Anyone looking at my CV will see that my career path has not been entirely straightforward. I originally started out as an Audio Engineer, yet today I’m a Market Analysis and Risk Manager. It’s quite a transformation – changing industries and roles – but it’s a switch I worked hard to pursue and one that I’m pleased to say has allowed me to fast-track my ambition.

My first move into the finance world came in 2016, when I started working as a Financial Administrator in the family business in my mid-twenties. With opportunities in my initial career exhausted and the market in recovery, I was keen to switch professions and relished the chance to explore a new industry. Quite early on, however, I realised that to progress without losing momentum, I would need to cement my knowledge and fill any experience gaps with further study.

An MBA was the obvious choice. Not only would it further my understanding in finance, but it also promised to broaden my business acumen with expertise in marketing, sales and people management. With these skills under my belt, I would be empowered to progress my career into different financial sectors, without regressing in terms of pay or responsibility.

From the beginning, I had my eye on a role in private equity, investment banking or aviation, and I was keen to hit the ground running at an executive level. With this aspiration in mind, I saw a clear synergy with the course at University of Limerick – a university about which I had already heard fantastic things.

Even though I was living in Dublin and could easily have opted to study at Trinity or UCD, I chose to apply to UL. With its various finance modules, plus electives in specialist areas such as Aviation Finance, I realised I could tailor my MBA around my career goals, which was a big draw. It’s also an internationally recognised course with several accreditations including AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS – this puts UL in the top 1% of business schools and consequently it attracts a much higher calibre of student.

My experience on campus bore this out. The students in my cohort were diverse and experienced, which meant interaction in class was a dynamic part of the learning process. Our thought-provoking discussions really helped to maximise my learning at UL and I was very happy that the course, which I funded myself, was great value for money.

The MBA is perfect for exploring different sectors, departments and roles, and this, in addition to discussion with UL’s top-class lecturers, helped to clarify and shape my career goals. Two years on, with my dissertation focused on portfolio optimisation & risk management and an MBA tailored towards the finance and aviation finance sector, I was ready to realise my ambitions.

After graduation in 2018, I was well-equipped to apply for opportunities in aircraft leasing and private equity. Thanks to my tailored skillset and focused MBA learning, I was able to be selective about the jobs I accepted and found the perfect role as a Markets and Pricing Analyst with Santos Dumont, a company offering aircraft lifecycle management and advisory services to the aviation community.

The job was ideal, providing plenty of new challenges and responsibilities that called on my MBA skills – including those that were industry specific and those centred around leadership and strategy that make up the body of UL’s MBA programme.

Just one year after I started in my new role, the COVID-19 virus emerged. Far from faltering, however, I was equipped to thrive in this challenging environment. The MBA gave me the edge on how to embrace digitisation in my role, as well as helping me to overcome problems and spot inefficiencies, both in my own role and within the team.

Eight months into the pandemic I was promoted, taking on more responsibility with a more senior role. I’m proud that I was able to hold onto my job in the coronavirus era, but the MBA also gave me the strategic expertise and core skills to excel in a constantly evolving environment.

I’m now working as a Market Analysis and Risk Manager, focussing on market, risk and process analysis while managing periodic change and development initiatives within the company. It’s a role that sees me work across several cross-functional teams with additional responsibilities around graduate training programmes.

Absolutely, the leadership skills that I developed at UL have been instrumental in my success. In addition to sales, marketing and project management tools, the MBA gave me the frameworks to identify and solve problems, as well as the ability to lead teams in implementing effective change.

Confident and concise communication also enables me to present my ideas effectively, both to encourage my team to buy into an initiative and to inform and reassure those in senior management. I now report directly to senior management, often presenting to the Board, so having the language to translate complex problems into effective solutions is vital.

Without a doubt, the MBA has been instrumental in shaping my career path. Studying at UL not only honed my expertise in the aviation finance sector, it also helped me lay down strong foundations for leadership, enabling me to embrace my career change with confidence. The skills I absorbed have powered my journey, enabling me to become an agile and adaptable leader in my chosen industry.

Looking ahead, I feel that the MBA has raised the bar for me in terms of what I can achieve. Diving into a new sector or switching roles can be intimidating, but the MBA ensured I was able to boost my career trajectory while simultaneously changing direction. For anyone considering a career switch, I would encourage them to cement their decision and fuel their aspirations with an MBA at University of Limerick.