Ken Wylie had a good idea of what to expect when he enrolled in Boise State University’s online Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance.
“One of the biggest senses of relief was I felt pretty confident in my ability to pursue education in a 100% online environment,” he said. “Having done my undergrad that way definitely made me feel more confident going in.”
Wylie graduated from Boise State’s online Bachelor of Applied Science program in 2021. He was a senior production supervisor at Micron Technology in Boise when he returned to school. He recently earned a promotion to senior manufacturing engineer.
“During my tenure at Micron, there has been a lot of engineering focus,” he said. “I was teetering back and forth between seeking more professional education or going for an engineering-focused undergrad.
“I had some mentors at Micron, then batted it back and forth before I realized I wanted something more for me. With a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit I’ve got, I figured that an MBA focused on finance would give me the best opportunity to diversify my outlook across the company.
“I would also be able to take away something personal from and work on my own business ventures with the skills I could potentially learn from the program.”
The flexibility of the online format was important to Wylie as he continued to work full-time. He and his wife, Shelby, have three children — Carson (9), Peyton (6) and Kaden (3).
“It’s a trade-off,” he said. “You get the flexibility of being able to do your homework and log in from wherever, whenever. At the same time, you have to have your own self-discipline to adhere to those deadlines. Not being in class, you don’t have that direct accountability of your peers and your teacher.”
Seeing green
Originally from the Portland, Oregon, area, Wylie spent most of his childhood in Idaho. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 2010 and served until 2016, earning an associate degree in logistics, materials and supply chain management from the Community College of the Air Force.
“The Air Force was definitely a good experience for me,” he said. “I worked in supply chain management in Mountain Home, Idaho, while I was enlisted.”
Wylie especially enjoyed the finance courses as part of the Online MBA emphasis area during his time in the program.
“It was appeasing what I was looking for when I enrolled,” he said. “I enjoyed all of the finance classes the MBA program had to offer. The instructors were well-versed in their field of knowledge. I walked away with more than just the knowledge of the curriculum.
“I benefitted from the real-world experiences they had to share and other insights. With one of the courses I took, there was a focus on putting Excel workbooks together, running a lot of calculations, putting together graphs and charting. There were teachings in Excel proficiency in that course I thought were pretty cool. I still use pretty much all of that today in my role.”
Since taking on the project management role, Wylie continues to apply what he learned in the master’s degree program.
“I could take my project management experience and tie it all together into the real-world experience,” he said. “For example, we were looking at funding one of the projects and had internal requirements based on the internal rate of return. So, I heard that and said, ‘I know this. I have seen it before.’ It was really cool.
“It allowed me to share information with my co-workers. I could build a whole prediction model for various projects based on those internal criteria marks, whether it would or should be funded. I got to educate everybody I work with about how and why we go after certain projects and why others fall by the wayside.”
Celebrating milestones — and planning what’s next
Wylie walked the graduation stage at commencement, where he met some of his online classmates and professors. He is the first person in his immediate family to graduate with a master’s degree.
“It was cool,” he said. “It hit home that I didn’t really know anybody because everybody’s online. It was nice to have some connections.
“My wife stayed at home with the kids during my undergrad, so when I told her I was thinking about going back for my master’s, there was some apprehension. There were some challenges, but she was excited when I completed it. She was super supportive the whole time.”
A future in entrepreneurship or consulting
Especially now that he has an MBA in Finance, Wylie hopes to get his woodworking business off the ground. He developed a passion for woodworking over the last 10 years, which began as a hobby.
“I technically own an LLC, but it’s not up and running,” he said. “I wouldn’t classify it as a business. We’re in the early stages of figuring out what that business model looks like and the time commitments.
“If that doesn’t ever work out, I would also entertain the idea of going out on my own in the next 10 years and perform more consultation-based work, helping smaller companies become better established using my experience and education.
“I have done some smaller scale consulting jobs in the past in the last couple of years. I found good success with that and found it engaging.”
Advice for future online learners
For Wylie, the key to thriving as an online student who earned two degrees from Boise State is self-discipline.
“You have to know your own capabilities and what your learning styles and performance can be,” he said. “Online might not be for everybody, but if you can be a pretty good self-paced teacher, it’s doable. You have to teach yourself just as much as the instructors teach you.”
Learn more about the Online MBA
Earning an Online Master of Business Administration from Boise State University can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online degree is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.
Ready to learn more? Attend one of our online information sessions or contact a student success coach today.