Eric Chen
M.S. in Commerce '09, University of Virginia
B.S. in Food Science '08, Cornell University
Students in McIntire’s M.S. in Commerce Program often tout its “real-world curriculum.” But what happens when graduates of the Program actually get out into the real world?
For Eric Chen (M.S. in Commerce ’09), the Program has delivered. Now working as an Analyst at marketing research analytics firm dunhumbyUSA, Chen says that his time at McIntire not only helped him find a great job, but also provided him with the skills necessary to meet the rigors of that job.
“The M.S. in Commerce Program really prepared me for what I’m doing now,” says Chen, who also reports that he loves his job. “I especially appreciate the ‘soft skills’ I gained—things like learning how to interact with people and knowing how to articulate my ideas.”
Chen, who holds an undergraduate degree in food science from Cornell University, says he feels that such skills are invaluable. “At the end of the day,” he says, “you could have all the technical skills in the world, but if you don’t know how to convey them to your clients, then it doesn’t really matter.”
Chen also points out that the Program’s integrative curriculum and emphasis on teamwork have served him well in the working world. “All those cases that we did, and all that group work—they were the best part of the Program,” he says. “You really learned to work with other people, and to integrate lots of different perspectives—and that’s what you have to do in real life.”
Indeed, Chen says that learning to work with people of different backgrounds and perspectives has had “a profound impact” on him—and a major influence on the value he now brings to the job. “I remember that in our consulting class we had to work together on this huge project, he says. “People brought a lot of different perspectives, which you had to figure out how to successfully incorporate into the project.” In retrospect, he says, “that was a huge value-added—because in business, you really can’t think one-dimensionally, or it’ll only hurt you in the end.”
All in all, Chen says he thinks the Program is a great investment for anyone with a serious interest in a career in business. “I entered the Program because I really wanted to get involved with the business side of things,” he says. “The M.S. in Commerce Program really helped me get my foot in the door.”