Alumni Story| Yangmeng WANG: Three States of Life within 5 Years

王阳萌：MF毕业5年里，他体验了人生三重境界

Yangmeng WANG is just like his Chinese name, with a baby face and full of adorable attributes. However, do not be disguised by his appearance. He obtained his undergraduate degree in automation from Tsinghua University and came to SAIF for Master of Finance. After graduation, he did not choose the traditional path of finance and instead dedicated himself to the Internet industry and entrepreneurship. Within five years, he has already made his way to become the Director of Business Strategy at Ele.me. Let’s listen to how Yangmeng, someone who is so accomplished at such a young age, interprets the three states of his life. 

人如其名，王阳萌（2010级MF）长着一张娃娃脸，萌属性满点；然而可别被他的外表蒙蔽，本科被保送清华自动化专业，硕士又被保送至交大高金。毕业的他没有走传统金融的路线，而是投身于互联网投资与创业领域，更是在五年之内一路升至饿了么的商业策略总监。且听年轻有为的他，如何解读人生的三重境界？

What I see is what I see

看山是山，看水是水

There are many very qualified students at SAIF, and as the Class Representative of MF 2010, Yangmeng was definitely one of them. His path has always been quite smooth, being first sent to study automation at Tsinghua and then entering the SAIF MF program. “In comparison to Tisnghua, both the faculty and the way of teaching at SAIF are more international. At the time, SAIF was like an undervalued stock.” Since Yangmeng was looking forward to working in TMT (Technology, Media, Telecom) or quantitative investment, he very firmly chose SAIF. 

学霸在高金比比皆是，身为MF2010级的班长，王阳萌也是其中一名学霸。一路走来他顺风顺水，先是被保送到清华自动化专业，后又被保送到SAIF金融硕士项目。“相比清华，高金有更国际化的师资及办学模式。当时的SAIF就像是被低估的股票。”本科毕业当时向往TMT (Technology, Media, Telecom)或数理量化投资方向发展的他，十分坚定地选择了SAIF。

Speaking of the most impressive course, he mentioned the accounting class taught by Professor Xiaojun Zhang and SAIF LIVE course taught by Professor Charles Chang. “I have never taken an accounting course during my undergraduate studies, so the course was quite difficult to me. However, Professor Zhang had a way of making it easy. There was one class where everyone played Monopoly to further understand the concepts of land rent and asset replacement. I have improved many of my skills during that period.” Teachers at SAIF teach in a very unique way, combing recreation with the actual course material. The SAIF LIVE course bridges classroom knowledge with real life problems to help students understand how to resolve similar situations encountered during work. 

说起印象最深的课程，他提到了张晓君教授的Accounting课程和张纯信教授开设的SAIF LIVE课程。“本科期间从未上过Accounting课，课程还是蛮有难度的，但是张晓军教授上课十分深入浅出。有一堂课还专门让大家通过玩大富翁游戏更深入地了解用地出租、资产置换等所对应的是Accounting中的哪一张表。在那段时间锻炼了很强的能力”。SAIF老师教育方式独特，能很好地将课程与实际、娱乐相结合，寓教于乐。而SAIF LIVE课程则将所学与业界实际情况相结合，帮助同学了解在工作中如遇到类似问题应当如何解决。

What I see is not what I see

看山不是山，看水不是水

Yangmeng mentioned, the further he goes, the less professional skills are weighed at work. Instead, the mindset and soft skills he has built at SAIF have become more influential. He believes the fast-learning ability and the international vision he acquired at SAIF are the most valuable assets. “There are many things I encountered which I have not been exposed to before. Therefore, knowing how to view these problems from a broader perspective is the key to knowing whether I have made the right choice or not. Such a mindset is reflected not only in my work, but also in many aspects of my life.” 

王阳萌谈到，越往上走，专业技能在工作中的影响反而不断减少，而SAIF在理念上的影响、以及在其他软技能上的影响比重则不断上升。“王阳萌认为，他在SAIF所习得的快速学习能力、思考方式及国际化视野才是最宝贵的财富。“有些事情以前未接触过，如何从更高处看待这个问题，能知道这条路走得对不对。这些思维不仅体现在金融工作上，对生活中方方面面都潜移默化地产生影响。”

In the first two years after graduation, even as a top student, Yangmeng had to spend a lot of time and effort laying the foundation. “Although we all experienced a lot of stress right after graduation, all my classmates have grown quickly within two years. Now they have all become of the backbones of each field, including fund managers at funds, senior analysts at brokerage firms or leaders at startups.” While he was working at Baidu, Yangmeng reached out to directors at each line of business in order to better understand the field. “Reporting regularly to Robin (Yanhong Li), meeting with top managers from different areas and listening to how they explain their businesses have helped me quickly understand the business. “

毕业头两年，即便是学霸也需要花许多时间和精力去打基础。“虽然刚毕业时还是蛮有压力，但两年后班里同学们都成长很快，现在更是已经成为各个子领域的骨干，包括基金公司的基金经理、券商公司的首席分析师、或者在创业公司中的骨干领导等等。”在百度工作期间，为了更好地了解业务走向，王阳萌把能约到的百度各个业务线总监都约出来聊天。他提到，“定期向Robin(李彦宏)汇报，跟各业务线老板开会，听高层怎么阐释业务对自己更迅速地理解这些业务很有帮助。

What I see is still what I see 

看山还是山，看水还是水

With the profound influence of the MF program, although after graduation Yangmeng had wondered whether he could really make some differences, five years after a wider road has opened up in front of him. “I think I’m still young, so I decided to have a try at a startup.” In 2016, Yangmeng came back to Shanghai from Beijing and started working at the Internet company, Ele.me. In addition to fulfilling his responsibilities, he hopes to take on some independent businesses on his own in the future. 

MF项目金融黄埔的定位对王阳萌影响颇深，虽然刚毕业时他曾疑惑自己究竟能否改变一些事情，但是毕业五年后，又一条更宽广的路已经向他敞开。“我觉得自己还年轻，所以决定到创业公司去试一试。“2016年王阳萌从北京回到了上海，进入互联网潜力企业饿了么工作，除了把自己的事情做好，他希望未来想更独立地承担一些业务。

As a senior, he hopes that SAIF will maintain its current concept of elite education. To current students, he said, “The knowledge you obtain at SAIF will help you greatly in the future, and the friendship you build here will last for a life time. I hope you can all enjoy your time at SAIF.”

作为先走一步的学长，他希望学院继续保持目前的精英化教育理念，同时还寄语学弟学妹，“SAIF的学习和教育对未来有很大帮助，所建立的友谊也是一生的友谊，希望学弟学妹好好享受在SAIF的时光。”