Written by Thomas C. Siskar, MBA ‘22:
The MBA program at the University at Buffalo has many concentrations and courses. These provide applicable and valuable skill tracks from which to choose. From my prior work experience I had a strong background in quantitative methods; however, I knew I had much to learn in business analytics. When I started the program, I wanted to find a career that would I combine my interests in finance and analytics.
There are two main ways to learn about different career opportunities and the skills needed for them:
- Review job descriptions in industries that interest you.
I spent a lot of time on BizLink and other career websites searching for industries and positions that I could see myself working in. The job postings provide clear direction into the skills companies are looking for.
- Talk to people in the industry.
Through the University at Buffalo’s alumni network, I met many people working in finance and analytics roles. All the conversations were insightful to better understand both the day-to-day of the positions and, more precisely, the skills I needed to obtain.
Prior to creating my course schedule each semester, I reviewed the skills taught in each course. I looked for courses that taught technologies like Tableau, Advanced Excel, SQL, R and other programming languages. These skills directly matched the job descriptions of positions that interested me. Now that I’m working in revenue management, these skills are extremely important for my day-to-day tasks.
The MBA at UB has provided me a launchpad for my career through both the application of coursework and its strong alumni network. For those entering or currently in the program, I strongly recommend meeting with the Career Resource Center (CRC), as they provided me with information and connections that were crucial for my career advancement. And for those applying or considering applying to the UB MBA, I believe you will find this program provides the necessary tools for a successful career.
Bio – Thomas C. Siskar is a second year MBA student at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is currently working as a Revenue Management Analytics intern at Life Storage, a publicly traded self-storage REIT.