Michael Orland
“Play to your strengths. Don't get too caught up in not having a background in programming, statistics, or finance. Make the heavy lifts where you feel most comfortable and have the most experience, and don't be afraid to take a step back and rely on other team members where they are most suited, and use them as a resource for your learning.”
MSQM: Business Analytics
Industry:
Prior Education:
University of Illinois at Chicago
Mechanical Engineering
Reflections
I chose Fuqua’s MSQM: Business Analytics program because most of the work in a trading firm is data-driven. There are countless opportunities to turn raw numbers into actionable insights that improve business outcomes. I felt well-positioned to take on the extra work, viewing it as an opportunity to enhance my experience in a related field. My background in software engineering provided a solid technical foundation, and I wanted to build on that with strong project and team management skills focused on analytics. This program offers the perfect balance of technical depth and leadership training to help steer my career toward driving data-informed strategies.
Before Fuqua
I'm a software engineer at a trading firm. I work closely with other teams and organizations to design, deploy, and maintain solutions that address many operational and infrastructure challenges. Our environment is highly collaborative and iterative, and I'm typically involved in multiple projects, with several stakeholders, at different stages of the development process. I take responsibility for the continuous learning required in software engineering and ensure I share key insights with my team, especially when mentoring junior engineers.
After Fuqua
This degree can open new doors in my current role and across the firm. Combining what I’ve learned in this program with my software engineering background, I can explore opportunities to make a real impact. With professional experience in nursing, mechanical engineering, and software engineering, this program adds another layer to my diverse background, giving me a unique perspective that I believe is highly valuable to any organization.
My Favorite Fuqua Professor
I enjoyed Professor Brian Cozzi's course, "Programming for Data Analytics and Visualization." His teaching style is very engaging and provides students just enough information to begin learning the analytics and programming techniques, but not so much that the work feels rigid and disengaging.
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%)