Jacob Harris

Jacob Harris, born and raised in Calgary completed his MBA specialising in entrepreneurial management in 2021. Father of two and self-professed lifelong learner, Jacob had wanted to start his MBA, but wanted a program that would suit his lifestyle. Needing to jet set for his current role, a program that would take him away from his family even more so wasn’t going to be right.At one of recent trips to Canada, we took the opportunity to find out more about how Jacob chose AIB and what he got out of the program.

Why did you choose an online program?
I wanted to do something local and the ask from the local institutions was a mandatory of two to three days in class. And with my profession and being a jet setter, pre COVID, it was really difficult for me to squeeze in learning, be a full-time dad, be a business professional and then sit in a classroom and then do homework. And so for me, I really need something that was a little bit more flexible.

How does it feel to complete your MBA?
My key takeaways are the level of confidence I have within certain rooms and the ability to be humbled, you know, whether it’s, you know, a good positive outcome or negative outcome, being able to complete this MBA through one of the toughest times in humanity that I can remember. It really fortified who I am as an individual and who I said to be for my kids and my peers in the community.

What advice do you have for others considering study?
I’m a firm believer in being comfortable with being uncomfortable. And so as a father I looked at myself and I looked at my kids and what legacy do I want to leave behind or what type of role model do I want to be for my kids?

And so for me, my piece of advice is just to do it, just to put that first foot forward. And that leads to a second step and a third step and a fourth step and next thing you know you’re done in first class and your second class. And then one of the really big benefits of doing this program with AIB was the support.
There was a couple of times where I don’t know if I had enough in the tank, like I just had a lot going on and I’d call in and I’d be like, ‘I just need some support here’ and I cannot speak highly enough about the stuff that kept me in the game. ‘You’re doing great Jacob. Your marks are awesome. You’re pushing forward. Let’s get through this one. You’ve got this.’ And you know sometimes we have a little bit of self-doubt and so if there’s anybody on the other end of this looking at me giving this interview, I would strongly suggest that give me a chance just because of that support staff and that ability for them to really.

Help you see a better version of yourself. Even when you’re kind of down in the dumps and you think you can’t get that term paper in, there’s always somebody on the other end of the line that was willing to pump your tires.

They give you what you needed to get going and then one foot in front of the other and here we are done. I’m happy. I’m proud, my kids are proud of me, my family’s proud of me and it’s helped me both personally and professionally. So just get on and do it.

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