Go for it! – Graham Orr

GRAHAM ORR
MBA, University of Strathclyde 2022
General Manager at Boost Juice Bars (Jakarta, Indonesia)

I am currently the GM for Boost Juice Bars, based in Jakarta, Indonesia. My MBA has helped me transition from the industry I worked in previously into the fast-moving retail food & beverage industry. 

I’m glad I did this qualification because it fulfilled a long-held ambition to attain an MBA and demonstrates to my children that education is a life-long journey. I wish I had started it ten years earlier! I had considered doing an MBA for many years but put it off as was concerned about balancing work, family and studying. Arguably, 5 years after my first degree would have been the best time to have started on my MBA journey. 

I had wanted to do an MBA for a long time, to assist with my career development as well as for personal knowledge gain. I chose the University of Strathclyde MBA program due to its flexible approach in terms of duration, the face-to-face teaching in KL and the alumni discount was attractive as well! Yes, I also did my Engineering Degree with Strathclyde. I did look at other MBA offerings in KL, but the support from the CDC team and the local counsellors supporting the visiting Academic staff from Glasgow was a compelling offering. 

I started my MBA after 19 years of work experience in several countries in a mix of technical and operations management roles. I was fortunate that with my prior employer – Halliburton – I was sent to the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University for executive education training classes which formalised my decision to apply to the MBA program at Strathclyde. Some of the challenges I found with adjusting to studying were getting used to e-books with virtual sticky notes and highlighting and of course doing written exams! 

I really enjoyed the learning journey, making a new network of peers who brought different perspectives to our learning and the sharing of fantastic Malaysian food. Also, learning about subjects that I did not have significant professional experience in, such as Marketing and Scenario Planning as part of the Strategy Module and IT modules of the Strathclyde MBA program which I now have both greater knowledge but also more appreciation for those topics. 

The part-time program in KL, with taught classes at the weekend suited me, I much prefer face-to-face learning than a pure distance/online approach. The flexibility of the Strathclyde program, being able to attend classes in other countries, or perform the exams in British Council offices when travelling for business were also very suitable to me.

My advice to anyone thinking about applying to attend an MBA is to go for it, you won’t regret it. All applicants share the same concerns about balancing work, family and studying. There will be challenges along the way, so make sure you have a supportive family and employer to assist in your learning journey. 

For further queries about Strathclyde MBA Programme, please visit our website at www.cdc.edu.my or email at enquiries@cdc.edu.my