Meet Quantic’s MBA Class of 2022: Kate Jumeaux

Kate Jumeaux

Quantic School of Business and Technology

“I am a hard-working professional who is adventurous, driven, and loves to take risks.”

City, State, Country: Canberra, ACT, Australia

Fun fact about yourself: I love all things water-sports, whether it’s wakeboarding, windsurfing, water skiing or even the ‘frozen’ water-sports — skiing and snowboarding.

Undergraduate school and major: Curtin University of Technology, Bachelor of Commerce, Accounting and Finance

Current Employer and Job Title: Leidos, Australia, Project Manager

Why did you choose an online format like Quantic? I like working in a more agile sense, learning iteratively at a different pace, when it suits me. I live a busy life by choice. Between work, socializing, and board meetings, it’s hard to find time to sit down and watch a long lecture or sit through a long class. This format helps me fit in studying in my personal time so that I have more of a work, study, and life balance.

I also chose the program for the community of other students and alumni around the world who I can connect and collaborate with. The diversity of thought is something I’m really excited to learn from, and contribute to, in group assignments and throughout this experience.

Notwithstanding, the format and programming allows me to continue to work and invest in my career whilst I study and work towards achieving my MBA.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Quantic’s programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? I think it was the amount of information and how it’s structured, along with being able to move at your own pace and start topics early if you desire. The information available to me was a key factor in my decision. The lessons are continually growing and updated. The fact that Quantic students are lucky enough to have access to this information even after graduation effectively allows me to continue to learn. With the rate at which our world is changing, having access to updated and relevant information is incredibly important to ensure we are well informed and educated in respective matters.

Give us an example of a lesson you gained during your Quantic MBA and how did you apply it at work? I think a key takeaway from my experience to date is learning that the traditional methods aren’t always the best. It’s important to embrace changes and do things differently, such as the way this MBA is being run.

Quantic is a highly competitive and only about 10% of students who apply to the MBA program are admitted. What advice would you give to someone who intends to apply to Quantic to increase their odds of being accepted?

I was very hesitant to apply personally, but decided to give it a go. I think just giving it a go is important! In the past year, I had done a significant amount of professional development in terms of taking industry courses and took advantage of every learning opportunity available to me. I think an attitude towards growth and development is key to display throughout the process. Also, research as much as you can and don’t forget to do your business foundations courses.

What achievement are you most proud of as an MBA Student and why? I think just taking the risk and applying for the program. I was unsure whether I would get in.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career and why? In my professional career, I think I’m most proud of the risks I’ve taken. I took a significant time off work to take an opportunity to study at Stanford University for a semester, which proved to be one of the most rewarding experiences and changed my career path.

I also made a significant pivot, having studied accounting and finance and then moving to the other side of the country during COVID to start a graduate position in project management, in a city where I knew only one person. This experience spurred huge growth, personally and technically, and gave me the opportunity to grow and really kick start my career. I’ve also been recently nominated for an industry award, which is very exciting to get recognition for all the hard work I’ve put in over the past 18 months.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal and how has your MBA studies helped you make progress in this area? I don’t necessarily have a long-term professional goal. I think there is a beauty in the unknown and not having a set goal so to speak, which enables you to explore opportunities you may not have previously considered. I’m very much someone who is driven to achieve, although don’t have a specific goal so to speak in mind. I’m motivated by participating and working on projects that I’m passionate about with amazing and talented colleagues, driving impact and being challenged to continually improve. Whether this is growing my leadership or technical skills, I want to continue to grow and develop in all aspects of my life, career or otherwise.

DON’T MISS: THE DISRUPTERS: MEET THE QUANTIC CLASS OF 2022

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