Building Drive, Confidence and Resilience

Confidence is key, as any successful entrepreneur will tell you, and equipping students with that self-belief is a vital component of the programme. MCEI student Five (Xuechen) Liu is aiming to develop a business utilising her design skills and says the soft skills the programme builds are worth their weight in gold. “Already I have become more resilient and confident,” says Xuechen. “I have found that instead of just imparting existing knowledge, the MCEI focuses more on nurturing thinking, allowing each person to learn step by step through reflection, continuously updating the iterative way of thinking to develop better thinking habits in life, study and work. This course is helping me gain more experience in business and more confidence in life, and I believe it will help me become a successful entrepreneur in the future.”

Xuechen says there are many programme highlights, from the small class sizes and one-on-one support through to the strong industry ties and the flexibility the programme provides for students to juggle work and study. “The MCEI combines the flexibility of online classes with the opportunity for offline meetings, getting to know others and discussing ideas. It’s ideal for people who are already working. You can earn a living while also enjoying learning and exchanging ideas, so it’s a great balance! The small class makes me feel safe and comfortable, allowing us to discuss ideas, listen to other people’s ideas and collide to develop better ideas. The regular lineup of guest speakers is another plus, because they were once like us. They have walked our path, and the experiences they share can help us progress rapidly and avoid some of the pitfalls. And although each of them excels in different fields, they all demonstrate resilience, drive and continuous learning.”

But it is not just the seasoned entrepreneurs and founders that possess this “drive”. According to Head of Programme Mark Bradford, it’s an attribute that all those on the MCEI have in spades too. “Students on this programme come from a wide range of cultures and have a diverse variety of business ideas – from building literacy to utilising the powers of seaweed – but there is one thing they all share, and that’s drive,” explains Mark.