Bill Watts - September 30, 2016
I recently graduated with my MBA from the University of Cincinnati Lindner College of Business. I started my MBA classes in the Fall semester of 2013 and finished during the Summer of 2016. During that time, I got married, became an uncle, went to six Pearl Jam concerts, became a college professor myself, rode my bike to Greensburg, and learned a few things about Business Administration.
I wanted to get my MBA so that I could provide better services to our clients. As a professional, I build custom software for many different businesses, and my projects will continue to be software-focused. Going forward, I'll have a better understanding of the business needs of our clients, incorporating the many concepts that I've studied (e.g., Marketing, Accounting, Finance, Operations, Entrepreneurship) into our conversations, meetings, projects, and recommendations.
I finished my bachelor's degree at Xavier University in 2003. I wanted to get my MBA at UC instead of XU in order to have a broader academic exposure and because UC offered many daytime classes (XU is more focused on evenings and weekends). I'm a Musketeer for life, but I'm glad I got to spend some time at UC.
Prior to starting my MBA, I worked for ten years in the business world. My time as a professional was very valuable toward my positive MBA experience. My varied business career gave me a better understanding of the academic subjects I studied in the MBA classes.
Some of the professors and classes at UC were amazing. Because of Prof. Molly Rogers, I love Accounting more than any person should. Dr. Thomas Dalziel, the advisor for my capstone project, is a phenomenal professor and guided me in integrating my MBA knowledge with my own business operations. Some of the MBA classes at UC were fairly easy, and I'm OK with that - a class doesn't need to be insanely difficult in order to teach a concept or convey an understanding.
I am very happy with my MBA experience and results. The exercise of returning to the classroom and challenging myself intellectually in new areas was very rewarding. The knowledge that I have gained from this process will benefit me greatly throughout my life. I'm a Master of Business Administration, and that's pretty cool.