After eight years in the U.S. Army, Allen Taber, MBA ’22, was looking for a way to grow in his career. The Donald G. Costello College of Business at George Mason University provided him the tools he was seeking. Taber came to George Mason for an MBA, and left with a new dream of pursuing a doctorate.
“George Mason was an awesome experience, especially for someone who wasn’t in school for over a decade,” says Taber. A parent of a young child, Costello offered him the location and flexibility he was seeking. “Professors worked with us. Almost every single professor you had was out there to help students out.”
Prior to coming to Costello, Taber served as a computer detection specialist in the U.S. Army. “I brought the skills I learned in the military to the workplace, which allowed me to become a program manager within the information technology industry,” says Taber. While working as a project manager he quickly realized that if he wanted to grow in his company, he needed an advanced degree.
For Taber, learning the theory behind what he was doing in his position helped to make him a better manager. Taber says his Management Consulting course with Jim Wolfe, associate professor of management and entrepreneur in residence at Costello, was particularly impactful. “We bounced ideas off of each other in the class that I could implement in my current position,” says Taber.
In addition to Wolfe’s class, Taber says his most memorable experience during his time at George Mason was the Global Residency Program to Chile. “We had the opportunity to learn different business operations, and more importantly how a different country operates, both similarities and differences. It was amazing to study in a place you normally would never go,” says Taber. “It was the first time I left the country in 20 years.”
Taber says that not only was the business education experience impactful, but exploring the city and learning about the culture left a lasting imprint as well.
After completing his MBA, Taber continued on for his doctorate in business administration at Walden University. “Professor Wolfe was a catalyst to push me into my doctoral studies,” says Taber. “You talk about it, you think about, but having someone who’s been doing it for so many years say ‘Go for it’ is pretty awesome.”
Taber says the MBA program prepared him well for his doctorate. Taber is currently the senior technical project manager for Monture, LLC, and working on completing his doctoral study.
Taber’s advice to students considering the program: “It is never too late to go back to school. While I had great accomplishments in the workplace, having an advanced degree will open up future opportunities that would not be possible without it.”
Photos provided by Allen Taber.