One of the primary reasons I opted for the Executive MBA at University of Limerick was the diversity of the UL cohort. I was keen to network with people from a variety of backgrounds, and with such a wealth of industries in the Limerick area, I felt this would maximise my opportunities to learn something new from my fellow students.

I wanted to experience new ideas and different ways of thinking. UL works hard to ensure that you mix with your fellow students on the course, so I knew there would be plenty of opportunities to absorb expertise from other fields.

Not only that, but University of Limerick’s MBA also had a great reputation, and it made sense for me thanks to the three-day block release structure, meaning that the course didn’t impact my personal life. I had high expectations for the course, and it did not disappoint.

People often ask what you learn on the course, but it’s not just individual modules. Although I learned a huge amount about finance, strategy, HR, sales and marketing (and more), I learned a lot about myself during my time on the course. The experiences and the work with other students helped enhance my communication skills and develop better decision-making capabilities with greater insight and self-awareness.

Prior to the MBA, I led on instinct, letting my personality dominate. But the MBA taught me to put that to one side and think about things from a different perspective. The critical thinking modules pushed me to take a more logical view and I’m more able to take calculated decisions now to achieve a desired result.

Overall, my people skills improved a great deal and my view on the world changed after the MBA. In fact, I sat the course when I was 30 years of age, but on completion I felt like I ended up with experience that would not naturally have accrued until my 40s.

In any career, there are three key strands: people, technical knowledge, and money. When I applied for the MBA, I was transitioning from a technical management role to more of a business leadership role, so I felt I had the technical aspect well under control, but my people skills and my expertise in finance and operations needed further development. The MBA made perfect sense to improve those two parameters where I was lacking in experience.

With these new-found capabilities, I definitely added value to the company. I was lucky enough to get sponsored to study, but I’d say it was a wise investment on their part. Any company considering sponsorship should know that they will recuperate the cost in a very short period of time.

The benefits were apparent from day one, and I was able to return to my employer with so much more to give, but the skills I learned have also stayed with me throughout my career. In fact, they paved the way for quite a big career change.

Post-MBA, I spent almost 10 years working with the electronics company that sponsored my studies. I quickly progressed from an engineering and operations role to becoming Plant Director, liaising with the commercial team and taking ownership of P&L. This was a great role with a really great company, but with my family commitments changing, I felt it was time to make a change.

In 2021, I made the difficult decision to leave the company. I had spent the earlier part of my career working as a research & development engineer in the medical devices industry and felt that I would like to revert back to that form of work. Instead of applying for roles directly, I identified a full-time university fellowship programme that specialised in needs-led MedTech innovation and thought that this would be the perfect conduit back into the R&D space. So, I actually returned to complete a second Masters in my early forties.

After completing my studies, I was lucky enough to have been introduced to a highly innovative company in Galway that was designing and developing devices to treat Acute Ischemic Stroke. This company is known as Johnson & Johnson MedTech Neurovascular, of which I am now a permanent employee. I currently act as Technical Lead on a novel technology where I leverage Automation and Robotics qualifications I gained after the MBA. My new role really interests me, and I have a great work-life balance as it’s based just 10 minutes from home.

I still draw on the things I learned about myself at UL and on the relationships I built outside of MedTech. In fact, I’m still friendly with some of the guys I met on the MBA and often touch base with them to get their opinion on things.

If you had told me three or four years ago where I would be today, I would not have believed you, but the MBA gives you the confidence to switch paths and hit the ground running.