After a long 26 months, I have completed my MBA! Classes ended February 24. The school doesn’t customize the graduation dates to the online program, so I receive my official diploma in May.
I started the online MBA program at Montclair State University in January 2017. This school had a concentration in digital marketing which seemed more relevant than traditional marketing, it was more affordable than many schools so I could to pay it off in a few years, and the school had a brick-and-mortar location so it seemed more reputable than online-only colleges. Because of my stellar undergrad GPA, the GRE exam was not required, which was another point in MSU’s favor. My friend and former NYC work colleague Maria vouched for Montclair, where she received her undergrad degree, which was the final straw in my decision-making process. The fact that the school is located in New Jersey, while I’m in San Diego, did not affect my decision … the internet is (almost) everywhere! The MBA program is remote so the above factors were more important than geography.
I enrolled in the MBA program to change careers from creative work into marketing. Though a new degree isn’t required for a career change, I thought an MBA would make up for the later start in this career compared to people who started working in marketing right after undergrad, and the degree should help propel me up to the C-suite sooner. I also love learning and always envisioned myself with a graduate degree, though didn’t know exactly what the subject would be. If you’d like to learn more, I have a blog from my admissions essay here. You can read summaries of all my classes throughout this blog as well.
My career journey so far:
- Graphic designer and art director, mostly for magazines, with a degree in art and journalism.
- Photography piqued my interest while directing photo shoots, which led me back to school.
- Career two was a photographer and entrepreneur, starting a photography business.
- My favorite part of running the business was marketing, inspiring a career change.
- I earned an MBA in digital marketing to help me move further and faster in this new career.
I’m also excited to announce that I started working as a HubSpot Marketing Technologist for Chief Martech Officer, a woman-owned, remote-only agency aimed at employing the best HubSpot talent, independent of location, in order to help HubSpot users do more with their platform. I’ve been a fan of HubSpot’s excellent, free, educational certifications and am happy to build upon that knowledge in this new job.
I also consult in marketing and creative work for companies that share my mission of advancing women in leadership, elevating their business and our aligned purpose. I’ll rework this site soon to reflect that clarified direction. Similarly, I’ve been volunteering as the Chapter Marketing Lead for Ellevate Network’s San Diego Chapter.
This new post-MBA chapter of my life is very exciting! I plan to continue sharing blogs about the leadership and learning events I attend, and other amazing topics in the women + business + style genres.
Topics: MBA