Only a few months after enrolling in Bentley University’s Part-Time MBA program, Tony Murphy accepted a job as vice president of Information Technology (IT) at a Massachusetts-based technology company.
He decided to pursue an MBA after two decades in the field of IT. “I really felt I needed to understand a business end to end,” explains Murphy. “It was only then that I could formulate and execute an IT strategy that would benefit the company and its customers.”
Hailing from Monaghan, Ireland, Murphy had studied economics as an undergraduate and then computer science in graduate school. An MBA, he felt, would build upon his work experience and help broaden his education.
At the time Murphy lived in Watertown, MA, down the road from Bentley, and knew of the university and its outstanding reputation in the business world. He had also seen the success of its graduates first-hand: a VP at his prior company was an alumnus and spoke highly of the program to Murphy.
He decided to apply and began taking classes.
Applying 24 Years of Experience to Class
Murphy admits he is a bit older than most of his classmates, but with age comes experience. And experience is something Murphy brings a lot of to classroom discussions. 
Professors constantly use real-world business examples to teach, he explains. Many times he has experienced a similar situation in his own work and is, therefore, able to add a personal perspective to the class.
Likewise, his younger classmates bring a diverse millennial point of view, something he says he’s come to appreciate more as they learn from one another.
Even when his busy work schedule takes him away from the Waltham campus, Murphy doesn’t miss out on these valuable class discussions. Whether he’s traveling for business or at home with his three children, he can still join the hybrid classes from his laptop.
IT in the Business World
Murphy entered the MBA program with a concentration in IT, eventually switching to Leadership. Now, halfway through his degree, he is considering not having a concentration at all. For him, it’s all about picking the classes he needs to fill the gaps in his knowledge.
“You need that big overall picture to see how your role matters,” he explains. Though he and his classmates all entered Bentley with specific backgrounds in fields such as finance or IT, the holistic approach they find in the MBA classes allows them to see how their various disciplines work together.
Working at a business is a lot like building a house, Murphy says. When you’re focused on laying down each individual brick, it’s hard to step back to see how it all fits together to become a building.
“I think it is only natural for people to focus on their particular role, but it is important to ask the question: What am I trying to build here?”
The MBA helps students envision the completed building. But in order to see that big picture, they must learn to communicate with departments outside their area of expertise. Murphy says that all of his readings on IT stress the value of using a common language.
“Whether it’s communication with the C-levels or with the board, basically you don’t speak in IT terms — speak in business terms.”
Now that we live in a digital world, it’s more important than ever for IT professionals to know how to communicate effectively. Murphy says the near future will “require not only the leaders in organizations to leverage IT more, but also for IT leaders like myself to continuously demonstrate how IT can add value.”