"Subject areas that I had no previous exposure to are the ones I have enjoyed the most" - My favourite modules

Executive MBA (London) participant Ali Mehdizada shares his favourite modules on the programme and how the programme has impacted his career so far.

“The best investment you can make is in yourself” - Warren Buffet

As I approach the closing stages of my Executive MBA journey, I wanted to reflect on my career so far and the impact to my career growth whilst being on the MBA programme. In the early days of my career I went straight into sales. I picked up some sharp skills but had a relatively slow rate of progress. Over time the pace of progression eventually increased. I moved from entry level sales roles into key account management, and then into global B2B commercial sales management. As I progressed, I felt a need to add more competencies to my ‘tool kit’ and had a desire to explore life outside of sales. The MBA programme seemed like the perfect option for me, however it is a big investment, so I needed to make it worthwhile. During my time so far on the MBA, I have successfully transitioned from a Sales Manager to a Planning Manager to a Performance Reporting Manager whilst remaining within the FMCG industry. Mid-way through my MBA journey I successfully made a transition into the Financial Service’s/Fintech sector and entered the world of Digital Product Management, working on exciting new growth areas such as Tokenisation in E-Commerce.

Each step at Warwick Business School (WBS) has helped me on my journey and, for me, it has proven to be a good return on investment. I have embedded the learnings from all of the core modules that I have studied. I have also embraced the WBS networks, whilst taking great advice from the staff on the careers team. The MBA has given me the freedom and confidence to comfortably switch focus areas within my professional career whilst continuing to operate at a senior level.

The subject areas that I had no previous exposure to are the ones I have enjoyed the most. ‘The Psychology of Investing and Financial Decision Making’ is an elective module and it has been my favourite module so far. This module was thought provoking and it used many up-to-date cases that created excellent debates within the lecture room around the idea of ‘Phantastic Objects’ within the financial markets and how to be aware of the characteristics of a ‘Phantastic Object’. This is just one example of many from this module, and the course in general, that has helped me to challenge my own perception of investing and how I, as an individual, can be more aware of the potential biases when it comes to making financial decisions. Fundamentally this module taught me how to be a better investor and make better financial decisions both from a personal and professional lens, which is an invaluable skill to possess.  

Most successful investors are taught to have a diverse portfolio and for me I want to start by having a diversified skill set. I have enjoyed the finance related modules at WBS and decided to specialise my MBA in Finance. This means that when I finish, I will have covered elective modules such as ‘Corporate Finance’, ‘Financial Analysis’ and ‘Investments and Risk Management’. This is not what I expected to be saying before I started, but by the end of my MBA journey, I will have a ‘Specialism in Finance’ attached to my MBA. I must also add here that the journey so far has been incredibly hard but also rewarding. This is amplified by the fact that I have purposely stepped out of my comfort zone to learn more.

Finally, my biggest take away from the Executive MBA programme is the fact that I do not need to contain myself into any box or category when it comes to my knowledge within a workplace. I take great pride in being a ‘jack of all trades’ but take even more pride that I am actually a master of some trades too. It is the MBA at WBS that has helped me to channel this in a practical way by harnessing my skills so that I can apply them as and when I need to. If you want to diversify your skill set, then I would definitely recommend WBS to facilitate your journey.

Find out more about the Executive MBA (London) programme here.