Jared Jenkins ’23 MBA

A lifelong learner, Jared Jenkins always wanted to pursue his MBA, but the timing was never quite right. Now, with 25 years of professional experience under his belt, he’s back in the classroom and finding real value in continuing his education through the Online MBA program.

Why did you continue your education at Bryant University? 

Getting my MBA was a dream of mine because I wanted to understand all of business. It’s like an octopus with eight different legs between sales, marketing, service, product development, research, legal risk, compliance. There are so many different pieces of it, and I wanted to understand all of it to hopefully become a leader in the future.

In 2019, my colleague told me she was enrolled in the Online MBA program and how great and flexible it was. I thought, “You know what? I’m going to give this a try.” I talked to several other people who were working on their MBAs at Bryant, and they all had the same thing to say: It’s a great learning experience, and they make it easy for a working professional. I was sold at that point. 

What are a few highlights of your experience? 

The flexibility is huge. It’s really a well-rounded education, and the professors are phenomenal. They have real-world experience. It’s taking my skills and stretching them. I like the way Bryant has structured the Online MBA to allow me to continue to learn in the areas that I really enjoy — leadership, management, operations, globalization. I’ll come out of it with a degree, but it’s really about the continuous life-learning that we all should be doing. 

What skills are you looking to add through the program?

Economics. I work in finance, so understanding indicators that are happening in the economy — housing starts, inflation, consumer price index, just to name a few. I’d obviously heard about them, but I didn’t truly understand what they were measuring. Understanding how that works has really helped me, not only as an investor but also talking about it with customers and thinking about leadership and what’s the right strategy. That’s really something I’ve been able to take away and use much more than I have in the past. 

How do you hope this program will impact your career? 

The most interesting coursework has been in leadership. It’s challenging, but it’s meaningful for me as I take on more responsibility and learn how to navigate the different aspects of leadership. I’m looking to move into a leader role. Just the fact that I have been working on my degree has already boosted my performance ratings, and it really shows my leadership that I’m still trying to learn. I’m putting in the effort, and I’ve already benefited from it. 

Why would you recommend Bryant?

Bryant gives you a very well-rounded look into all parts of business in a short amount of time. There’s nothing in this program that is busywork. It’s really designed for the working professional. It’s a great community that supports each other. If you’re on the fence, this is a great program. Invest in yourself. That’s the best thing you can invest in.