Defining Your Career Path With a Lehigh College of Business 1-MBA
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Editor’s Note: As part of the Lehigh 1-MBA program enhancements, the internship component was replaced with a Consulting Practicum. Click here to learn more about the 1-MBA.
While crafty interview skills and a sharp résumé can greatly help the pursuit of a career, there’s no greater asset to future employment than a productive internship.
Two MBA students at the Lehigh University College of Business and Economics are learning the exceptionally valuable lessons of the intern experience, although the pathways to their current roles are certainly unalike. Richard London, a former law enforcement member from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, and Suzanne Zar, a Central New Jersey native who spent the majority of her career in the healthcare industry, will both officially earn their MBA degrees before the end of 2017.
London was eligible to retire from law enforcement in 2015, but he wasn’t simply going to settle without a career moving forward. In a recent interview with MetroMBA, London revealed his ultimate decision to join the business school after viewing a 1-MBA presentation at a local community college.
“I immediately saw the advantages of obtaining an MBA for myself and I explored the differences between the Flex MBA and 1-MBA programs,” he says. “Given my age and my proximity to retirement, I determined the 1-MBA program was the best option for me.”
Zar, on the other hand, followed the more traditional MBA path. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine/Human Physiology from the University of Delaware, Zar’s career has been centrally focused in global pharmaceuticals. However, Zar felt her career in the competitive industry could only go so far without an MBA.
“I had a long career in different facets of marketing and my clients were in the healthcare/pharmaceutical space,” she says. “I wanted to continue that work but as the decision maker working for a top pharma company ideally in oncology. To do so I needed to up my game! The level of positions I was looking at required an MBA and I wanted to keep a competitive advantage to ensure my success.”
The Lehigh 1-MBA program offered both London and Zar a direct chance to work in their desired fields. Zar earned a position with German chemical, pharmaceutical, and life sciences giant Bayer, which has its North American headquarters in Whippany, New Jersey. London’s role lead back to working side-by-side with law enforcement, through Montreal technology company Genetec Inc.
“Part of my responsibility before I retired from law enforcement was to manage the technology projects for the agency I worked for,” London notes. “ We have all seen the strained relationships between law enforcement and the public over the past few years. Part of the solution to easing that tension has been the development of technology products for law enforcement; particularly Body Worn Cameras (BWC) for officers.”
“I offered them [Genetec Inc.] some domain knowledge they did not have access to, and they offered me the opportunity to explore the law enforcement market to determine if my experiences were similar to other agencies across the country,” he continues. “I spent the summer traveling around the U.S. talking with law enforcement executives about their views and challenges with the new technology that is being thrust upon the industry and created a business and marketing strategy for the new group.”
Forging the directions in both London and Zar’s career trajectories relied both on an immeasurable internal work ethic and the significant hands-on approach Lehigh provides its students.
“What I would recommend about Lehigh is the personal connection students receive from the faculty and department heads,” Zar says. “The curriculum covers all of the bases in a traditional MBA as well as staying relevant with classes that tackle current business trends such as big data, technology and innovation.”
“It is the experience itself that has made this journey worth every minute,” London adds. “Real life is deadlines, commitments, relationships, time management; all things that can’t be learned in a classroom or by reading a book. From the moment you start the 1-MBA program, you are part of something; just like you would be in the real world; it’s like going to work for a small corporation. You are learning something new; but, you are learning it along side others in your cohort and you have to learn to rely on yourself, your classmates and the 1-MBA staff. If any part were missing, the experience would be different. For me, these are the real lessons from the 1-MBA program.
“The 1-MBA program stands apart from many of the programs out there by offering the highest level of education with professors that go above and beyond to help their students,” Zar concludes. “The size and diversity of the students in the program lends itself to great collaboration and experience sharing.”
For more information about the Lehigh University College of Business and Economics 1-MBA, visit the official school website here.
About the Author
Matthew Korman
Matthew Korman is a writer on MetroMBA. Since graduating from Rowan University with a degree in journalism and political science, Matthew has worked as a music industry writer and promoter, a data analyst, and with numerous academic institutions. His works have appeared in publications such as NPR and Sports Illustrated.
