“I’m a first-generation student. I’m also the first person in my family to work a white-collar career,” said Vincent Young, a Boise State University alum, and the first in his family to graduate from college.
Young is originally from New York and now lives in San Diego, California, and works as a management consulting senior analyst at Accenture. As a Marine Corps veteran, Young was interested in using the financial benefits associated with the G.I. Bill to continue his education and earn a master’s degree. Finding the right fit for his life and priorities led him to choose Boise State’s online Master of Business Administration.
Choosing an Online MBA to Grow in Consulting
“I learned that Boise State offered an online MBA and thought it would be perfect,” he said. “I enrolled in the program to help me grow in management consulting.”
Boise State University’s online Master of Business Administration is designed for students like Vincent Young — professionals with two or more years of management experience who are ready to advance in their careers. Online MBA students cultivate the skills necessary to be effective, ethical leaders and managers who affect positive change in their direct reports, organization and communities.
Marketing Strategy and the Benefits of Online Classes
Young’s experience with online MBA courses was largely positive. The class that excited him the most was marketing strategy. The course evaluates market opportunities for new products or services by examining market segments, targeting customers and positioning products or services in the marketplace. Students consider managerial decisions regarding product, price, promotion and distribution.
Speaking about his personal experience with the class, Young said he “learned to consider the product’s job for the consumer and how that gives the product a meaningful purpose.”
It is one reason Young recommends online learning. “Since everything was online, the lectures were pre-recorded; it comes with flexibility. Often, the learning is self-paced,” he explained.
While the flexibility of online classes benefits busy professionals, Young cautions students must remember their responsibility to do the work on time. “It’s important to be disciplined and set time aside for reading, watching lecture recordings, creating deliverables, etc. Otherwise, it’s easy to fall behind.”
Making Connections with Classmates
Thanks to engaged classmates, attending classes online was rewarding and manageable for Young.
“There was a slight barrier in terms of time commitment because I did my MBA at Boise State while also working full time,” he explained. Young’s collaboration on class projects worked in a workplace environment where everyone contributed to the project with their skills and experience.
Young also appreciated being able to connect with his classmates and talk about their personal lives. “Sometimes I think it can be difficult for friends and family to understand the academic commitments that I had as a student and the professional commitments that I have,” he described.
“My classmates really helped with that aspect. We were able to vent and talk about how to balance work and class.”
Despite being online and in asynchronous courses, Young was able to form friendships and make meaningful connections while in the online MBA program at Boise State.
What’s Next for Vincent Young
Vincent Young graduated with his MBA in May 2022, and is now the first in his family to receive a master’s degree. Since then, he started a second master’s degree at a prestigious university and is working to reach more professional milestones. “After completing the MBA at Boise State, I began the Master of Science in Business Analytics at Georgetown University,” he said.
“I plan to continue consulting, using knowledge from the MBA and MSBA to help business leaders create meaningful human resource transformations for their firms.”
“I graduate in 2023 and plan to continue consulting, using knowledge from the MBA and MSBA to connect human resource analytics and business insight to help business leaders create meaningful human resource transformations for their firms.”
Learn More About the Boise State Online MBA
The Boise State Online Master of Business Administration sets students up for success in future academic programs and careers. Ready to learn more?