Military MBA

This section will give you some valuable "peer" perspective from former officers who have transitioned into business with an MBA degree and also from officers who have chosen obtain their MBA and remain in the military.

Military-to-Business

Meet Jason Frei
Meet Jonathan Um
Meet Suzanne Dunne

Stayed in Military

Meet Andy Rogers

Other

CEO Perspectives

Current Position: Program Manager, The Boeing Company
Education: BS, Mechanical Engineering, United States Naval Academy
MBA, University of Notre Dame

Why I chose an MBA

My USNA education and my service as a Marine officer gave me an incredible leadership foundation. As I transitioned from the military, translating this experience into a relevant business experience was a challenge. An MBA gave me current, applicable business skills that complemented my leadership experience in the military.

Military and MBA skills used in my current position

Core military skills; general leadership training, setting objectives, flexibility, taking initiative, task planning, and taking care of your people have been the most useful. While these skills are common in the service, they are more difficult to find in business. From my MBA, I use finance, strategy, and organizational behavior the most. While veterans have a good understanding of how their service works, understanding the organizational behavior in companies takes time.

How the MBA has met my expectations for career readiness

The Notre Dame MBA has exceeded my expectations for career readiness. The academic curriculum prepared me very well. In addition, the time with my classmates was incredibly valuable. With their varied backgrounds and different ways of looking at the world, my fellow students were a very important part of my transition from the military to the business world.

The advantages my military background has given me over other MBA job candidates

My military background gives me instant leadership credibility that sets me apart from other candidates. The level of responsibility that veterans have experienced at a fairly early age sets them apart as well. This is important when other candidates have experience that more closely matches the job they are applying for.

The greatest benefits my combined military and MBA skills bring to an organization

An employee with military experience and an MBA brings a powerful, balanced capability to a company.  The ability to take initiative, develop a course of action, and motivate employees from the military fits well into the set of MBA business skills that allow you to actually accomplish a business task.

What to look for in an MBA program

I looked for a program that had four things: 1) strong values; 2) a great curriculum; 3) a focus on veterans recruiting; and 4) a strong alumni base.

Advice for officers considering an MBA

Getting an MBA may delay securing a job by a couple of years, but the long-term payoff is worth the investment. The combination will make you significantly more marketable than simply entering the job market straight out of the service. Find a program that fits with your values, as your fellow students and alumni will be with you long after you graduate.

Current Position: Management Consultant, McKinsey & Company
Education: MBA, UCLA Anderson School of Management

Why I chose an MBA

As a platoon commander in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years, leadership was a big part of Jonathan Um’s day-to-day job. Heading his platoon both in the U.S. and in Iraq, he analyzed intelligence reports, acted on limited information, and worked with parties having different agendas. During that time, he became increasingly interested in gaining a more formal understanding of the management process and challenges of leadership. So when his military service ended in 2009, pursuing an MBA was the next logical step in his career path.

Military and MBA skills used in my current position

The lessons I learned in the military have turned out to be very applicable to the MBA program where we work with data and facts to support business cases and projects. UCLA Anderson has such a strong focus on management and leadership principles. We learned so many concrete tools through the curriculum that even after the first year, I felt like I was thinking differently and approaching problems differently. I’ve found a lot of commonalities between what I did in Iraq and in the military in general and business.

How the MBA has met my expectations for career readiness

Jonathan credits his education UCLA Anderson with opening the door to the business world. "Without UCLA Anderson, I wouldn’t have built this network or had these learning and business opportunities. I’ve really boosted my career here – there was no better place I could have gone to start this next phase of my career."

What to look for in an MBA program

Jonathan looked for fit with his future interests, location and a program that supported military students. "There are quite a few veterans in the MBA program. The administration at UCLA really supports veterans with things like the Yellow Ribbon Program and a special boot camp for veteran entrepreneurs in the summer. Plus, there’s a pretty big veteran military community in southern California so we have a big network.”

Advice for officers considering an MBA

Like many other military officers, Jonathan thought that pursuing an MBA was the next logical step in his career.

Current Status: Student Notre Dame One-Year MBA Program, Class of 2011
Education: BA Political Science, University of Washington

Why I chose an MBA

I wanted to be competitive with my peers that had gone on to graduate school instead of getting commissioned. Although I value the experiences and skills from my time in the military, I was ready to step into a different arena. After getting out of the military I worked as an analyst at Honeywell for a few years. Getting some real world experience strengthened my desire to work in corporate finance. Since I already knew the field I wanted to go into and had some work experience, I chose the one-year MBA program.

