David had always dreamed of continuing his education, but with four children and a full-time job, he didn’t think he would ever have a chance to do so. Then he found Coursera – and eventually built the skills and confidence he needed to apply for his MBA. Here’s his story:
I’m a father of four, and employed full-time in finance. Although I had always hoped to pursue a graduate degree from an international university, continuing my studies seemed like an impossibility given my work and family commitments. However, I kept looking for opportunities to develop my skills, if only to keep up with changes in my work environment and in the global economy.
In my situation, the only suitable learning programs were online – and my search for options quickly led me to Coursera. I enrolled in several courses, focusing on those that would sharpen my finance, leadership, business management, and entrepreneurial skills.
Taking those courses gave me a feeling unlike any I’d obtained from other distance programs. Coursera gave me the feeling of studying abroad, of learning from top global universities. And my performance, which in most cases was very good, boosted my confidence so much that I began thinking I could compete in an international university program. I began researching ways that I could earn an MBA. Eventually, I was accepted into Business School Netherlands (BSN) for a two year International Action Learning MBA program (IALMBA). I was even awarded an NFP fellowship.
Thanks to the work I’d done on Coursera, I had absolutely no problems picking up my challenging MBA studies. In all of my courses, I’m building on the foundation I laid through introductory courses like An introduction to Operations Management and Organizational Analysis. My Coursera studies also helped me learn to strike a balance between, work, study, and social life, which has helped me tremendously.
I am one of those people who crave learning, but I felt that it was out of reach due to work, family, and financial constraints. Coursera really opened doors to better opportunities for me. I am so proud of what I am today and what I’ve been able to accomplish.