Paul Spomer
“It's clear that businesses in every industry have realized the necessity of collecting, properly managing, and learning from their data. The ones that can do this most efficiently and effectively are the ones that will succeed over the long term. A deep and thorough understanding of business analytics, which can be gained from Fuqua’s MSQM: Business Analytics program, is necessary to overcome this challenge.”
MSQM: Accelerated Business Analytics
Industry:
Prior Education:
Duke University / Norwich University
MBA, 2024 / MA Diplomacy / BA Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis
Reflections
I’m fortunate to be on an experienced student team with folks from various careers. I have teammates with careers in consulting, pharmaceuticals, project management, account management, and senior management. Additionally, several of us have prior military service. Each team member benefits from one another’s knowledge and experience in program work, creating a personalized, high-quality, and supportive learning environment.
From my team experience, I learned that having a good, agreed-upon framework for the conduct of meetings, completing coursework, and maintaining communication is vital. Taking the time to sort that out up front saved time later when balancing a heavy course load with everyone’s busy lives.
Before Fuqua
I’m a defense mission expert at the technology consulting company Booz Allen Hamilton, the U.S. government's largest AI and data analytics supplier. I focus on project management, internal consulting, and some strategy. The expertise gained from the MSQM: Accelerated Business Analytics program allows me to perform better in my current role and opens the door to a wider range of opportunities. One of my responsibilities is managing a project alongside engineers and scientists who are conducting technical work. This Fuqua program allows me to better understand technical work and how best to manage and support technical experts.
After Fuqua
Expanding my data analytics knowledge base offers several opportunities within Booz Allen. The firm is a matrix organization, so if employees can provide value in a completely different sector, they can join that team and contribute to their work. This presents several data-centric opportunities. I want to grow from being largely management-focused to include a more expansive technical ability.
Why I Chose to Study Business Analytics at Fuqua
Prior to my time at Fuqua, I was approaching military retirement and working through the transition process to a follow-on career. I was seeking a degree that would enable me to provide value across a wide range of potential career fields. As part of the transition process, I was fortunate to have been able to join a cohort of The Honor Foundation. This transition assistance program comprised exposure to numerous businesses in Charlotte and Raleigh. Each of the businesses we visited discussed the importance of data and how they were struggling to manage and use it. From this insight, I realized the importance of and sought out a program like Fuqua’s MSQM: Accelerated Business Analytics. Once I learned that, having previously obtained an MBA, I could take a data-centric accelerated version of MSQM, I was sold on pursuing it.
MSQM:HA students "meet" in Durham without leaving home
Global Executive MBA
Top Areas of Career Focus
Financial Services (20%)
Consulting (5%)
Sales/Business Development (5%)
Energy/Chemical/Gas (9%)
Marketing/PR/Advertising (6%)
Consumer Goods (3%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Non-US Citizenship
Women
Master of Management Studies: Duke Kunshan University
Undergraduate Majors
Business/Accounting (51%)
Economics (22%)
Liberal Arts (14%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (10%)
Other (4%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Non-US Citizenship
Women
Master of Management Studies: Foundations of Business
Undergraduate Majors
Liberal Arts (33%)
Business/Accounting (24%)
Engineering/Natural Sciences (18%)
Economics (17%)
Other (8%)
Average Age
Average Work Experience
Countries Represented
Non-US Citizenship
Women
Weekend Executive MBA
Top Areas of Career Focus
IT (16%)
Financial Services (14%)
Health Care/Health Services (10%)
Manufacturing/Operations (9%)
Sales/Business Development (8%)
Consulting (8%)