Piotr Slupczynski

1. What influenced you to pursue an MBA at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology?

I once heard in a conversation with the CEO of a corporation that nothing is as life-changing as an MBA. I have been involved in the IT industry for more than 21 years. I myself had previously completed two post-graduate courses and had been thinking about taking an MBA for a long time. There are many programs of this type on the market. After reading the study descriptions and careful analysis, I decided on a specialized MBA program for the IT industry at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Computer Technology. What ultimately determined my choice was the experienced staff of lecturers - practitioners. Today I know that it was a very good decision. Another step taken!

2. How do you recall your time at MBA 4 IT at PJAIT? What was the most significant thing for you during the studies themselves?

My time at the MBA program at the Faculty of Computer Science at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology in Warsaw was an exceptional period for me - I learned a lot, I also learned a lot about myself, but most of all I had the opportunity to meet a wonderful group of people - open-minded, professional and extremely friendly.

3. What areas from the curriculum covered during the MBA program were most relevant and useful to you in your professional life?

Most relevant to me were classes in public speaking, the psychology of leadership and managerial decisions, and branding.

As I have already mentioned, professionally I am involved in, among other things, conducting and developing original training programs. Practical classes in public speaking were very important to me - they significantly influenced my way of imparting knowledge.

In addition, I understood what the process of building a personal brand is, which consists of a lot of factors. I applied the tips and guidelines to my own person and my career development definitely accelerated.

Very meaningful for me were the classes on privacy and reputation protection in the age of the Internet and the change management process. I was very impressed by the classes on business psychology. They touched on issues of empathy, respect, communication errors, proactive attitude, the law of closing figures, and pointed out the importance of feedback.

4. How do you assess the cooperation of MBA students during the course and the contact between the student and the lecturer. Are the relationships that have been established important to you?

Relationships are one of the most important values in these studies. As a group, we worked very well with each other and with the lecturers. We were very active in class and open to the guidance of the instructors. We were eager to work in groups. I would describe the contacts with the lecturers as partnerships, and I would call some of them leaders. I consider the organization of the study during the difficult period of the pandemic to be perfect.

Thank you to the lecturers, participants and study organizers for this amazing adventure

5. How did your MBA study contribute to your career development?

Undoubtedly, these studies have changed my life. As a proxy for the CEO of one of the listed companies, I was able to develop soft skills, which are very useful in a company with an engineering focus. During my studies, the editor-in-chief of one of the specialized magazines offered me to run a regular column on raising awareness of cyber security. Today, I'm already working with several publications - I've always liked sharing knowledge, and now I've discovered a passion for writing specialized articles. I often contribute as a speaker at conferences, congresses and seminars on social engineering, security, cyber-security and fraud using the latest technologies. I would like to add that for more than 11 years I have been the owner of a company in the field of information and education services, which is registered in the register of training institutions. I am currently in the process of writing a post-conference scientific publication at the Air Force Military Academy in Deblin, and am seriously thinking about a doctorate.

6. What values, beyond the curriculum itself, were most important to you during the MBA itself?

I met high-class professionals and managers from my industry. The mutual exchange of experiences, acquaintances and sometimes friendships remain priceless. If you add to this experienced lecturers declaring consulting even after graduation, you get an incredible bonus for your future career path.

I will mention that thanks to these studies and the people I met there, I started the adventure of playing golf.

7. What tips could you give to potential MBA candidates?

An MBA teaches a different perspective on the changing world and allows you to spread your wings. Combining practical knowledge with theoretical knowledge while working in a group produces amazing results. The opportunity to exchange mutual experiences makes problem-solving skills come easily and stay in the minds of participants for a long time. Added to this are the contacts with participants and faculty of the studies, which are an incredible added value of this program.