2019 Best Online MBAs: Jeremy Searer, University of Delaware (Lerner)

Jeremy Searer

University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics Online MBA

“I’m a Self-driven, highly motivated young professional that strives for continuous improvement and developing others.”

Age: 32

Hometown: Oxford, Pennsylvania

Fun fact about yourself: I have a twin sister.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Pennsylvania State University, Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Where are you currently working? I work for Exelon at Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station as a Control Room Supervisor and Shift Manager.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I’m most proud of obtaining my senior reactor operator license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to allow me to control and operate both reactors at Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station. I’m most proud of this accomplishment because, after a stringent selection process, I spent two years in initial license training to learn this special and unique technology. Throughout the training process, I was continually tested and challenged, as I was required to pass a multitude of in-field job performance measures, simulator scenarios, written examinations, and oral boards.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I chose the online MBA program at the University of Delaware due to its accreditation, the class structure, and the flexibility it provided me. I work a five-week rotating shift work schedule with a mix of twelve-hour day, night, weekday, and weekend shifts. The program at the University of Delaware allowed me to complete the required coursework each week during my own time around my strenuous work schedule.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? I enjoyed getting to know other classmates, participate in collegial discussions with them, and gain real-life tools that I was able to apply in my current job.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? It was a much different experience. When I did my undergrad, I lived on campus, and my sole responsibility was attending class to obtain a degree. During the pursuit of my MBA, I had a full-time job. Therefore, I worked through the courses on days that I had off. The online experience gave me the freedom to make my own classroom schedule, and it varied from week to week.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? The best piece of advice I can provide is to learn from other classmates. My program consisted of professionals from a multitude of different industries and work environments. Reading and discussing through their experiences in concert with the materials helped shape my actions and behaviors in my own job. Practical application of the course materials helped solidify the learning.

What would you change about an online MBA Program? There were a lot of team projects in the various classes throughout the course of the program. Professors need to exercise caution in how team projects are implemented. In many cases, student’s differing work schedules inhibit the ability for classmates to meet in live time. This has the potential to decrease the effectiveness of the overall goal of the project to aid in the learning of course material.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? As I moved into a management position, the online education provided me with the required tools and a skillset to effectively manage my direct reports. My team is high performing, motivated, and effective due to the leadership skills I learned through the MBA program.

If you had to do it all over again, would you? Why? Yes, I would do it again because the relationships and support network that I have built during this process will be invaluable to me as I continue throughout my career.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I want to continue to move up within my current company into an executive level of leadership. I also want to start my own business to become profitable outside of my existing full-time position.

DON’T MISS: THE ENTIRE LIST OF THE BEST & BRIGHTEST ONLINE MBAS OF 2019 or POETS&QUANTS’ 2019 RANKING OF THE BEST ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS

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