Who is Your Current Employer, and what is Your Current Position?
I am a senior program manager at The Boeing Company.
How Did Securing an MBA Help Your Career?
My career has transitioned from electrical and software engineering to program management and business development. My MBA at Virginia Tech provided the skills and knowledge that directly impact my ability to generate and execute defense industry business. Principles of financial statements, marketing strategies, corporate vision, program management, logistics planning, e-commerce development, and even visual basic programming in Excel are all skills that have improved my performance at work; and ultimately I expect to use these tools when I start a new career as an entrepreneur.
What Did You Enjoy About Your Studies at Virginia Tech?
I enjoyed the breadth of the courses at Virginia Tech to include the core courses and the available electives. I focused on the IT discipline but was still able to take electives in classes such as Business Negotiations that are not only valuable at work but in my personal life.
What Advice Would You Give To Future Virginia Tech MBA Candidates?
When I started the program, I was managing a large group of engineers and had very little business development responsibility. My plan was to focus on the management track, but as my career and degree progressed, I realized that a more technical MBA discipline made more sense for me, so I changed course. Take your core MBA courses first with a plan for your electives, but don’t be afraid to adjust as you grow.