Meet Ohio State’s MBA Class of 2018

Murphy Jordan Goodman

Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business

Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee

Education:

University of Pittsburgh, Accounting and Finance

Employment:

United States Navy and United States Navy Reserve,

Rank: Lieutenant,

Position: Information Warfare/Cryptologic Warfare Officer

Describe yourself in 15 words or less: Devoted Husband. Dependable Friend. Seeker of fun, knowledge, and consensus. Loyal Patriot. Proud African- American.

Fun fact about yourself: I had to learn how to walk again twice this year due to a bilateral hip condition.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: My biggest accomplishment in my career so far was the successful completion of my deployment to Iraq during the 2011 draw down. I played a critical role in transitioning electronic warfare assets out of country while providing reliable force protection capabilities to troops on the ground.  

Looking back on your experience, what advice would you give to future business school applicants?  I am someone who is transitioning to a new field. I served as cryptologic warfare officer and didn’t use any Generally Accepted Accounting Principles to get the job done. My advice, especially for people who are transitioning to a new field, is to take your time when you are evaluating MBA programs. You are going to invest a lot of blood and treasure into this process. Obviously, the number one goal is to get a job afterwards, but you should also take into account the program’s culture and what the school is offering outside of the classroom that will help you achieve your goal and make the process as user friendly as possible.

As far as the application process is concerned, you need to have a theme to your application that resonates throughout your essays, interviews, and other interactions during the process. The theme will serve as a constant drum beat that will help focus you on your goals and what you want out of the process while also painting a clear picture of yourself to decision makers.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? The MBA program at Fisher clearly demonstrated to me, through multiple interactions, that they were invested in making the program challenging, collaborative, and meaningful. I could tell that they took great care in putting together their cohort and I was excited about all the different ways a student could contribute to the university and the community while in the program.

They allowed me to get the maximum benefit out of my GI Bill by affording me the opportunity to attend a top MBA program that shares the same values of hard work, fairness, and serving the common good that I hold in high regard. This is a program that is dedicated to inclusiveness while producing scholarly and prepared business leaders. I am excited to contribute to the Fisher community and learning from my new classmates.

Tell us about your dream job or dream employer at this point in your life?  I would love to work as a brand manager at a large consumer goods company. I know how to navigate large organizations and I look forward to having the responsibility, authority, and accountability associated with the position. I am excited about the prospect of performing a diversified set of tasks each day that result in delivering products that help people solve problems.

Coming from the intelligence community, this area of business made the most sense to me. I am excited about leading cross functional teams and analyzing different sets of information to derive insight on consumers in order to provide value to them. The role seems like the best job that allows you to lead, take risks, be creative, and ultimately create something useful.

What would you like your business school peers to say about you after you graduate from this program?  I would like them to say that I shared information freely and that they valued my sincerity, encouragement, and jokes. Most importantly, I hope that they say that they look forward to working with me in the future.