"Even though I returned to academia with 20+ years of work experience, I found that the MIB program courses provided excellent material that was a part refresher for me."
How the online version of the MIB program benefited me
Since I do not live in Miami, the online format was highly appealing to me. As a working professional with a young family, the online class delivery gave me the flexibility needed to study and complete coursework when it was more convenient for me as I balanced a hectic work and family schedule weekly. I found the FIU online experience to be very organized as it clearly laid out all of our course information via the Canvas software, and our professors were readily available via Zoom, email, mobile, etc. Lastly, even though all of my classes were online, about 80% of my classes offered optional weekly Zoom lectures to connect with our professors and fellow students; I found this option helpful as it allowed students to discuss course material further.
How I will incorporate lessons from the MIB moving forward, even with 20+ years of work experience
Even though I returned to academia with 20+ years of work experience, I found that the MIB program courses provided excellent material that was a part refresher for me. More importantly, the courses also provided excellent new material that would help fill the gap for knowledge that I may not have learned on the "street." I am launching a Professional Consulting Services company that will have local and international clients. There is plenty of material, knowledge, concepts, and recommendations that I have learned from the MIB and my classmates that I will be incorporating into our services, projects, and product offerings.
How I made connections with my classmates
I really enjoyed making connections, friendships with many of my classmates. The cohort style worked very well as it allowed us to connect with people from different backgrounds, work experiences, and life experiences. Much of our coursework included group projects which allowed us to interact with classmates to discuss the material, assignments, business, and life in general. We were also able to make connections outside of our cohort via our electives, which included students from different programs. The networking opportunities are a definite positive as I can confidently say that I am comfortable reaching out to classmates regarding business matters and opportunities if they presented themselves in the future.