Wesley Kent
Although I have primarily lived in Oregon all my life, I grew up listening to my mother talk about her home state and the University of Arkansas as a huge Razorbacks fan. My original career aspirations were to become an Environmental Scientist and spend the majority of my working time outdoors. Due to a saturated market with graduates who possessed similar degrees, this plan did not work out as expected. I eventually came across an opening as a Manufacturing Technician with a company called Genentech. Immediately upon entering the building, I became fascinated with the equipment and processes involved in manufacturing. This is where my journey began.
As my role increased with the company, I began being exposed to terminology I had no familiarity with and was starting to get in over my head. I knew in order to progress in my career; I was going to need to increase my education. I explored several college options and the one that really stuck out to me was the MSOM degree at the University of Arkansas. As I read through the program overview, I began seeing classes that offered the skills required for my line of work. From Leadership Principles to Quality Management, I knew the MSOM degree was exactly what I needed to jumpstart my career.
Not only did the MSOM program offer education in all areas of manufacturing excellence, they also allowed me to choose the areas I wanted to specialize in to meet my individual needs. Having the ability to complete graduate certificates in Project Management and Lean Six Sigma while working towards the Operations Management degree are some of the greatest opportunities I could have hoped for in a program. One of my favorite aspects of MSOM was the ability to learn at my own pace and properly balance the time required for work, school, and personal life. The curriculum structure and schedule allowed me the opportunity to succeed in this program as a working husband and a father of five.
Learning leadership skills and applying Operations Management in real world scenarios has helped me begin taking the next steps in my professional career. Graduating with my Master of Science in Operations Management has opened an entire new world of opportunities to explore.