MBA Student Profile: Farman Syed, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business

Farman Syed pursued an Executive MBA with a difference- a hybrid between the traditional full-time and Executive MBA programs.

Duke’s Fuqua School of Business offers this Cross Continent MBA. "I was actually thinking I’d be attending a traditional full-time MBA program when the opportunity to be part of the Duke CCMBA class presented itself,” Syed says. "The structure and the focus of the program were very unique and appealing to me. I loved the idea of travelling to five different countries over the course of the program and not having to leave my job."

Syed began his career with Apple, Inc. in 2001, and is currently the senior product marketing manager for iTunes. He is responsible for defining and positioning the requirements for new iTunes features for customers through Apple’s website, product videos and company events. "EMBAs tend to favour people who want to accelerate an existing career path," says Syed. "I was a more rare case of a "switcher", moving from a career in engineering to one in marketing."

As such, Syed looks upon his business school degree as a long-term investment which he believes will pay off in two ways. "First, it gives you a great network of people you can contact throughout your career. Second, it helps you ask the right questions about decision-making information. You are not going to become a finance or stats expert with an MBA, but you will be better at making decisions when those experts supply you with data," he says.

When asked what the best part of going through the program was, Syed says the travel was great, but it was the people who really made it. "Since we were all active working professionals in the early parts of our career, we had an energy and a level of conversation that amazed me. Meeting each other for two weeks every term was like a reunion in a new country that we could always look forward to," he says.