“The EMBA was perfectly tailored to where I was in my life and career.”
Andreas Schmitt is Head of Portfolio Software and Digitalization at Tecan. He successfully completed his Executive MBA at the University of Zurich in March 2021.
What motivated you to do an Executive MBA?
My first degree was in Computer Science, so I spent the majority of my career in Research and Development. As I started to become more and more interested in the business side of companies, in addition to the technological aspects, I decided to set myself on a new career path in business. So I looked around to find the best way to gain the background knowledge I’d need. In the end, the Executive MBA degree program won me over and I decided to enroll.
Why did you choose to do your Executive MBA at the University of Zurich?
Besides the program and the location, what attracted me in particular was the length and frequency of in-person teaching – three days of in-class study every two weeks. One of those days was a Saturday, which meant that I could carry on in my day job without any major stumbling blocks.
You graduated in March 2021. What were your impressions of the course? What would you evaluate critically? What stood out to you in particular?
The standard of education was excellent throughout. Personally, I learned a lot through talking to my fellow students, many of whom came from a range of different industries. We were a brilliant, diverse class, and I really benefited from that.
How has the EMBA helped advance your career?
I achieved what I set out to do, and even managed to switch from R&D to a business unit while I was still studying.
What skills from the EMBA can you apply in your current job?
I can apply a lot of what I learned to my day-to-day work; there are a lot of areas in my role that are still new to me, but I now have the background knowledge I need to work efficiently.
How did you balance family, job and the EMBA?
It was an intense time, and I often used my weekends to prep for my modules. That being said, the Executive MBA made it easy to juggle studying and spending time with family and friends. Looking back, I can say with confidence that the EMBA was perfectly tailored to where I was in my life and career.
