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University of Calgary
My Haskayne MBA story
"I left a secure job and decided to do an MBA."
David Thiessen, MBA 2011
Manager of Business Development,
Ironstone Resources Ltd.
"I left a secure job and decided to do an MBA to broaden my horizons and gain opportunities I didn’t feel I had with just my BA.
My classmates came from broad backgrounds and working with them helped develop my ability to look at things from different perspectives.
I have been impressed with the fantastic mix of traditional academic instruction and courses taught by experienced Calgary businesspeople at the Haskayne School of Business. I’ve acquired knowledge that I can use in a practical way, and I gained a tremendously valuable network.
I already have a new opportunity waiting for me as I wrap up my MBA and my income will be about 35% higher than what I was making before I started. While the increase in compensation is nice, having my MBA has opened up a wide range of opportunities and has enabled me to pursue roles that would have been impossible before.”
"I had the flexibility to be able to work full-time and study at the same time."
Reihaneh Irani-Famili, MBA 2011
Manager
Accenture Management Consulting
"I did my undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering in Iran and after immigrating to Canada, I decided I wanted to be somewhere with an oil and gas focus. I knew if I wanted to move up the ladder, I needed to develop business skills and MBA was the answer.
My MBA taught me the language of the executives and gave me confidence I didn’t have before. I was able to marry my technical knowledge with MBA knowledge and it opened a lot of doors. It helped me connect to new people and expand my network to places I didn’t think possible.
Haskayne evening program made my MBA journey possible; I had the flexibility to be able to work full-time and study at the same time. There’s a huge market out there for management consultants and I would never have even looked at these opportunities if I didn’t have my MBA.”
"I wanted to prove to prospective employers that I wasn’t just a jock."
Gord Hynes, MBA 2005
Vice-President & Director
TD Securities
"I came to the MBA program in a weird way. After having not been to school for a number of years because I played professional hockey, I wanted to get a contemporary education and prove to prospective employers that I wasn’t just a jock.
I chose Haskayne because it was close to home, it was affordable, and it was a good fit for me. I knew everyone who was in my class and it was a comfortable place to learn. What I learned in my Haskayne MBA has been critical to my success so far. I found that working in trading and sales is a lot like being on a hockey team – it’s a pretty social place, you’re measured regularly, and have to have tough skin and the ability not to let wins or losses change your approach.
Having an MBA opened up doors for me and gave me tremendous confidence; I felt as prepared as everyone else who was hired to do the job. I wanted to make good money and I knew that having an MBA was certainly going to be good for me and my family.”
"After teaching high scool for nine years, I was looking for a new challenge."
Heather Johnson, MBA 2010
Strategist
William Joseph Communications
"After teaching high school for nine years, I was looking for a new challenge. I wanted to do something different, but to do that, I knew I needed education, knowledge, and credibility. I decided to pursue an MBA because I thought it would open up the most opportunities and allow me to transition into a wide variety of things.
I already had a life in Calgary. The city and the school have a vibrancy, energy, and opportunities that don’t exist elsewhere because of the interaction of the business community and the economy here. Haskayne provides a lot of opportunities to build a network within the Calgary business community.
My previous degrees showed I was capable and smart, but my MBA gave me the credibility to transfer into business. It connected me with people that I would have not known otherwise and it opened up opportunities that would not have been available to me before. Most importantly, it’s
given me knowledge and skills and confidence to take advantage of those opportunities.”
"After working overseas, I knew that I wanted a career reset."
Ray Shih, MBA 2007
Strategy & Operations Analyst
Grand Challenges Canada
"After working overseas in Asia, I knew that I wanted a career reset and to do that, I needed to upgrade my skills.
Haskayne provided a good diversity of programs and a mix of case-based and traditional learning. The soft skills are a lot tougher for me; learning to present and network with people takes practice and Haskayne was really good about creating those opportunities.
It wasn’t just about the academic and presentation skills I learned in the classroom; I also developed a business network. The fact that it was a two-year program gave me a chance to get work experience between years and test out a different career.
My MBA was a way to open doors so I could do what I wanted to do. I noticed the types of jobs that were open to me were better, and the position and the type of roles it opened up enabled me to enter at a higher level. It provided credibility up front.
With an MBA, I’ve found less hesitancy towards my advancement or promotion. My role now is to make sure the company I work for is running efficiently. I challenge the assumptions people make internally and make changes to make things run more smoothly.”
"I was looking for a way back into industry."
Lindsey Ross, MBA 2007
Director in Energy group
ATB Financial
I used to live in Europe as a semi-pro showjumping rider and I was looking for a way back into industry. I had a biological engineering degree, but I hadn’t used it to its full extent…I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to be doing.
The Haskayne MBA program delivered more than what I expected. I was able to try things in a safe environment to figure out which path I wanted to take. It taught me to balance cases and theory, and helped me realize that there is a theory behind what you do as well as a practical solution, but that they are not always the same.
Between first and second year, I did some summer work experience with ATB and I worked there part-time over my second year. I began to make ties with industry and it helped me figure out what I wanted to do. I noticed a big difference in income when I completed my MBA. I think I’m one of the fastest to move up to the Director role so for me, the MBA was crucial. It gave me a chance to round out my education and gave me direction.
I also appreciated the connection to Calgary; the program gave me access to a lot of people in town that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I became a stronger person and grew more confident in myself and my abilities. That alone gave me a big leg-up and really propelled my career.”
"I wanted to pursue a new direction in my professional career."
Neil Lough, MBA 2010
Manager, Training Development
Shaw Communications
When I started my MBA, I was looking for more personal challenges. I had been a teacher for five years and I knew I liked working with people, but I wanted to pursue a new direction in my professional career. I looked at the MBA as being the best choice to open a lot of opportunities, to utilize the skills I knew I had, and to develop the business skills I knew I would need as quickly as possible.
It was a lot of hard work and by the time I got out of the program, I had a better sense of how to navigate corporate culture. I knew how to support and motivate people on my team, how to plan long-term, and how to understand and critically assess the business direction.
Having my MBA gave me a chance to have those productive conversations at higher levels of an organization. There’s no way I could have had these talks after completing my undergrad degree.
I have much more opportunity now that I didn’t have before. The amount of work I had to accomplish really makes you rely on your team so we had opportunities to really get to know other people and recognize how your team is just as important as the work you put into a project.”