At Birmingham City University, we want to give you as many different learning opportunities as we can, to help you get the most out of your degree. Our second year BSc (Hons) Food and Nutrition students experienced a great example of this recently, when they received an industry lecture from Mr Chi Ki Chow, the Operations Director of UK-based health supplement company Myo-band. He gave the students an insight into his journey, and his work in product development within the nutrition industry.
Our Food and Nutrition student, Candide Molamba, has reflected on the lecture, and what she learnt about her possible career options after graduation.
“We were excited to hear that our lecturer Adetokunbo Olayanju had arranged a guest lecture for us from an industry representative, and Mr Chow did not disappoint. He used his presentation to explain to us how Myo-band began, and how his professional life has progressed since his graduation.
I have an interest in product development in terms of health supplementation but as I haven’t used any of the Myo-band products much myself, I haven’t had a chance or reason to really research these types of products or think about what it entails to produce them. Therefore, hearing Mr Chow talking about how he started his company and the products they created was something I enjoyed, and needed to hear, as it did get me interested in wanting to learn more about the health supplementation world.
He made some very good points about how the degree you choose to do can lead you to many pathways. A nutrition degree can lead you to dietetics, forensics, teaching, laboratory work and even currency trading. Everything learnt in my degree can be transferable - which is something I did know - but to be given examples of different career paths really highlighted the idea for me.
Learning about his journey after university, and the jobs he had, gave me ideas as to what steps I should take after university. The steps he took led him to where he is today and I also wish to progress on to a job that I will love.
I took the opportunity to ask a question at the end of the presentation, about how the company started the product development process. I was keen to learn more about how the process gets underway, as I hoped it would give me some inspiration and insight, as this is something I will need to do in the final year as part of my degree. Mr Chow started off explaining the importance of knowing what the human body needs, and how a product must meet these needs to be helpful to the body or it won’t serve its purpose. He then went on to say that product developers also need to look at what consumers want and the demand for it. He gave the example of more people switching to non-dairy products, and how that would affect the company’s decisions about what products to make, and what they contain. Lastly, he talked about knowing what’s on the market, and knowing who your competitors are. Your product needs to be innovative and different enough to make consumers choose your product over something similar from another company.
Overall, the presentation was really enjoyable. It’s always great to hear other people’s stories and learn how their particular choices have led them to where they are now. It certainly inspired me to take on board what he has learnt, to help me to better myself. I think the main thing I took from the lecture (apart from the answer on product development) was just how important it is to work in the sector you have studied in. This will can help you to grow and hone the skills you already have, and decide what your main or next focus should be.
Studying in the School of Health Sciences
A university degree is about more than just what you study in class. We give you opportunities to apply your learning through placement experiences, industry lectures and additional support such as our Careers+ team, so that you are employment-ready when you graduate.
