Alba's MBA story
"The MBA greatly helped me increase my professional confidence and has opened job opportunities at leadership positions ever since I graduated."
For Alba, The Essex MBA gave her the opportunity to "think out of the box" and learn the skills needed for leadership. After graduating in 2018, Alba is now the president of Omni Metal Finishing, Alba credits the course for helping her increase her professional confidence.
What is your current career?
I currently work at Omni Metal Finishing, Inc., a metal finishing company that primarily serves the Aerospace, Military and Defence industries in Southern California. I’m based in the City of Fountain Valley and presently serve as the President of the corporation.
How did the Essex MBA aid your career journey?
Well, first and foremost, the MBA at Essex enhanced my abilities to critically analyse information qualitatively and quantitatively.
I particularly learned skills that helped me make interpretations of data and financial statements. One of the topics that I personally enjoyed the most was ‘Real Options’ -a framework that allows business leaders to make sound and comprehensive business decisions. The MBA greatly helped me increase my professional confidence and has opened job opportunities at leadership positions ever since I graduated.
Why did you choose the Essex MBA?
Having a corporate legal background, I felt the need to complement my career by acquiring an understanding of finance and accounting, so that I could see beyond the legal intricacies of risk management while understanding the fundamentals of business operations.
The MBA program at Essex offered these three modules extensively. I recalled that a couple of times, we had real business simulation projects where we tested our abilities to lead a team and be part of a group. We came up with new business ideas (whether a product or a service) while computing the costs of managing a business within a real-life environment atmosphere.
What were your MBA highlights?
Quite frankly, I enjoyed all modules but if I had to choose, I’d say Managerial Economics. It blended two topics that I personally follow daily: the balance of risks and returns. A few case discussions with my classmates, debates and essays helped me to analyse important events in corporate governance and control, such as mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, and liquidations.
What advice would you give to somebody considering an MBA at Essex?
My first piece of advice is: develop strong time management skills. Doing an MBA is a professional commitment. It is demanding in time and energy but that’s how life is for leaders. Having a schedule is important to help balance your personal/social life while enjoying the amazing experience of being a student at Essex.
The second piece of advice is: develop critical thinking skills. The world currently operates in high-speed, fast-paced working environments. Thinking “outside the box” gives you the opportunity to act and react rapidly. It is great when you learn the academic frameworks, tools, and methods of the program, but never forget that every situation is different and the way you apply these tools in any leadership position enables you to make a difference.
