“Expanding People’s Minds”
Chaiyan Jettanasen is the Director of 42 Bangkok. Discover his personal journey into 42 and his vision for his campus.
What do you like the most about your position at 42 Bangkok?
My background is in electrical engineering and as the Director of 42 Bangkok, I have enough of the authority to do what I want. For example, I would like to provide educational opportunities for both Thai students and international learners. Thanks to my position, I have the autonomy to execute my plans and contribute to the development of our students!
What was your educational and career journey before becoming involved with 42 Bangkok?
After finishing high school, I went to study…in France! I stayed 10 years; the first year in Besançon to study French and the following years in Lyon. My undergraduate profile started in the Electrical Engineering Program at Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) de Lyon, then I did my Ph.D. at the École Centrale de Lyon. After that, I went back to KMITL for the start of my career as a lecturer and researcher. I took the opportunity to become the vice-president for International Affairs of KMITL for 7 years, and then worked on how we could bring 42 to Bangkok… and here I am now!
What do you consider to be the most important value or skill that 42 teaches its students, and why?
First of all, I think all 42 values are important. If I had to choose just one, it would be adaptability. For me, it reflects that the 42 style of learning is still quite new for us. We all have to adapt with this new method — imagine a program with no teacher at a university! Lucky for us, 42 teaches us to learn to adapt to this change, then to adapt to everything else, so when you start working, you can already adapt to your company.
Was it difficult to import 42 in Thailand?
It’s not that we encounter resistance. It’s more a question of expanding people’s minds to another way of learning. It was the most difficult thing at first, because they needed to understand and accept the 42 learning style. Even if 42 Bangkok does not have alumni yet, we can see the success they have in France and in other countries!
