Applying to the Rady School’s full-time MBA program was a considered step. After five years of exploring different aspects of supply chain management, I desired to tackle larger challenges. I wanted to become an entrepreneur in my field and leverage my technical expertise along with a business education to create profitability and resource efficiency for my own startup.
Although the operations management experience I gained while working for Coca Cola helped me develop strong creative, leadership and teamwork skills, I realized that I needed to enhance my capabilities in varied business functions in order to successfully operate my own startup. Similarly, despite my background in technology and management education, I still needed to broaden my understanding of essential areas such as finance, strategy and marketing specifically for entrepreneurship.
Rady’s focus on entrepreneurial and action based learning aligned with my future goals. With exceptional coursework like “Lab to Market”, easy access to research oriented faculty, and numerous industry tie-ups, I know I am better equipped to start this new entrepreneurial phase of my career upon graduation. In addition, gaining firsthand knowledge from professors like Terrence August and Del Foit, who have successfully launched their own startups, does not only provide me a broader perspective but also strategic viewpoints of established entrepreneurs.
So where am I today? I am in the last quarter of my MBA and I just graduated from one of Rady’s student and alumni accelerator programs for startups, StartR. StartR not only helped me refine my startup idea but the experience also provided me with vital industry connections in the beverage world. We are currently in the process of incorporation and are looking forward to launching our first sample product by end of our last quarter. In the end, Rady’s MBA program enabled me to be part of a vibrant community where I grew both professionally and personally and embody the entrepreneurial and innovative values of a school that has fuelled the success of so many others before me.
Want to learn more about the Rady School of Management’s innovative and entrepreneurship-focused MBA program? Download our MBA insights eBook, featuring where alumni work, support available for student entrepreneurs at Rady and more.
Rajdeep Sidhu (15’) is a full-time MBA student from the Rady School of Management.