My Best Investment Yet: Purdue Krannert MBA
Thursday, February 9, 2017
When Florida native Sheldon Anderson first stepped foot into Rawls on Krannert Ignite weekend in April 2016, there was something contagious about his energy and excitement to begin his much awaited MBA journey.
As an MBA student in Krannert Master’s Full-Time MBA Program with a concentration in Strategy and Supply Chain Management, Anderson hit the ground running early on, earning a graduate assistantship with the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship and being elected Vice President of Operations of the Net Impact Club.
“I was fortunate enough to be awarded a Graduate Assistantship upon admission to Purdue. I would have never guessed that my role would be working for the former Dean of Krannert, Professor Rick Cosier. Additionally, I am the TA for a Student Managed Venture Fund course taught by Professor Cosier which is charged with making the recommendation for an $80,000 investment in a startup company. This experience has exposed me to leaders at venture capital firms from around the country as well as exposure to local entrepreneurs. Again, all in my first few weeks!”
When asked why he chose to come to Purdue, Anderson credits Krannert’s strength in operations and supply chain and how it aligned with his previous experience at Procter & Gamble as well as his future plans to pursue a career in supply chain strategy and consulting. His entrepreneurial experience has also been a rewarding component of his time so far at Krannert.
“Building relationships through the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship has been extremely valuable. I’ve attended several speaker series and networking events where I’ve met local entrepreneurs and like-minded students with aspirations to be business owners.”
When asked if he had any advice to future students, Anderson highlights the Krannert Professional Development Center (KPDC), stating:
“The Krannert Professional Development Center has started me off on the right foot prior to even setting foot on campus. Just a few of the resources I’ve been able to leverage include speakers on personal branding, workshops on networking and alumni mock interviews with CEOs. This was all before I even set foot in front of a recruiter!”
With dreams of becoming a consultant working with Fortune 500 companies to optimize their supply chain operations and business processes, Anderson explains that even though the road to success isn’t always a smooth one, it is worth it.
“The level of time management skills required in the first few weeks is not to be taken lightly. However, I haven’t had a dull day yet. I’ve already secured a leadership position, met several fascinating people from all of Krannert’s different MS degree programs and have started making connections with alumni in corporate. I also accepted an internship offer for a Summer Associate position with Deloitte Consulting in Chicago. My days are long, but the rewards are priceless.”
After graduating in May of 2018 Sheldon transitioned to Deloitte as a Senior Consultant.