SuccessBeyond

I was already enrolled in Seneca’s Electronics Engineering advanced diploma program, but I was struggling to keep up with the engineering courses. The Business Administration – Marketing advanced diploma was suggested to me, so I decided to pursue it.

The professors in the School of Marketing were superb. They were knowledgeable, helpful, and experts in the profession. My classmates in both the diploma and degree programs were joyful to work with and made learning that much better.

With constant feedback, learning and sharing of experiences from my peers and professors, I was able to learn and retain what was taught in class. I was able to apply it to the sales industry and my MBA program. The knowledge I’ve acquired from both the advanced diploma and degree has been really paying off as I have a competitive advantage in most courses compared with my current peers.

I participated in the Ontario Colleges Marketing Competition twice, first as a quiz bowl contestant and then as a case competition team. I was able to apply my classroom learning in real-life experiences and got to have fun along the way.

I needed to stay competitive in the market, as Canadian jobs are highly competitive. The marketing degree would eventually serve as a path to my master’s degree which it did, as I always wanted to do an MBA.

Most of the first-year courses in the MBA have similar content to what I studied in the second year of my degree at Seneca. I am able to apply the knowledge and adjust to the learning more quickly.

I also have a more thorough understanding of marketing fundamentals, which gives me an edge. Most of the marketing and business strategy courses, I am leading the class discussions and able to apply topics to real-world case studies and current business issues.

The degree built on the diploma fundamentals by adding scope and a deeper analysis of problems. Having the same professors teach courses also helped, as the familiarity with the teaching styles assisted with better learning. I found that transition very smooth.

The MBA, however, is very fast paced and there is not much time to absorb the taught materials. From what I understand so far, the goal of the MBA is to put and keep you under pressure with timeline-driven deliverables to simulate a realistic business environment.

Other than having a roadmap to the C-suite in an organization in the future, having the diploma and degree helped solidify my business and marketing fundamentals which are not taught in the master’s program. 

Only students with a business background and especially with a diploma have a thorough understanding of these concepts. The upper-year management and data analytics courses helped learn and apply the concepts.

My advice is to make sure you know the fundamentals of business and marketing inside out – in your sleep. This is not taught in an MBA. If you do not know it, you may be lost.

Another thing is to learn how to co-lead or lead in a group environment with different backgrounds with people who have different backgrounds and opinions from yourself. Take every opportunity you can to work other majors in the elective courses.

It is hard to balance work, school and life in an MBA. If you cannot perform under stress, you are not ready for the business world. The only way to get school and life in balance is to ask yourself what you prioritize from the master’s or the bachelor’s degree. What is the return on investment you are seeking from those credentials? Some just want the credentials, while some want to learn and excel in academia, like myself.

Other than school, I have actively applied to winter term 2023 co-op positions. I also keep up with my physical fitness by regularly going to the gym to maintain physical and mental health.

My plans for the short-term are secure a job for my co-op and to continue my academic pursuits. In the long-term, I would like to work for a Fortune 500 company in the marketing field and hopefully reach the C-suite within the next 10 years.