2018 Best Online MBAs: Tim Miller, Ohio University

Tim Miller

Ohio University

“I’m a business leader, drummer, and aspiring entrepreneur. Helping people unlock their potential inspires me.”

Hometown: Springfield, Massachusetts

Fun fact about yourself: In 2011, I was part of a group of 150 performers that won gold in Drum Corps International’s World Championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Massachusetts Amherst, Natural Resource Studies

Where are you currently working? Triumvirate Environmental, Inc.            

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? The mark of success when moving on from a job can be measured by the success of the replacement. Since starting with Triumvirate Environmental in 2012, I’ve consistently taken on new roles and new challenges. What I’m most proud of is the legacy that I’m able to leave behind that makes the people replacing me more successful in a shorter amount of time. If I did a good job, my replacement will be more effective than I was. Being able to carve the path of a critical role in a quickly-growing firm is something I’m very proud of.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? Ohio University’s reputation and quality of the online MBA program is easy to uncover. After a short amount of research, I was able to get a great feel for how the program worked, what my expectations could be, and most importantly the skill sets that I could expect to learn. I was very motivated to find a program that fit my schedule and my expectations for graduate work, and I really thought Ohio was the best fit for me. As it turns out, I was correct!

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? Everyone is busy. Between work, family time, and personal commitments, I needed a program that provided quality education that could be flexible enough to fit my schedule. Having only one class to focus on at a time with minimal concrete time commitments really allowed me to be successful. More than just success, it allowed me to enjoy the process!

What was the most surprising thing about an online learning environment? The most surprising aspect of the online learning environment is how effective it can really be. I believe there is a critical assumption that online learning can be easy to “coast” through, can be very non-personal, and does not allow adequate access to extremely smart professors. This could not be further from the truth. The online learning environment is engaging and it held me accountable! The Ohio program also gave me excellent access to all of the resources I needed.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? I was much more effective in my MBA experience than I was in my undergraduate studies, and I think the flexibility and self-reliance that this program delivers really helped me be successful. Additionally, being allowed to focus on only one course at a time really allowed me to soak up as much information as possible from a single topic instead of trying to take bits and pieces from multiple disciplines at once.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Jump in, expect to have to do the work, and hold yourself accountable for not just getting high marks but for expanding your awareness of business processes and principles. Enjoy the process and the grind by putting in the time and setting a high standard for yourself. Take advantage of the information that is presented to you.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? It’s incredible how quickly the course principles can correlate to current job performance. Almost immediately, it was a day-to-day transfer. I would learn something at night and then look for ways to apply it to work the next morning. This was true for ethics, accounting, finance, strategy… every course. That’s something that I certainly could not have done with an in-person MBA that would have forced me to put my career on hold. It really energized me throughout the process.

If you had to do it all over again, would you? Why? Absolutely. My perspective on myself, my career, and the world as a whole has changed drastically. I feel like the MBA gave me the building blocks for a career in anything I want to do. That confidence alone makes me much more effective as an employee and with my personal relationships. In a way, the MBA makes the world seem smaller, and I am so glad I took the plunge to make the difference for myself.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My ultimate, long-term professional goal is to access and nurture the potential of the people around me. I think so often we get on a professional path that is singular, comfortable, and linear. I want to think differently and create a profession that helps the people around me while securing the future for myself and my family. I want to pass on the inspiration that I’ve uncovered over the last two years.

DON’T MISS: THE COMPLETE 2018 LIST OF THE BEST & BRIGHTEST ONLINE MBAS or OUR DEBUT 2018 RANKING OF THE BEST ONLINE MBA PROGRAMS IN THE U.S.

 

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