Jared Leong

University of Washington, Foster School of Business

“I want to be like water where I can slip through fingers but hold up a ship.”

Age: 31

Hometown: Born in Honolulu, Hawaii but raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Fun fact about yourself: I can tolerate extremely spicy food (I’ve won the Buffalo Wild Wings Blazin’ Challenge which measured 350,000 Scoville units or 60x hotter than jalapeño peppers).

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities; Bachelor of Chemical Engineering

Where are you currently working? Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E); Program Manager

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? My peers and colleagues have regularly sought my counsel and advice to assist with major projects even though it may be outside my job scope or role.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I chose the Hybrid MBA program because it is based on the highly-ranked UW Foster MBA that is taught by a world-class, high-caliber MBA faculty. It also offers a unique experience where it is not 100% online but contains a mandatory on-campus immersion at the start of each quarter. This provided me with an opportunity to meet my cohort and faculty members in-person for a more interpersonal experience.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? My favorite part of the Hybrid MBA program is its work-compatibility, which provided me with more flexibility in my daily schedule and allowed me to continue gaining professional experience without quitting my full-time job.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? The online education experience is different and unique because it requires me to learn at my own pace, complete assignments on my own schedules, but still enabled me to acquire the same knowledge as I would in a traditional, classroom-based experience.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Have discipline to self-study and set aside some time every day to work on assignments instead of doing it at the last minute. Also, make it a habit to attend review sessions outside of lecture even though attendance may be optional because they teach many useful tips and tricks for completing assignments and acing the exams.

What would you change about an online MBA Program? I would like to see more in-person and networking events as part of an online MBA program since professional networking is one of the most important aspects of business school.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? Absolutely, it has provided me with business acumen to analyze and interpret business models to understand their financial, operational, and strategical impacts to an organization.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent On Online MBA: 20+ hours

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? To take on a C-level executive role within an organization.

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