Piotr Pobikrowski

1. What influenced your decision to pursue an MBA at PJAIT?

My wife has always been my greatest inspiration for professional development. Seeing her attitude and successes, one could not help but feel that professional satisfaction and growth can be achieved simply by improving oneself. I desired this exact kind of development, and with that desire came other goals: searching for answers on how to be a good employee, a good boss, how to co-create a friendly work culture, how to build one's own future. At the same time, PJAIT has a strong reputation among technical academies and also offered MBA studies focused on the IT industry, which was important to me. I decided it would be a good investment in myself and my development, and I was not disappointed.

2. How do you recall your time spent on the MBA for IT at PJAIT? What was most important to you during the studies themselves?

I must admit that initially, the classes felt like weekend school, but we very quickly established deeper relationships, both among participants and with some of the instructors. I must admit that studying within this specific group was the most significant value for me. Thanks to this, the content we listened to and discussed was even more valuable because we were open to sharing our experiences and listening to each other carefully. Some of those relationships are still ongoing.

3. Which areas of the curriculum covered during the MBA studies were most important to you and proved most useful in your professional life?

First of all, the knowledge related to project, people, and team management, business, and even security proved very useful. Nevertheless, the other topics were also a solid dose of knowledge, often serving as a background that allowed for better performance of professional duties and a better understanding of business, e.g., all the knowledge about financial or economic mechanisms.

4. How do you assess the cooperation between MBA students during classes and the contact between students and lecturers? Are the relationships that you managed to build important to you?

I partially answered this in the previous questions, but expanding on the topic, I happened to join a very open group. We had people with various experiences and in different positions, but there was always complete openness and acceptance for every student. The lecturers, who are professionals in their fields, also treated us like partners. Out of all these relationships, many spontaneous integration meetings and contacts—not only business ones—arose. I am certain that after a few years, everyone would be ready to help others without hesitation if the need arose. That is a great value.

5. In what way did the MBA studies contribute to the development of your professional
career?

Thanks to the studies, the acquired knowledge, and skills, I received very interesting job offers. Ultimately, I am working as the head of a PMO team that brings together many different competencies, but above all communicates with clients, understands business, gathers requirements, plans development work, and is responsible for product quality and punctuality. I can say that my work is still full of new challenges and I am still learning new things, but very often I see how much the MBA studies at PJAIT contributed to who I am now. And this is not the end of my journey yet.

7. What advice would you give to potential candidates for MBA studies?

Trust the process, invest your time and commitment, be open to people and content, and the value will appear very quickly. Appreciate the value of networking and relationships; nowadays, many businesses and contracts are secured through referrals. This is a value that cannot be overestimated.