An international business graduate student talks about her MBA degree program
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Jennifer Weis, International Business MBA
Title: Principal Technical Project Manager -
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School: Seattle University
What were your criteria for picking your school?
I wanted to keep my job while pursuing my MBA. Seattle University's MBA program was in the top 25 part-time programs in the country and the entire program is focused on working students. All of the events, from the Executive Speaker Series to the Mentor Fair, are scheduled at times conducive to working professionals. In addition, you have an incredible opportunity to network with students from other companies and other countries. Seattle University also had a number of great study tour opportunities.
What area of international business most interested you?
To be truthful, I was interested in "international" first, and "business" second. However, I found two aspects to be most challenging; the first is the psychology of identifying which offerings should be internationalized. Sometimes the products that are the least popular in the US are wildly successful in another culture or country. The second is the art of working with an international team. You have to be very, very open and really learn about the culture with which you're working in order to successfully execute a project.
What are good prerequisites for a career in international business?
I believe that a strong background in language is critical. Even if you don't speak the language of the country that you're working with, [a] background in any foreign language will help you better understand how to communicate in order to truly convey meaning. I also had a background in anthropology which helped me take an objective view of my experience working with multi-cultural teams. Some cultures are so different that it's very easy to take their comments and reactions at face value. You need to understand that they see American business practices as equally jarring and it's essential to work with them to find a balance. International Law and Economics are also very useful, but are easily learned in the MBA program.
What will you do with your MBA in international business?
I would love to live abroad again. My MBA has already helped me work better with multi-cultural and multi-national teams. My next step will hopefully be to work on an international project in another country.
Do you think an international business career is right for everyone?
Absolutely not! I've seen many people thrown into international business situations and some are absolutely miserable. You have to be open to very flexible late and early hours and you really have to love other cultures and the challenge of communicating and collaborating internationally.
What were the three best lessons you learned while getting your MBA in international business?
One is that different work styles are just that—different. A culture can't be condoned as lazy just because they prioritize personal relationships or a more defined hierarchy of decision-making. The second is to ask rather than guess. In International Business Ethics we read a case on Wal-Mart's entrance into the Chinese market. Rather than judging it to be good or bad, we were in the fortunate position to ask the Chinese students in the class to weigh in on how they felt. The third is that everyone has a story. Whether you're dealing with someone in the office in Seattle or at 10:30 pm in Bangalore, they all have a history and could have had a good day or a bad day. It's up to you to open up the environment for them to be able to perform at their best regardless of circumstances past or present.
You worked full-time while pursuing your career. Did you ever consider online learning?
No, I didn't. I really wanted the personal connection that a classroom program offered. I spend hours each day working with project teams around the globe and for my MBA I wanted to interact one-on-one with the professors and students.
International business is such a broad term. What did it come to mean to you?
Despite so many companies today having multinational operations, international business means more than just working with offshore teams. It's really understanding the wants and needs of a different culture and working with them to develop relevant products.
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