About Oke: Oke Bamgbose (’22) is a 1st year FTMBA student at Anderson with a background in technology consulting. He is looking to leverage his experience and focus on Technology Management and Marketing while at Anderson to pursue roles in Product Marketing. Oke is a native Angeleno who enjoys music, sports, and has found a new love for outdoor activities since joining Anderson during COVID.
Six years out from undergrad, as a black male in Corporate America at a time of extreme racial tension and someone looking to pivot careers, I was anxious about how my experience would be going back to school as well as what my future career had in store for me. I had various concerns socially, professionally, and academically that could have limited my MBA experience, but after leveraging the community and being honest with myself, my time at Anderson so far has been invaluable.
Social
Having been in the minority throughout my life—elementary through high school and then while in Corporate America—I’ve constantly had to learn to adapt to whatever environment that I’ve been in. However, when I attended Morehouse College, an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), I was surrounded by a community that looked like me and subsequently faced similar experiences, so I started to build more confidence in being my authentic self. This year as I headed back to school, I was unsure of how my experience would be as a minority again in not only an academic and professional setting, but social as well. Fortunately, as one of Anderson’s Consortium Fellows, I was able to be a part of a community that had similar backgrounds and experiences, and we quickly found support in each other. By the time I started meeting the rest of our classmates, both international and domestic, I was excited to not only be my authentic self, but to intentionally learn about my classmates who brought their various perspectives and backgrounds. Anderson has curated a great group of diverse individuals who welcome each other with open arms and embrace our differences so that we can work towards success together. Moreover, Anderson initiatives like the Anti-Racist Work Groups (ARWG) and the Engaged, Courageous, Humble, Open (ECHO) Framework demonstrate the steps Anderson is taking towards Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) throughout the MBA Program. While I’m still a minority within our class, I’m comfortable being my genuine self, knowing that fellow students will be respectful and understanding because of the tone Anderson has set.
Academic
Like most MBA students, I consider myself a very strong academic having performed well in undergrad. I was confident in my abilities to succeed at a graduate program, but once we started classes, I started feeling discouraged about how fast-paced the curriculum was and how other students were catching on to the subject matter faster than I was. As someone who previously would take copious hand-written notes and sit towards the front of the class to avoid any distractions, I realized that the online format presented a challenge to me. I found myself only following the distributed slides instead of taking notes, getting easily distracted by my partner, our cute dog, or an open tab on Chrome that I just couldn’t wait to get to until after class. After being honest with myself and knowing that it would require a bit more effort for me to do better, I tried to leverage small changes to stay engaged and attentive. I also overcame my shyness in asking members of my learning team or others in the class for help on things that I wasn’t catching on to. It was uncomfortable at first to not perform how I thought I would and admit to myself that I needed some extra help, but once I got over that hump, I was able to get much more out of the classes and my MBA experience that I would have not been able to otherwise because I was holding myself back.
Professional
Transitioning from Consulting to a Product Manager (PM) or Product Marketing Manager (PMM) role in Big Tech may seem like a linear journey that many MBA students wish they had (vs. pivoting or being a non-traditional applicant), but I still had concerns that my experience did not exactly reflect what future employers were looking for. With my experience in technology, I focused more on IT implementations, managing projects and client relationships, and leading product development teams, rather than the quantitative and data heavy work that most people associate with consultants. I also had minimal marketing experience, which I expected companies would be looking for in candidates. However, with the help of the Parker Center staff, second year students, and alumni in the Anderson network, I learned how to tell my story, sell my transferable skills, and position myself to make a successful transition. There have also been plenty of resources available to prepare us for any opportunities that we are interested in pursuing, for example the Anderson Career Teams (ACT), Interview Prep Teams (IPT) and various professional clubs, some which started as early as this past summer and will continue through the next couple of quarters. I am now proud to say that I have secured my ideal role this summer as a PMM at Microsoft.
As I reflect on my first few months at Anderson, I continue thinking about one of the quotes that I strive to live by: Doubt kills dreams more than failure ever will. Anyone reading this blog may be just as uncomfortable with some aspects of entering an MBA program as I am and was, but the opportunity to get comfortable with being uncomfortable is what allows you to overcome your doubts and ultimately find success in your MBA experience.
Student Blogger: Oke Bamgbose ‘22
Undergrad: Morehouse College ‘14
Pre-MBA: Deloitte Consulting
Leadership@Anderson: Executive Director, Admissions Ambassador Corps (AAC); Director of Alumni and Graduation Connections, Anderson Student Association (ASA); Riordan MBA Fellows Program Mentor
Comments