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WHAT DO I DO?

    I am currently employed by Seagate Technology, LLC as a Staff Analyst.  I work out of the Bloomington, MN location which is part of the Recording Head Operation.  If you are not familiar with Seagate, it is a $11B company that manufactures digital storage devices, mostly of which are Hard Drives or rotating storage devices.  My job as a Staff Analyst means that I am responsible for the maintenance and development of systems that support the operations of our location.  I design, develop and implement tools that enable the RHO division to be more responsive and efficient.

STAFF ANALYST - BUSINESS ANALYST

    My tenure with Seagate goes all of the way back to 1994 when I was a Lotus Notes Consultant for Connect Computer Company.  I don't remember the specific application that I was working on but I do remember the people I worked with from Seagate.  No one remains at the company from that early encounter but the experience was valuable nonetheless.  Over the course of the next 13 years, I worked off and on as a computer consultant for Seagate before I took a full-time position with the Quality organization in 2008.  I have had the chance to visit our headquarters located in Scotts Valley, CA and two manufacturing facilities located in Thailand.  Although I can't say that I loved the experience at the time, looking back it was a fantastic opportunity that I would love to repeat sometime.

    One of the things that I like most about my job at Seagate is the diversity of people I get to work with and the projects I get to work on.  Although I technically report through the Quality department, I am allowed to work on projects owned by many different organizations.  From EHS to Surplus and from Finance to Facilities, I am usually involved.  It does become somewhat burdensome but the people I get to work with make it worth while. 

    Since becoming a full-time employee, I have worked on a variety of high visibility projects that reach worldwide.  I often find myself gathering requirements from users in Europe or having conference calls with users in Malaysia, Singapore or even China.  I believe this experience makes be more aware of logistical issues and allows me to design more effective solutions.  In 2009, I was awarded the President's award for EHS excellence for a project that has saved the company more than a million dollars since it was introduced. More Business Analyst Information

MBA STUDENT

Graduated!  January 2012    

Previous MBA Information.....

    In addition to holding on to a full-time job I am also a part-time student in the Evening MBA program at the University of St Thomas.  I am currently three quarters of the way through my program and thus beginning to experience mixed thoughts about the situation.  On one hand, I am getting anxious to graduate so I can spend more time with my friends and family.  On the other hand, I really love going to school.  The classroom experience is extremely valuable to me and my learning process.  I like the challenge of the coursework and I believe the additional workload has greatly improved my ability to organize my time.  The best part however is that I get to meet new people; people who share the same goals as myself and have real world experienced that they can share.  When someone asks me if I believe that an MBA is worth it, I say absolutely.  Time will only tell if it will pay out financially, but for me the experience has been well worth the effort.  I expect to graduate in December of 2011 with a Masters of Business Administration with a focus on Marketing Communications and Entrepreneurship.

    Marketing?  What do you mean?  Although I have spent the majority of my professional career working in the Information Technology world, my passion has been for the art of marketing.  I am a firm believer that mobile technology is the future of business and my goal is to be part of it.  I understand that the rules have changed and the process of public relations and marketing will never be the same.  Technology has given power back to the consumers and that is changing the game.  Markets are about communication and the companies that realize it are going to be the winners.  For more about my opinions on this topic, be sure to follow my blog.  More of my MBA Experience