(If you'd like to know more about my education you may request my resume or visit my About Me page.)
I was so certain I would be attending Monterey's MBA program that I even paid the $500 non-refundable tuition deposit. After all, I had put years towards this endeavor: studying for and taking the GMAT, gaining work experience, and taking the requisite classes to fulfill my MBA in a year. However, around the same time Abilene Christian University initiated the Master of Science degree in Global IT Leadership.
I have always liked finance and numbers (see the About Me tab), so an MBA seemed like a natural fit for me; however, I knew that unless I received an MBA from an Ivy League level type of school, an MBA would be a dime-a-dozen endeavor and ultimately generic. I didn't want to be generic, and the Global IT program fused three items I had a passion for: culture, business, and information technology. I became a graduate assistant at ACU and decided to attend the Global IT Program. The biggest selling point to me of the program is that technology is all around us, but few individuals truly know how to manage and strategically leverage it. Most people are either business people or technology people, but not both. This program sought to remedy this.
The program was amazing. We did everything from writing a data security policy for a multimillion dollar business to app development for USAA (by the way, I was the team leader for both of these endeavors). Unfortunately, our program was canceled within the first year of inception (but this in no way means I did not receive a good education, ACU is known throughout the world for its strong business and technology programs), leaving a tiny class of only eight students; however, this is probably why our education is above our peers. Because we were a tiny group we received constant mentorship and one-on-one from our professors. During the last couple of years I have spent hours upon hours per week with multiple PhDs - I guarantee this will do something to you. I have spent my Thanksgivings with my professors, eaten in their homes, gone out to lunch with them, played basketball with them, discussed life questions, and received encouragement and mentorship. I even have all of my professors cell phone numbers (given to me by them) should I ever need them. Try having that at a large state school! I cannot express to God how thankful I am to have received such an amazing education, I plan to pay it forward.
(By the way, I graduated from this program with a perfect 4.0.)
Presently, I'm pursuing a doctorate in the field of finance at Texas Tech.
If you have any questions or would like to request my resume or academic transcripts you may do so here.
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Below you'll find samples of my academic endeavors.
For my Information Technology Services and Administration class I had to write a forty page, single space, IT Operations plan. Below is the feedback I received from my professor, Dr. Robert Byrd.
"David,
After reading this cover to cover I have complete confidence in your ability to plan the operations for a million dollar (plus) IT Division. And with your knowledge and experience demonstrated in the other areas of the course, I expect to see you leading a great company, and soon."
