Salary Diaries sheds light on the sometimes taboo and often mysterious topic of MBAs and money, including how people pay for their advanced degree and their salary after graduation and beyond.
This time, a Full-time MBA alumnus from the Class of ‘19 finds his passion pivoting into a product manager role in the renewable energy industry and earns a $120,000 salary.
Full-time MBA Stats
MBA Program: Full-time MBA ‘19
Current Age: 32
Pronouns: He/him/his
Undergraduate Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Pre-MBA Years of Work Experience: 2
Pre-MBA Industry: Information Technology
Pre-MBA Occupation: Software Consultant
Pre-MBA Salary: $75,000
Current Industry: Renewable Energy
Current Occupation: Product Manager
Current Salary: $120,000
Current City: Roswell, GA
Why did you pursue a Full-time MBA? Why Scheller?
I was looking for career advancement into managing technology products. Scheller's tech-centric curriculum, career placement, and affordability were very attractive.
What do you wish you knew before starting your MBA?
I wish I had tried to focus more on learning strategy planning and leadership. It's all about balancing benefits and values between the interests of different stakeholders and business units. The ability to advocate for the product and engineering teams to mitigate risks and overcome pressures for efficient yet realistic progress has been more important than ever in product management.
How did you finance your MBA?
I financed my MBA with a GRA and personal funds.
Anything you would have done differently?
There isn’t anything much I would have done differently. Scheller has the high ROI I've expected.
Thoughts or advice about the ROI of an MBA:
I would focus on your job placement after graduation.
How did you balance personal life and your studies in the MBA program?
Always allot enough time and space to connect with family and close friends. I tended to slot my activities (even breaks and off-work/study times) into blocks during busy days to make myself more cognizant of what needed to be done and what didn’t. It sounds a bit like micromanaging so it may not fit everyone, but I found it effective.
What was an obstacle you had to overcome to get your MBA?
I changed the course of my career path and had to prepare and ready myself with a new skillset and mindset.
Was there ever a moment that you had to practice resilience during the program?
While most of my classmates had some prior knowledge, accounting was a particular shortcoming of mine going into the first semester. I had a lot of struggles but with hard work and help from others I was able to take the challenge and five years later, I am in a comfortable position being the point of contact for the product team working with AR and audit in my current role.
Download: Full-time MBA Employment Report