Magdalena Garlińska
1. What influenced your decision to undertake MBA studies at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology?
First of all, the excellent prestige of the University, which in my opinion was a guarantee of a high level of education, as well as the fact that the MBA studies were created in cooperation with Microsoft and included issues related to the actual needs of the market in their curriculum. Additionally, I was interested in specialized MBA studies, so that the knowledge I would acquire would be targeted at the IT industry, and the lecturers would share not only theoretical knowledge, but also their experiences from everyday work. It is also important to emphasize that the curriculum covered not only management issues, but also classes in the area of latest technologies, during which one could get acquainted, for example, with key cybersecurity issues.
2. How do you remember the time spent on MBA 4 IT at PJAIT? What was most important to you during the studies themselves?
This year was very intensive. Professional work from Monday to Friday, studies on weekends. However, the class schedule was prepared in such a way that it allowed to combine work duties with personal development. The classes were prepared in an interesting form, i.e., not only lectures, but also situational games, workshops, discussions, to arouse the interest of listeners even at the end of the day. The lecturers established a very professional, friendly contact with us right at the beginning of the classes, not on a lecturer-student basis, but rather as equals representing the same industry, which allowed the classes to be conducted in a pleasant, open atmosphere. It happened that classes dragged on because of many interesting questions and discussions, and the lecturer stayed with us as long as we needed. We exchanged business cards with all lecturers, and I maintain contact with some of them to this day. Acquaintances and contacts made with other students are also very important. I was very impressed when I met many professionals from the IT sector among the listeners, who were also very eager to share their knowledge and experience. I had the impression that in most classes we learned from each other by exchanging experiences from our previous professional careers.
3. Which areas from the curriculum covered during the MBA studies were most important to you and proved most useful in your professional life?
The most interesting and developmental for me were those classes that constituted a synergy of theory and practice. From the point of view of my work, public speaking classes were very useful. We received a huge dose of practical knowledge from a very experienced lecturer. Classes on systemic human resources management were also very valuable, thanks to which one could learn the nuances of team building and management from the perspective of an HR professional. Most importantly, the classes were mostly based on case studies, and the lecturers shared both practical knowledge and their many years of practical experience. A big positive surprise for me were classes related to cybersecurity. Despite the fact that these are not entirely the topics of my professional interests, difficult scientific and technological issues were presented in a very accessible way.
4. How do you assess the cooperation of MBA students during classes and the contact between the student and the lecturer? Are the relationships that managed to be created important to you?
Very collegial contacts developed very quickly among the students in my group. Networking took place not only during classes at the university, but often dragged on into late evening hours. Many friendships last to this day. The biggest surprise for me was the diverse profile of the participants of the studies – from university employees, public administration units to management staff at various levels. Thanks to this, the experiences and knowledge that we could share were diverse, and this was undoubtedly a high added value. As for the lecturers, as I mentioned earlier, collegial contacts were quickly established with the listeners. An atmosphere of equality was built. It should be remembered that MBA studies are not classes that we remember from past years of education. Here, virtually all of us are at a similar level of professional development and we were treated as such – as discussion partners. Such two-way knowledge transfer was something amazing, there was no silence in the classes, there were plenty of questions and interesting discussions – mainly thanks to the atmosphere in the group and the approach of the lecturers.
5. In what way did the MBA studies contribute to the development of your professional career?
I have always been a one hundred percent goal-oriented person. When I became the manager of a team of substantive experts representing various fields of science, I quickly understood that in such a demanding and diverse environment, my interpersonal competencies would be key. I have the impression that the knowledge and skills acquired during these studies developed precisely these competencies and thanks to this I manage to build a great team in which I want to work. I managed to understand what kind of leader I want to be and how to build such a work team in which I myself would send application documents. I now successfully use a huge part of the acquired knowledge both at work and in my private life.
6. What values, apart from the curriculum itself, were most important to you during the MBA studies themselves?
Choosing MBA studies at PJAIT, I expected professionalism and experience, and we received this from the lecturers without a doubt. One of the additional arguments that helped me make the decision about where I would do my MBA diploma was the fact that the studies offered by PJAIT were 1-year, the study plan was very intensive, but the final result was faster and thanks to this I could plan other developmental activities for the coming years. During the studies, apart from the curriculum itself and the acquired knowledge, the most important turned out to be the contacts made, both with female and male colleagues from the group as well as with lecturers.
7. What advice could you give to potential candidates for MBA studies?
The most important thing is not to be afraid. Do not tell yourself that I am not ready yet, that maybe I will start MBA studies in a few years when I have more professional experience. Let us leave such assessments to the people recruiting us for studies. Of course, you must meet the recruitment requirements, it is good to have managerial experience, but in my opinion it really does not have to be 30 years of it – in such a case let us decide on an EMBA. The knowledge that a graduate will have after completing these studies will allow them to better shape themselves as a leader, and the sooner this happens, the better. I suggest choosing MBA studies specialized in the industry in which we work and plan to develop, thanks to this we will receive knowledge focused on the needs of a given sector, and not general knowledge. And above all, I encourage you to start these studies with an open mind, be ready for changes, absorb the knowledge and experiences of others, and then observe what the effects will be.
