Marketing Beyond the Textbook

Ling, who is a former student of MPI, shared some of the experiences that he gained as a marketeer over the last 10 years.

Students were able to get a glimpse of marketing in the real world. He talked about social media marketing, marketing strategies, people skills and so forth.

He believed that such practical sides of the marketing world would help the students to better understand the field.

He said what’s important is that the students will get the idea of how to apply their knowledge and theory that they learned in class when they go out into the working world.

“There will be a lot more challenges in the real marketing world, and I think because they have the knowledge and the theory, I believe it is a good start.

“I do think that foundation and theory are important. Most of the time, when you go out into the working world, you tend to forget what you’ve learned in class, but once you refresh your memory, you can easily pick up those skills and do well in it,” he pointed out.

One of the most important lessons he mentioned was that certain products that are selling in the pharmacy are not meant to be profitable but part of marketing strategies.

Ling was a Diploma in Accounting student from 2009 to 2011 in MPI. He said he chose the Diploma in Accounting because he loved Mathematics and calculations.

However, after graduation, he found out that he loves business, and with the Diploma in Accounting at hand, he decided to step into the world of sales and marketing.

“I was in car selling, I was a salesman, I became an emcee, and now fully into marketing, and so forth.

“But in all of that, I still need accounting. I need to know the cost and profits, so I like business. So, I am applying all the things that I learned in MPI in my job now,” he pointed out.

For him, it was not just the diploma that gave him the courage to venture into something that he is passionate about, it was the environment and the encouragement that he got from MPI.

According to him, he was not particularly a good student in his class. However, he managed to do well through encouragements and help from the lecturers.

They also encouraged him to always remember to contribute back to the society after graduation whenever he can.

Not only that, but he was also very active in his campus life, and that great vibe enabled him to enjoy his time in MPI.

Now based in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Ling has been very supportive of MPI and has contributed his time to give talks and sharing on the marketing field several times whenever he is back to Sibu.

Guest speakers’ sharing sessions are one of the programmes that the Business Department conducts to enhance the learning among the students.

Meanwhile, the intake for Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Marketing is currently open. For more information contact MPI at 084-322268 or send a WhatsApp enquiry message to 011- 55568806.

Other programmes available in MPI include Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), ACCA Foundation in Accountancy (ACCA FIA), Diploma in Accounting, Diploma in Taxation, Diploma in Social Work, Diploma in Business Management, Diploma in Computer Science, Diploma in Early Childhood Education, Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Finance and Investment, Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Accounting, Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (Hons), MUET and Intensive English.

As part of MPI’s commitment to deliver industry- and community-relevant programmes, the new programme namely Diploma in Nursing is being developed and to be offered soon.