MBA

I’m proud to share that I walked the stage at commencement a little over a week ago to be awarded a Master of Business Administration in Business Analytics from the Dillard College of Business Administration at Midwestern State University.

What’s next for me? Nothing different. My work at Automattic has been slowly shifting from engineering to business leadership. Within that scope, I pursued this degree to have a deeper awareness of business topics with the added confidence to decide and execute. “I’m not a business person…” was a typical qualifier used when the engineers and engineering leads spoke about ideas, and I did not want to have that over my head.

With over 10 years of experience working at a fully distributed tech company, I have a unique perspective in leadership and management circles. As an MBA holder and a software engineer, I have a unique perspective bridging these two disciplines. During the program, I immediately put the classroom into practice, and I look forward to continuing.

On a personal note, I was nervous about starting this program. For various reasons, I could not prioritize my education during my undergraduate years, which zapped my educational self-confidence. The degree wasn’t easy, yet, I graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA. I scored in the top 2% nationwide on the MBA Major Field Test (a standardized comprehensive exam). I was named to the Financial Management Association’s National Honor Roll and inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society. I was named Graduate Man of the Year 2023-2024 for Midwestern State University. And worked full-time, continuing to volunteer at church and the baseball fields and being a Dad to six incredible daughters.

I don’t like to make a big deal out of myself all that much, but I want to take a victory lap on this one.

The girls are finishing their last week of school, and I’m preparing for my quinquennial three-month sabbatical starting May 30th. My first stop: London for my and Vanessa’s first solo vacation—with no babies in tow or being pregnant and not traveling for someone’s wedding—since before we were married. Due to her teaching schedule, by the time we took our Spring Break honeymoon, she was already pregnant!