„I am a team player, but not the suit up type.”
Being part of a community CEMSies have a lot in common; international openness, critical thinking, strong desire to achieve, and we tend to find challenges irresistible. After graduation however we all take different career paths. András Bencsik so far has led a very exceptional career story. One that is interesting because of the career choices it includes and because it demonstrates the path in finding where your interest lies. Let’s start from the beginning...
THE ALMA MATER
I realized the importance of my university education way beyond graduation. When one is employed it immediately becomes apparent what he should have focused on. It is easy to blame the Hungarian education system, but I do believe that you can set off with reliable basics in case of frequent attendance to classes. Controversially, lots of the students in my time and I guess this is still the case are already working besides uni (and sometimes it’s a case of a full-time commitment). Corvinus does give you the inevitable theoretical knowledge. What I’d rather missed is the entrepreneurial approach/spirit. Needless to say, the challenges of teaching it. But a good start could be showing students that there are other opportunities beyond large corporates.
THE CEMS ERA
When I applied to CEMS in 2003 there was a very different milieu around the CEMS MIM programme. It was neither as well known nor that prestigious as it is considered today. At that time going abroad was an option I was considering, so it was a straight decision.
During my exchange term at RSM I had come across many surprises. First I learnt that practical experience is essential complementary of the theoretical studies. Secondly I was faced with the very sad truth that my English language skills were not as good as perceived. The continuous hand-ins required from all of us turned the semester into a great challenge.
CEMS also brought me my first full-time job at ExxonMobil through one of the rotation dinners. Started as a Controller I managed to secure 4 months work-shadowing in London, hence also satisfying the Programme’s internship requirement.
