Programme: Full-time MBA, 2021
Nationality: British
Pre-MBA: Business Development Manager, GoCardless, London, UK
Post-MBA: Customer Success Manager, Braze, London, UK
Current industry: Software
Transition: Function
Bayes was so welcoming – I knew it was the place for me.
I worked in sales for a long time, but I was increasingly unhappy.
My first degree was in languages, but not wanting to be a teacher or translator I got into sales, working for various tech start-ups over several years. Eventually, I found myself stressed and unfulfilled. I wanted a change, so I took some time out, earned a couple of project management qualifications and did some informal online training. But I realised I wanted something more structured.
Accelerating my career
An MBA was perfect for me because it was geared towards accelerating my career without me having to completely start over.
Initially I thought about taking a subject-specific master’s like computer science or marketing, but that meant going back to fundamentals, which I didn’t want to do. What’s great about an MBA is that it leverages your knowledge and expertise and helps you build on it to open up so many opportunities – which is important if you’re not totally sure what you want to do.
I looked at a few different MBAs, but it was the people at Bayes that sealed it for me.
I visited one London university and it was all focused on how great and important they are, whereas when I visited Bayes, it was so much more about how it could benefit and help me overcome my challenges.
Bayes was right for me
The people at Bayes were so welcoming, human and unpretentious, I knew immediately this was the right place for me.
During my undergraduate degree I didn’t commit myself as much as I should have done – I had a point to prove.
I decided to treat studying like a full-time job, and there were weeks where I would spend long days reading and studying. Make no mistake, the MBA is very intense, but the more you put in, the more you get out.
I very much enjoyed modules that had a more quantitative edge to them, such as those focused on operations management, strategy and tech – modules which felt tangible. I also got a lot out of my electives, such as New Venture Creation, which was almost like a mini-MBA in itself – by the end you come out with a business plan and a full understanding of running your own company.
The faculty were incredibly supportive and very good at delivering in accessible, understandable ways. I knew nothing about corporate finance going in, but now feel very comfortable discussing it. I now frequently read the Financial Times or watch Bloomberg, which I couldn’t have imagined myself doing previously.
I’ve built a network I’ll reach out to for the rest of my career.
It’s a varied cohort but everyone was so helpful to each other. We’d work together on industry projects and if someone was knowledgeable in a particular field, they’d run revision sessions for the rest of us. I’ve kept in touch with Bayes and was even invited to give the graduation speech the following year, which was an incredible experience.
Bayes gave me opportunity
I’m incredibly grateful the MBA gave me an opportunity in a field I would have disregarded.
For my Business Mastery Project I designed a customer success team for a start-up. Diving into the history and theory of the field really influenced my career as I’m now a Customer Success Manager for Braze, a leading marketing technology platform for helping businesses to engage with their customers in a more personalised and meaningful way.
When I was thinking about my career, the Careers and Professional Development Team helped me realise that I could take the aspects of sales I liked – such as the relationships and solving problems – and use them to focus on finding a job that fitted me. And it worked – I love my job.
An MBA helps you see the big picture.
Not only did the MBA open the door to my current role, but it’s also given me the ability to understand the macro business context of why decisions are made and how your specific role contributes. It gives you that elevated view that’s so vital if you want to progress.