Rod Louisa always wanted to get an MBA.
With two Bachelor of Applied Science degrees and years of professional experience in both IT and IT consulting, he knew that he was likely a strong candidate. “I had been following Canada's MBA rankings,” says Rod. “I applied to McGill and Queen's and I was accepted to both, but I had my heart set on McGill.”
But after earning his undergraduate degree in the States, enduring the 2008 financial crisis and moving to Canada, he wasn't prepared to take on the student loans required to accept the offer from McGill's Desautels Faculty of Management.
Instead, he has embarked on what he calls “my own MBA” at McGill's School of Continuing Studies. He earned a Diploma in Entrepreneurship in 2018, a Graduate Certificate in Leadership in 2019, and he's on track to complete both a Diploma in Management and a Graduate Certificate in International Business by 2020.
A McGill MBA is 45 credits; Rod will ultimately earn 75 credits from the School. He completes two courses per semester while working full-time as Web and Applications Performance Manager at Bell Canada, as well as serving as vice-president of academic affairs for the McGill Association of Continuing Education Students.
His ultimate goal is to obtain an executive position in the IT sector. “To be able to grow a business - from a small enterprise to a medium-to-large company - that was my gap. Now I'm equipped and I'm armed to do exactly that.”
He is proof that the School has both the flexibility and the standard of excellence to prepare learners for the future of work. “I'm doing this at my own pace; I'm showing that it can be done.”