Military and MBA skills used in my current position

Leadership skills, work ethic, negotiation skills, problem solving and maturity.

How the MBA has met my expectations for career readiness

The MBA program at the University of Notre Dame has exceeded all of my expectations. I went into the program thinking it would be a stepping stone to a lucrative and challenging career in business finance. It is certainly that, but so much more. The faculty consistently challenge us to apply what we have learned to real-world problems. I've been able to network with and learn from today's business leaders through events and speeches hosted by the MBA program. As I near the end of my MBA program, I am confident that I can hit the ground running Day One with the fundamental business skills that I've learned at Notre Dame.

The advantages my military background has given me over other MBA job candidates

When interviewing with potential employers or networking with alumni, former military members stand apart from their classmates.  After someone discovers that you have served on active duty, there is an immediate conveyance of respect and recognition of the integrity and hard work that is integral in military service.  For me, the interviewers assumed competence in leadership skills and the ability to work in a collaborative environment.  These were key factors in getting follow-on interviews and job offers..

The greatest benefits my combined military and MBA skills bring to an organization

The military teaches you how to work in difficult situations and find solutions to daily problems.  With the business knowledge I've gained at Notre Dame, I can now apply those problem-solving and interpersonal skills in a business setting.

What to look for in an MBA program

Look for an MBA program that fills in the gaps that you are missing. For me, I needed fundamental business skills and lots of in-depth finance courses. Also, see what the school as a whole offers you. At Notre Dame the MBA students are welcomed into the entire school's activities and social events. This was a major selling point for me on Notre Dame. Some other schools that I looked at had stellar academic programs, but MBA students were sidelined from the rest of the university. If you aren't sure about what field to go into, I recommend the two-year MBA program so that you can get an internship under your belt and prove yourself to employers in your chosen field.

Advice for officers considering an MBA

Just do it! Okay, I know that is a shoe commercial, but you will be glad that you did. The camaraderie and challenges that we all loved on active duty await you at business school and beyond. Just like the military, the skills and friendships that you build in your MBA program will last a lifetime.

Current Position: Lieutenant Colonel, US Air Force, Chief, Enterprise Interoperability and Future Capabilities.
Currently deployed in Kuwait in support of troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa.
Education: BS Computer Science, MBA

Military and MBA skills used in my current position

I frequently call upon my MBA skills for fiscal and marketing needs in order to justify budgets and "sell" the decision makers on the worthiness of projects for taxpayer funding. Everything from people management to production scheduling has an MBA reference above and beyond the technology aspects of my job, and my military training in time management and leadership are important as well.

How the MBA has met my expectations for career readiness

The MBA has given me a more broad academic background to draw upon. The marketing concepts alone have been very useful for every major project and program change I've executed.

Traits the Air Force is looking for in an MBA

The ability to discuss requirements with a better eye on fiscal reality, as well as the business practices to make large projects successful. MBAs are expected to present proposals for viable projects and deliver results above the standard military process.

The greatest benefits my combined military and MBA skills bring to an organization are

The ability to see a bigger picture, from acquisition through program development, and how it applies to the national interest as well as the local organization's success metrics. Understanding business concepts helps justify decisions concerning procurement, maintenance, or elimination of major force programs.

What to look for in an MBA program

A strong rating in the business world and adequate facilities to support the most up-to-date principles of production and service delivery.

Advice for officers considering an MBA

The MBA is a huge commitment in time and work, but it is worth it in the long run if your goal is moving into leadership positions. Being successful is more than accomplishing the mission. In tight fiscal times, it requires a balance between mission and efficiency. Find a good program that focuses on both edges of that sword.

Most corporate CEOs and chairmen say their military service played a huge role in their subsequent careers.

"It was an important part of my experience," says Joel W. Johnson, chairman and CEO of Hormel Foods. "At Hormel, we frequently see job candidates who have served their 20 years in the military. Now they're in the early to mid-40s and have time to start a second career. They come with a degree of maturity and experience that's far beyond what we find in the typical college classroom."

"I don't think a day goes by that I don't use some of the leadership skills I learned in the Navy," says Anthony Earley, CEO of DTE Energy. "One of the things any branch does is teach leadership the way no organization does." Speaking of the service, Earley says, "It's kind of our preferred supplier of talent because people are so well-educated, so well-trained."

"When you've been in the military and under the pressure you experience there - in many cases life and death pressures - it's a lot easier to face the pressures of the business world." says Gary L. Neale, president and CEO of NiSource.