As an alumnus of the Indiana University football team, Jacob Bailey, MSIS’18, knows the power of teamwork. That power—and his MS in Information Systems (MSIS) degree from the Kelley School of Business—has taken him from the gridiron to Grant Thornton.
Jacob was set to graduate with a four-year degree from Kelley, but his football commitment required an additional year at IU. Jacob seized the extra time to further his education: “I saw a big opportunity to get an MSIS degree on top of the technology management foundation I gained as an undergraduate.”
The MSIS program demonstrated to Jacob the value of teamwork in the business world. “I was part of a team from day one. I sat in every class with my team, and I worked with my team for at least half of the assignments. As a whole, it was a great learning experience that closely mimics the real world of business.”
Through the Global IT Sourcing course, Jacob traveled to India and gained global business experience. He spent a week in Delhi discovering the culture and people and then a week in Bangalore examining India’s extensive role in IT. “The trip was awesome,” he said. “Anytime you get the chance to travel and see another culture, it gives you a better understanding of yourself and the world.”
In India, Jacob learned that business success relies as much on international teamwork as it does local corporate teams. “Bangalore is the IT back office of the world, so it is essential for business professionals to leverage the resources in India to optimize a company’s IT strategy.” His India experience instilled a desire to participate in future international projects.
Jacob completed his MSIS degree in the spring of 2018 and accepted a full-time position at Grant Thornton. As an Enterprise Applications Strategy and Integration Associate, he teams up with other companies and helps them better understand and implement technology solutions such as Oracle and other cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
According to Jacob, the MSIS program at Kelley is an amazing opportunity to prepare for a successful business career in a world becoming increasingly reliant on technology. “I don’t think the traditional business model without any technology exists. In order to succeed, you are going to have to be technologically adept. Through the Kelley MSIS program, you learn the technology and strategies that companies are using to modernize.”
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