details, I struggle with managing large-scale events, and I lag behind on internet trends. That’s why I really enjoy talking to people who are different from me and excel in those areas; 4) What negative patterns I tend to fall into: I’m not going to list the specifics here, as they’re kind of embarrassing. But through the many social interactions I’ve had during my MBA, I’ve become much more aware of my own patterns, and that awareness alone has been incredibly valuable.
Relationships: During MBA, I have talked to countless people - some became great friends, some I kept in touch with from time to time, and others, we might have already forgotten each other’s names. But it’s through these interactions that I gained a more layered understanding of relationships. I’ve come to terms with the fact that there are only a very limited number of people in your life with whom you can form truly deep connections. There’s a theory that says you can only maintain up to 7 close relationships at a time. But beyond that, I can still socialize, collaborate, and build friendships with many more. The key is to set the right expectations and not mismatch them. It’s that mismatch that causes most of the frustration in social interactions. But no matter what, always be kind to everyone.
Facing conflict: I used to be frightened by conflicts and tried my best to avoid them. Whenever a conflict emerged, I would instinctively take on the role of the peace-maker. But over time, I realized that this approach is extremely inefficient. It might seem like you’re maintaining peace, but in reality, no one actually agrees with each other. Now I’ve come to see that there’s a better way - facilitating constructive conflict. It’s a skill, and it’s all about communication. If you can find a way to communicate through conflict, there’s a real chance to reach some kind of agreement, or at the very least, to understand where the other person is coming from and walk away with new insights.
Taking blame: The past two years helped me realize that I’m not good at taking blame. I tend to get so emotional that I get stuck, unable to focus on what really matters. This has also shown up in many of my past relationships. After becoming aware of this, I started learning to manage my own emotions first when facing blame, and then to look for the constructive side of it. Because blame doesn’t come often, and when it does, there’s often valuable insight and learning to be found. If I can embrace that, it can help me grow into a more complete person.
Emotional control: Naval once said that real freedom is being free from your own emotions and being able to control your mind, not the other way around. As an "F" type in MBTI, I’ve often gotten caught up in emotions and felt like the world just sucks. But now, I’m learning to step above my emotions and examine my surroundings more clearly. I’m learning to ask myself: outside of my emotions, is there a real problem to solve? Is there a practical reason behind the way I feel?

Looking Ahead: What’s Next

Before CBS, I was a consultant at BCG China. Unlike many classmates who made major career pivots, mine was relatively small, but still feels worth mentioning to wrap the whole reflection up.

Short-term: I will continue at BCG, but in the Riyadh office (in Saudi Arabia).

Long-term: I want to keep focusing on AI/Tech, Investment, and the globalization of Chinese enterprises. I hope collaboration between KSA and China will continue to flourish.

Before deciding to go to Saudi Arabia, I debated a lot with myself. Though it's becoming a very popular and fast-growing market, it's still a relatively rare choice among U.S. MBAs. I was asked "Why?" many times.

After a lot of information gathering and self-reflection, I came to a few pros and cons:

Pros:

High growth momentum: KSA is unlocking tremendous growth and is one of the few fast-growing markets across the globe. Growing up in China, I witnessed its economic boom during the internet era and the momentum it brought. I cherish the opportunity to ride a wave like that again.
High potential upside: Despite the challenges, KSA has abundant capital and strategic ambition in many fast growing sectors like renewables, AI, and advanced manufacturing. With growing business ties to China, there are countless opportunities, both from a macro beta and sector alpha perspective.
Competitive edge: Many advanced industries in KSA are still early stage and need talent. Meanwhile, the U.S. and China are saturated, with overqualified people competing for every opportunity. I don’t think I have any edge in those markets, so I want to go out and explore emerging ones while I’m still young.

Cons:

Lifestyle and cultural challenge: This is the first thing that comes to most people’s minds. But I’ve visited, and, like aforementioned, I have gained increasing confidence adapting to new environments. This is a challenge I’m willing to take on.
Losing touch with the frontier: Because many industries are still developing, the market isn’t yet leading the industry edge. But I see strong ambition and fast progress. I don’t consider myself someone who always stays at and pushes forward the forefront. I’m more about rigorous analysis and fast execution. But still, I’ believe I’ll need to put in many extra efforts to keep up with the best and stay current.
Market uncertainty: Along with its rapid development, there have also been many concerns, especially from Western media, about its long-term sustainability. But I see this as a type of risk that any fast-growing economy inevitably carries. Personally, I view it as an educated risk, one I’m willing to take based on a clear understanding of my own risk appetite and utility curve. Whatever happens is meant to happen, and I won’t regret making a conscious decision.

After weighing everything, I was confident in my choice. And now that it’s official, I’m very much looking forward to the next chapter.

If you’re also interested in Saudi Arabia/ the Middle East, AI/Tech, or Investment, feel free to reach out. I’d love to connect and learn together.

Final Words

I’m not good at goodbyes. It’s one of the toughest things in life, and maybe the biggest game destiny plays with us. People come and go in our life, and I’ve yet to meet anyone who’s truly beaten that.

So maybe this is my final lesson: the first step to a proper goodbye is acknowledging it. Accepting that we won’t see each other as easily as before. Then, I can truly say goodbye to the people I love. I’ll do my best to hold on to the good moments and people that entered my life. And maybe, someday, we’ll meet again, with tears and joy.

After farewell comes the next chapter of life. Everything that came before was just the prologue.

Cheers.