Celine Grootes, a marketing student at UBC's Sauder School of Business, is fluent in German.
So when she wanted to gain international business experience, it made sense for her to go to Germany, where she's currently working at an internship with Adidas (NASDAQ:ADDYY).
But she can't stop thinking about Hong Kong.
"[Germany is] not as open, it's not as adjustable, it's not as energetic as Hong Kong," said Grootes, who studied briefly in Hong Kong and hopes to be transferred there with Adidas.
"The opportunities are way more limited in a country like Germany versus a [place] like Hong Kong."
She's part of a growing trend of B.C. business students who see huge opportunities for career growth in Asia.
"It definitely is seen as a competitive advantage for helping you conduct your business better, knowing that business is so global these days," said Linda Gully, director of career services with Sauder. "Chances are you're going to be interacting with China at some point."
While B.C. business schools have long welcomed international students who see value in getting a western education as well as Canadian experience, students from Canada are increasingly travelling to Asia to study and work.
A common pattern is for recent business school graduates to get a couple of years of work experience in Canada, and then to make their way over to China or Hong Kong, said Gully. From there, some move to local Chinese companies.
In addition to making vital business connections, recent graduates can also accelerate their careers by taking advantage of a current skills gap, especially in China.
"In China, it's very prestigious to send your son or daughter to university … [but] these graduates are not necessarily trained in some of the more practical soft skills, like communication, team building and problem solving that are in demand by the multinational companies," said Paul Gibbons, director of Western Management Consultants. His firm has been involved in executive searches in China and Hong Kong.
Gibbons noted that although eight million young people graduated from Chinese universities in 2011, only 10% of those graduates met criteria to be hired by a multinational.
Gully agreed that recent Canadian grads who go to Asia may find themselves in mid-level positions and taking on more responsibility sooner than if they stay at home.
"As Chinese companies move from the more traditional hierarchical, status-type management style to more the western style where it's based on merit … that's a different way of managing," she said. "That skill set isn't yet widely held in China."
At the same time, the quality of a Chinese business education has been steadily improving.
"We are starting to hear that [a Canadian business education] is not as much of an advantage as it was a couple of years ago," said Gully.
Students who do the work of building their early career in Asia and develop fluency in local languages can later be seen as vital assets to companies looking to open up markets in Asia.
Given the huge opportunities, Gibbons thinks the business community and business need to do more to encourage young British Columbians to make the Asian connection.
"If we don't focus on it, we miss it … someone else will come and do it," said Gibbons. "They will find the people somewhere. It could be Europe, it could be the U.S., it could be India."
