Kelly Williams

For ten years Kelly Williams dreamed of pursuing a graduate degree in business. He wanted to add deep, complex thinking and a solid foundation in business theory to his 18 years experience working in manufacturing and high-tech. That meant starting with an education that encouraged leadership and big-picture thinking. The structure of the GDBA and its potential application to a future MBA sold him on the program, and the decision to enroll was ultimately a decision to take charge of his career.

My experience at SFU Beedie

I have found the instructors extremely helpful and supportive. The program director has a personal interest in my development and success. All expectations were communicated early and clearly, and I felt that I was always well supported from the start. Also, with proper time management, I was still able to work, learn, and spend time with my family.

As a manager, I am always striving for peak performance in myself as well as my team. The GDBA program supports this by blending core business courses with management skills development. Already interested and a lifelong student of performance management, I found many of the courses a great fit to what I was looking for.

My Journey

I was very interested in the Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (GDBA) for its curriculum, delivery, and flexibility for busy professionals like myself. It also provided a new pathway to the MBA program for those out of school for many years.

I have succeeded with instructors and fellow peers. I have contributed as much as I have learned. For me, being an SFU Beedie student means being part of a working student community with similar growth mindsets.

The immediate impact of the GDBA has been a change in the way I approach my day professionally. I am equipped to make better decisions. My confidence level has been elevated significantly, and I am enjoying a new sense of optimism in my career.

Highlights

I have definitely used many of the organizational behavior learnings in my workplace when designing jobs and working with and managing different teams. My analytics course education has also contributed greatly to my data analysis and decision-making.

Where I am today

My current role is Manager, Waterslide Engineering for WhiteWater West Industries Ltd., the world’s largest manufacturer of waterslide parks and attractions with around 600 employees worldwide. It’s the highest pressure job I have ever had, yet it’s not the highest stress job. It’s the first job I‘ve had where pressure and stress are not the same thing.