Meet M.B.A. alum Seung Chan Lim, an artist, software designer, and researcher Friday, June 22, 2012
Photo by Yong Joo Kim
Meet Seung Chan Lim a.k.a. "Slim"
Hometown: Born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Seoul; Cairo, Egypt; Beijing, China; and Pittsburgh, Pa.
Now living in: Providence, R.I.
Job title: Artist / Software Designer / Researcher
Employer: Self-employed working on the project "Realizing Empathy"
Degrees earned: B.S. in computer science, Carnegie Mellon University; M.B.A. with a concentration in International Business, Point Park University; and an M.F.A. from Rhode Island School of Design
Graduation years: B.S. in 1999, M.B.A. in 2002, and M.F.A. in 2011
Hobbies/Interests: Music making/performing, theatre acting/directing, and carpentry
Why did you choose Point Park for your M.B.A. degree?
At the time, I was working as a software engineer at MAYA Design, a truly wonderful design firm based in Pittsburgh. The fact that Point Park offered evening classes was crucial in allowing me to work and study at the same time.
How has your M.B.A. degree helped you in your work as an artist, software designer, and researcher?
Studying business gave me a much better understanding of what constraints business organizations are trying to manage, and, in turn, how people who manage businesses think, feel, and act. This is important to learn if you wish to navigate a society governed by capitalist philosophy.
More specifically, as someone who conducts research and writes, I have to acknowledge that I'm always working on limited knowledge so it is imperative that I try to empathize with people from as many different disciplines as possible to get a more holistic understanding.
And also as a designer, it is important that I develop a set of ethics, and to become conscious of the implications of what I design and make. Without a sufficient understanding of business, I cannot accomplish that.
What was your favorite experience as a grad student at Point Park?
Listening to and talking to Dr. Kraniou was my favorite experience. I miss him dearly. I would start watching TV again if he would be on it. Seriously.
What are your future career goals?
I don't have a career goal anymore. I now have a life goal and that is to develop my ability to empathize to as great an extent as I can, given the constraints I have to deal with. And if there are others who would like to do the same, I would like to help them.
What advice do you have for individuals considering an M.B.A. degree?
The word "business" is and will be changing in meaning with time. But I think it's important to remember that Adam Smith once said "Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production; and the interest of the producer ought to be attended to, only so far as it may be necessary for promoting that of the consumer."
The word "consumption" may raise eyebrows to those sensitive to consumerism, but the essence of what he's saying is that the core function of business is to serve. As students of business and management, I think it's imperative that we do not lose sight of this idea.
More About: alumni, graduate programs, M.B.A.