Describe your short-term and long-term career goals. How can the UCLA Anderson experience add value to your professional development?

I had just been promoted to Product Manager at my company, and I was taking on a big initiative: increasing hotel bookings on our mobile app by 5%. This was the first time my department had focused on growing app bookings, and there was no historical data to guide us. It was up to me, and my team of four designers and engineers, to understand why app users weren’t booking hotels and how we could build a better experience for them.

While brainstorming, I was inspired by an engineer’s observation about how far down users had to scroll before they could enter information into the checkout form. I worked with a designer to create prototypes of the form that allowed users to input information faster, then we gathered user feedback and launched the preferred version. Moving key areas of the form up a few inches helped 7% more users book a hotel, which led to almost $3 million in annual revenue. By considering users’ frustrations, and gathering their feedback on our solutions, I developed a product that was better for users and the company.

Experiences like this motivate me to pursue a career in product management. I’m excited about the difference I can make in people’s lives by improving the technology they use every day. In the short term, I’ll combine my passion for tech with the foundation in strategy I’ll gain at Anderson to accelerate my advancement to product management leadership. Ultimately, I will achieve an executive-level product role, where I can shape the company’s strategic direction and build the technology solutions with the highest impact. My Anderson MBA is integral to this path because it will allow me to leverage professional support from a world class career center, a multitude of opportunities through clubs, events, and experiential learning, and a strong alumni network built on a supportive culture.

The Parker Career Management Center has demonstrated success placing Anderson alumni in tech positions, and Anderson grads benefit from their proximity to creative, fast-paced tech companies in the Silicon Beach, like Hulu, Snap, and Google. In parallel with career preparation, I’ll broaden my understanding of the tech industry through the Easton Center, where I’ll participate in mentoring and events while taking courses to augment my degree with the Easton Technology Management Certificate. I’ll gain hands-on experience by solving a strategic problem for a tech client during my Applied Management Research capstone project.

I’ll engage with my chosen industry alongside my classmates by joining AnderTech to take part in day-on-the-job treks to major tech companies, network and learn at Career Night, practice product management interviews, and become a club leader. When I spoke with a current AnderTech officer, she praised Anderson’s students for embodying the value of shared success by helping each other with coursework, preparing for recruiting together, and teaming up on new ventures. Support from Anderson’s cutting edge centers and curriculum combined with the collaborative, engaged student community make it the ideal springboard for success in product management.