Portland State University

Last September I met with MBA alum, Yulia Smirnova (’07) to talk about how the MBA at Portland State helped her jump start her career in e-commerce and marketing.

For Yulia, the MBA gave her the confidence that she could do anything and helped her move into positions and roles that would have otherwise taken years to achieve.

This year, she made another jump in her career and launched an e-commerce consulting firm, CommerceBrain.

With CommerceBrain, she brings her extensive experience in marketing and user experience to companies to enhance the shopping experience on a global level (click here for a video about CommerceBrain).

MBA alum, Kylene Fickenscher (’10), who now works as a Sustainability Analyst for Ecova, began her professional career as a sales rep for companies selling to Target.

While Kylene's experience as a sales rep gave her a strong foundation in business fundamentals, she ultimately wanted to find a career that fueled her passion for food systems and sustainability.

To make this shift, she decided to pursue her MBA, knowing that the experience would give her a head start as she transitioned into a new industry.

Are you ready to uplevel your career? Prospective students wanting to start their MBA in Fall 2013 have one month left to apply. The priority admission deadline is May 1, 2013 for this year's class of leaders and innovators.

Jason Kallingal (MBA '12)

Many students who go back to school to earn their MBA are intent on making a specific career change. And some students, like 2012 MBA alum, Jason Kallingal, enter the program unsure of which industries or job positions they want to pursue. In Jason's case, he started the program simply knowing that he wanted to try something different — and have a significant impact on his community.

Before coming to PSU to pursue his MBA, Jason owned and managed Paccini's, an on-campus restaurant. As successful as the venture was, though, he knew he would ultimately outgrow his restaurant. So he decided to join the part-time MBA program to explore his options.