Vivian Lee is a graduate of the BSc (Hons) in Psychology Programme at the Department of Psychology which come under the School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University. She is currently Integrated Marketing Manager for Microsoft Malaysia, covering Go-To-Market marketing related activities and campaigns specifically on Business Applications solutions.

Vivian clearly demonstrates that a major in psychology is versatile and can progress into various industries that are not typical to what one would imagine a psychology graduate would go into. When asked how she got into her position, Vivian explained, “When I first graduated, I started my first job as a marketing executive in a property agency. My curiosity about investment triggered my interest in business strategies and globalisation – so I was eager to learn more. Then, I pursued MSc International Business Management at University of Western England in Bristol, UK, after which I joined Microsoft Malaysia as a Marketing Analyst for a bit more than two years. In December 2020, I moved to a new role as the IMM for Biz Apps.”

In terms of how a degree in psychology prepared Vivian for her current role, she had this to say, “As a psychology student, there is always a misconception of the limited choice of career to work only as a counsellor or psychologist. My psychology major equipped me with social communication analytical skills. I learnt to better understand myself, and to foster a positive mindset to be resilient and keep on progressing”.

Originally from Ipoh, Vivian completed a Foundation in Arts certificate at Sunway College before entering Sunway University. “Leaving my hometown for the first time to pursue higher education in another state was difficult at first.  Like many fresh tertiary students, I was very excited yet nervous due to the uncertainties of stepping into a new lifestyle and education level. Fortunately, my classmates and lecturers were so kind and helpful that I quickly adapted to the new environment. I had a wonderful time at Sunway!”

“Here I am, embarking on a new journey in the cloud industry. In today’s world of digital automation, it’s all about data and transforming them into meaningful insights. Analytics skill is crucial to understand the market and to use critical thinking skills to discover and identify all possibilities - regardless of work or interest. Always keep an open mind and a positive attitude at all time, you will never know what will happen next!”, Vivian reflected.

With regards to her research project, Vivian commented that the need to strictly comply and adhere to the scientific method research guidelines, and providing ample supporting evidence for arguments made was very good training. “My key-takeaway from her research project is definitely time management (though I wasn't very good at it back then.. haha!). This is just like our current work projects and especially when we need to multitask and deliver them on time!”

Vivian’s final year project supervisor, Ms Elaine Yong fondly remembers her as an independent student who was open-minded to accept suggestions. I didn’t have to worry about her final year project progression because she was good at keeping up with due dates. “Vivian conducted a study on the relationship between optimism, family functioning and family mealtimes. She found that family functioning was positively related to family mealtimes. I’m very happy to hear of her achievements and congratulate her on them!”