After working eight years as a civil engineer at several top Canadian engineering firms, Phil felt it was time to invest in himself and start a new chapter in his career.

My experience at SFU Beedie

As a trained civil engineer, it is easy for me focus on the technical aspects rather than looking at the big picture. Through the program, I have gained new insights into effectively tackling challenges which impact a business by viewing problems with a much wider lens of how things work together. The SFU MBA has equipped me with a business management tool kit that has helped me successfully transition into a new career in management consulting.

My Journey

Before starting the MBA program at SFU Beedie, I served eight years as a civil engineer at several top Canadian engineering firms. I felt that I really needed to invest in myself if I wanted to make a successful transition into another industry or move into a senior management position.

I chose SFU Beedie’s program because its campus is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, where it’s just steps away from the business district. This made it easier to get out there to network and grow my connections in the business community. I also really enjoyed the smaller class sizes because I felt that it helped me build real connections with my professors and the students in my cohort.

Through the program, I participated in various case competitions where I gained valuable hands-on experience analyzing business challenges, collaboratively developing strategies that impact the big picture and public speaking. From these experiences, I learned that I really wanted to move into management consulting.

While I was finishing up the program, doors had already began opening for me. I leveraged my MBA skills and network to secure a great position in management consulting. Today I am a business analyst on the High-Impact Firms advisory team at BDC.

Highlights

One of my highlights was making connections with the future business leaders and industry change makers from my cohort. It was made up of a wide range of people from varying industries and education backgrounds. I really liked getting the perspective of non-engineers and found how they approached business problems fascinating.

Where I am today

I now serve as a business analyst at BDC on the High-Impact Firms advisory team, where I advise my clients from high-growth Canadian companies on strategic growth plans.