Walking the Road of Discovery

One’s twenties are defined by a single word: challenge. In this period of striving toward their dreams, Kingos stand in the midst of a road called challenge. To guide those in this voyage, the Sungkyun Times (SKT) presents lecturer Kwon Mijin of the Business Administration Department, a forerunner of this path. Her journey from a Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) student to a researcher and educator will undoubtedly serve as a meaningful guide for those following a similar road ahead.

Footprints on the Way to Research

Q1. Please introduce yourself.

Hello, I am Kwon Mijin, a lecturer currently teaching the Consumer Behavior and Brand Marketing course at SKKU this semester. I graduated from SKKU with a degree in Business Administration and completed my master’s degree at the SKKU Graduate School of Business. I then finished my doctoral program at Korea University, where I am now working as a research professor at the Institute for Business Research and Education. Outside of work, I am also a mother to a five-year-old child.

Q2. How would you describe your school years at SKKU in one word?

My time at SKKU was a journey of self discovery. During my undergraduate years, I often felt somewhat different from the typical business major student. I preferred writing to speaking, and my quiet personality made me feel distanced from the energetic, practical atmosphere of the major. While many of my peers focused on finding employment or preparing for certification exams, I constantly questioned whether the same path truly suited me. As a result, my college years were filled with uncertainty about my future. Rather than fully immersing myself in my major, I naturally spent more time exploring who I was and what I truly enjoyed. In my freshman and sophomore years, I joined a literature club, watched band performances, and attended various lectures — all in an effort to better understand myself.

Q3. Was there a decisive moment when you decided to pursue your current career?

I began to seriously consider a career in research during my senior year. Through an industry-academia collaboration program at SKKU, I had the opportunity to complete a semester-long internship at the research institute of a Korean telecommunications company, KT. While working there, I met many researchers holding both master’s and doctoral degrees, and I felt a sense of similarity with them in terms of lifestyle. I found the organizational culture and their way of working to be very comfortable and well-aligned with my personality, which naturally sparked my interest in pursuing research as a career.

Once a Student, Now a Lecturer

Q4. Upon returning to SKKU as a lecturer, what changes have you noticed compared to the past? 

One of the most noticeable changes is the improvement in the students’ English proficiency. Many students now express their thoughts fluently in English, which makes me realize how times have changed. Another significant difference is the increase in the number of international students on campus. Back when I was a student, although many Korean students went abroad on exchange programs, very few international students — especially from Europe — came to SKKU. Now, even in the classes I teach, I see a considerable number of students from Europe. This shift has been particularly striking to me.

Q5. What do you emphasize most when teaching your course?

Consumer Behavior and Brand Marketing is a course designed to understand consumers’ psychology by analyzing how they perceive information, make decisions, and take action, ultimately predicting their responses to a brand’s marketing strategies. While planning the course, I encountered a fundamental question: “Is it still meaningful to simply deliver information in an era where artificial intelligence (AI) has advanced so much?” So, I decided to focus on what AI cannot do. Rather than just delivering information, I aim to give students opportunities to expand their thinking and express their ideas. I often pose open ended questions and encourage debates during class, helping students naturally articulate their thoughts.

Q6. What do you think is the most appealing aspect of researching consumer behavior?

What fascinates me the most about consumer behavior is how closely it intersects with our everyday lives. In fact, I often find myself questioning the underlying reasons for specific details of a product, price, or marketing message. One recent example relates to the research I have been working on. In the past, Instagram used to show the exact upload date of each post, until it shifted to simply displaying relative indicators like “a few weeks ago.” These slight changes make me wonder about their relevance and impact on consumer perception. I believe that the most significant appeal of consumer research lies here — as a consumer, anyone can start from a daily spark of curiosity and turn it into meaningful findings in actual research. The process of confirming a hypothesis about a real world phenomenon through experimentation and expanding it into broader theoretical research is truly exciting.

Q7. How do you perceive the interplay between your roles as a researcher and an educator?

I was trained to become a researcher through more than 10 years of graduate education, so I feel confident calling myself a “professional” in research. However, graduate programs tend to focus heavily on research methods and publication writing, leaving little room for reflecting on questions like, “What makes a good lecture?” or “How can I help students understand better?” Although I have been teaching for some time now, I still go through trials and errors, and often feel that I still have much to improve as an educator. I actively seek out resources on teaching methods, observe other professors, and try to improve step by step. Just as I aim to grow as a researcher, I also strive to grow as an educator. Finding the right balance between the two is an ongoing challenge for me.

Dreams in Motion

Q8. What has helped you stay committed to your journey as a researcher?

One piece of writing that has deeply influenced me is an essay titled “For Young Scholars Who Want to Make a Career Out of Research,” by Professor Oh Wook-hwan from Ewha Womans University. It delivers a simple but powerful message: if you keep doing your best, you will eventually be led to your path. This idea has given me great strength in my journey as a researcher. What touched me most was his advice not to idolize figures who are too distant or extraordinary, but rather look up to people who are just one step ahead and follow them diligently. Hence, I try to steadily build my own strength, day by day, hoping that one day, my efforts will be recognized.

Q9. Do you have any future aspirations? Tell us what you are currently aiming to achieve.

It has been just over three years since I earned my doctorate, and this year, I began applying for faculty positions. The process has been much more difficult than I expected — both practically and emotionally. Lately, my biggest hope has been to be appointed as a full-time professor as soon as possible and teach students in a more stable, consistent way. Other than that, I am also a mother raising a child, so balancing my academic career with parenting has been one of the most complex challenges. As any break in research can make it difficult to regain momentum, maintaining a good work-life balance has become an important goal. I am moving forward, constantly reflecting on how to be a good researcher, a good educator, and a good mother.

Q10. Having walked the path before, what advice would you like to give to Kingos?

Back in my twenties, I often limited myself — classifying things into what I thought I could and could not do — unnecessarily narrowing my career path. Now, I have learned that there is no need to draw such boundaries. You are more capable than you think, and there is always a path waiting for you. I hope Kingos have the confidence to dream big and pursue what truly excites them. If there is something you want to try, do not hesitate — just go for it. When you put your heart into something, the path often reveals itself. Personally, I would be pleased to see more Kingos continue on to graduate school. It would be wonderful to meet them again as juniors following a similar academic journey.