UMass Boston: My journey so far
by John Chacko
After years spent in the Information Technology industry, serving Fortune 100 companies that used legacy systems to transact business, I was looking for an avenue to grow as a business analyst and manager. My focus was to get an MBA degree and learn Business Intelligence (BI), and I knew both courses of study are available at UMass Boston. I felt that an MBA program would help me better understand the different aspects of the business, and that with this insight I would be able to grow within the corporate world. Business intelligence would also enable me to review and analyze transactional and historical data in order to plan the business operations.
With the advances in communication technology, the world has become smaller. Many of us have had to work with a global workforce; diversity at UMass helps us to prepare for this new global environment. The MBA program from UMass Boston allows me to study with a small group of students from diverse backgrounds. The smaller classes at UMass Boston give me an opportunity to have a better interaction with students and faculty alike. The College of Management has excellent faculty, professors who have studied at the top universities and have excelled in their respective fields. Students at UMass Boston are lucky as they are tutored by some of the best minds at a fraction of the cost that they would have had to pay at a private university. The different methods of teaching, such as interactive case studies, help me to explore different solutions for a problem. Moreover, discussions with my peers and faculty give me new perspective and ideas on how business problems are solved. Project work helps me understand and practice data collection, information processing, and presentation of information.
Being an international student has its own challenges as you leave behind your family and loved ones on a quest for knowledge. The students, faculty, and staff at the university are very welcoming and inclusive. I have not felt out of place and I feel that UMass Boston will be my home away from home. The proximity of the university to Boston downtown will provide me with internship opportunities and allow me to be part of the cultural setting of the city. Thus, studying in Boston will provide me with a holistic education that gives exposure to different ways of thinking. As a result, the program will better equip me to overcome issues and challenges later on in my life. I would like to end this note with a quote from President Obama’s commencement address at UMass Boston in 2006: “[…] no matter where you’re born or how much your parents have; no matter what you look like or what you believe in, you can still rise to become whatever you want; still go on to achieve great things; still pursue the happiness you hope for.”