The decisions I describe here changed my life and defined who I am today. let me tell you how it all happened.
1. I’m going for my childhood dream.
At the age of 10, he knew exactly what he wanted to do in the future. i had a dream to go to south korea and achieve success there. It may sound strange to you, but it was a perfectly natural decision for me at the time.
Reading: Which is the best decision?
I was born in Vladivostok, a small town in the far east of Russia. When I was 10 years old, my mother started working at the Korean consulate and my world changed immediately. it was a year in 1991, the time of the collapse of the soviet union, and this new foreign land that my mother “brought home” was like a ray of light. I was fascinated with everything this magical foreign land had to offer: music, language, culture, people, food, etc. so I made the decision to do everything possible to realize my dream.
So, I started learning Korean when I was 15, taking language classes at the local cultural center, chose to major in Korean studies at the Russian university, packed my bags, and went to a foreign land on my own at the age 18 years old.
2. leaving the land of my dreams.
my life-changing trip to korea began in changwon, a small town in southern korea. I came as an exchange student after receiving a scholarship to study at changwon national university.
It was a magical moment! I was finally living in a country that I dreamed of for so long.
So, I was working hard. my korean language skills and knowledge of korea were growing day by day. I spent hours after class memorizing new words, practicing speeches, reading Korean news, training myself to speak a business language. At one point, even the changwon university administration asked me to be a russian-korean interpreter during the dean’s official visit to russia. And although I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do professionally, I was fascinated by the idea of adding value by uniting Russian and Korean companies.
the donghwan industrial corporation, a manufacturer of vehicle air conditioning systems that provided me with the scholarship, planned a different future for me. after two years of study, the company canceled my scholarship and offered me to join the corporation as a secretary.
I was devastated. I didn’t have time to prepare my backup plan and going back home to vladivostok wasn’t even an option as I had come so far.
See also: Which Of The Following Statements Is True Concerning Whole Life Insurance – Krostrade
so I decided to give it a try. I accepted the offer.
I’d get to the office before anyone else, dust the glassy upper executive floor, and brew green tea in time for the executives’ start of the day.
I hated it.
This was not how I imagined my success and I definitely did not see myself working as a secretary. I didn’t see any value in what I was doing, and more importantly, I wasn’t learning anything except mastering the art of serving green tea.
So, I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. I decided to go back home to vladivostok and start over.
3. don’t give up and persevere.
from my experience, i knew that korea is a highly competitive labor market, where most young people go on to higher education. Fluency in Korean is a must, unless you are an engineer or a highly experienced professional. Furthermore, most of the recruitment is done through introductions. So, I knew that if I wanted to be successful on my own terms, I had to build my reputation and network by attending the best university in Korea. And so the tough application period began.
I have to admit there were times when I doubted my decision to leave changwon. There were times when I also doubted myself and whether I was worthy of winning the best scholarship. “Am I aiming too high?” – I would ask myself. but little by little I was taking one step at a time, moving towards my goal, staying focused and working hard every day.
I was in heaven when I received the news that I got a scholarship to study at one of the best universities in Korea, Yonsei, located in Seoul.
4. challenging myself even more.
after graduating with a masters in business, i was offered to join samsung in seoul, the most desired company to work for many koreans and also me at the time as i longed for the opportunity to add value to korea and companies Russian.
I spent seven years at Samsung helping to identify business opportunities for Korean companies, developing market entry strategies and executing multi-million dollar projects. I was playing the role of a bridge connecting businesses thanks to my Korean language fluency, negotiation skills, and business acumen.
See also: Do Beneficiaries Pay Taxes on Life Insurance Policies? – Life Settlement Advisors
However, there came a time when I felt like I was living in my comfort zone, while longing to grow and challenge myself in the global arena. I wanted to surround myself with like-minded people to inspire and inspire me, to reflect on my achievements so far and decide where I see myself in the future.
So, I made the decision to do an MBA at the best school in the world, instead.
This experience changed my life forever: I learned from the best and made friends from all over the world, each with a unique story and experience. I was now among many others, who had a hard time answering a simple question “where are you from?”, which I can only answer with a big but. “I’m Russian, but I lived in South Korea for more than a decade.”
I knew that thanks to insead, I have the best support no matter where my life and career take me.
5. redefining my future once again.
Instead, it not only elevated me into the realm of global business, but also opened my mind to entrepreneurship. many of my classmates started businesses after graduation or shortly thereafter.
I also had a few ideas: a boutique hotel in an exotic location, a restaurant that offers exclusive family recipes, and even a super dog-sitting guy (I had a hard time finding one for my dog, rex, when I lived in France and Switzerland). ). but none of them actually clicked.
It wasn’t until a few years ago when my husband designed a piece of jewelry for my birthday. It was an old Spanish coin, found at the bottom of the Caribbean Sea, set in gold on a cable chain. Not only did I love the design, but I also received a lot of compliments as the coin was rare and always told the story of where it came from.
it was an “aha!” moment, when I decided to start building our personal brand and share all the learnings and philosophy that I learned in Asia through our unique jewelry designs.
As I write this, we are finalizing designs and beginning to share our stories about our life in Asia and our entrepreneurial journey to motivate and inspire others in their quest to reach their full potential.
I guess… I’ll end this article by saying “to be continued”. we’ll be sharing every step and lesson of our journey, as we go.
See also: Average Cost of Home Insurance in Washington State: 2022 Update
