Meet Muhammad Mehdi, MTM Class of 2024

Muhammad joined the MTM program after receiving his B.A. in Management and Information Systems from Ozyegin University in Istanbul, Turkey.

Q: Why did you want to join the MTM graduate program?

A: I wanted to join the MTM graduate program because of its strong emphasis on technical and managerial skills. The program's curriculum aligned perfectly with what I was looking for in my aspirations of leading tech-driven projects, and it was a nine-month program. I wanted to pick a program that bridges the gap between technology and business. My undergrad was in management information systems, so I wanted to stay in the same realm for my master’s. I didn't want to get into any engineering program, but at the same time I wanted to get a STEM degree, so this was the perfect fit for me. Also, I plan to work in the U.S. after the program, so as an international student it provided me with a good opportunity to work for three years on OPT in the U.S. 

Q: What was your favorite moment of the year?

A: At the start of the program we went on a lunch outing at the beach with our professors. I come from a background where such interactions are so rare, and you don't usually go out with your professors for lunch or see them in informal settings; the only interactions you have with professors are during class. It was very refreshing and calming to see how welcoming and friendly the professors were. I wanted to know what the expectations were going to be for this program, and just having that friendly chat with the professors was something that really calmed me down. I was like, "Ok, this is something I can manage." I was coming into a whole different environment, and I didn't know how the educational system would be in the U.S. Once we met the professors, they gave us that confidence that it was super easy to reach out for help, and we could have informal conversations with them.

In terms of favorite moments in the academics, in our Strategy for Tech-Driven Companies and Leading Technology Teams courses, both taught by Professor Phillips, we played certain roles. For example, in one of the simulations I was a founder and I was responsible for recruiting and making investment decisions. The classes gave us hands-on experience with real-world situations, and we were interacting with people from other roles. In the simulations, they come to you and pitch themselves, saying “We want a job.” Then you have to play it out. It was super fun, and it included everything that goes on in a real-world situation. Practicing a little bit of this gave us the basics, and I really enjoyed it.  

Q: What was something you learned that you look forward to using in your next job?

A: There are many things I learned, but personally I look forward to implementing the communication skills that I gained from Professor Zackrison’s Communication class. As someone who was not initially comfortable with presenting or communicating with peers, this class was designed in a way that was very transformational for me and equipped me with certain skills that I needed to effectively convey ideas and strategies, which will be essential for a future career. Now I am in the interviewing process with a couple companies, and the techniques that he taught me, such as the STAR format and how to deliver certain things, are boosting my confidence in how to present myself and keep my answers concise, short, and to the point with hand gestures and eye contact. It was basically everything that cannot be taught by just a book, so the professor did a great job of conveying such knowledge and skills to us. He taught us about how to communicate the important parts during a presentation, how to give impromptu speeches without preparation, and how to come up with the content naturally. 

Q: What was your favorite course and why?

A: My favorite courses were Entrepreneurship and Leading Technology Teams because I got to work on my own passion projects. It was the project I wanted to start in Turkey, but it never saw any daylight. But when I brought it to Santa Barbara and shared it with my colleagues, six of them wanted to work with me on the project, which was a platform for scooters and bikes. 

Q: What was your favorite part about going to graduate school in Santa Barbara?

A: The diversity and the friendly culture of Santa Barbara. People were really warm and welcoming, which made the transition as an international student much smoother. The proximity to cities, such as L.A., allowed me to enjoy concerts and other shows. I love standup comedy, and Kevin Hart came to Santa Barbara to do a show, and that was a highlight of my whole year. You get the chance to interact with your peers, enjoy events, partake in festivals, and it was also next to the beach. The weather was super nice and it was lovely to go get a smoothie and just chill by the beach in order to relax. 

Q: What was your field project and what skills are you using to solve this business challenge?

A: Our project was with Secure Docs, a subscription-based, virtual data room company, and we made recommendations for how to increase revenue. Go-to-market strategies is something I learned from the Marketing class that was used heavily throughout my field project. The Entrepreneurship course helped me for the user discovery phase, where I had to reach out to and interview 108 people, which included sending them cold emails and reaching out to them on LinkedIn. This has actually benefited me for my own personal goals when I wanted to apply for jobs, and it helped me connect with others. The Communication class was crucial in connecting with those clients and tailoring our emails accordingly when we were reaching out to clients to understand what their issues were with SecureDocs, what extra features we could add that they were looking for, or what features they did not use a lot.

Q: What is your favorite new technology?

A: ChatGPT, and thank you to Professor Matt Beane for teaching us how to write those prompts in order to get the most out of ChatGPT. Matt and Joni from Career Services encouraged us to use it in order to tailor our resumes and optimize our LinkedIn pages. I personally also used Canva and Excel for our presentations, which was super helpful during my field project. RStudio from the Data Analytics class was very valuable when finding customer retention rates and bounce rates in order to get an idea of how customers are interacting with the website. Gephi was also helpful in generating scatter plots of certain organizations, showing you the workflow between upper and lower management of employees. 

Q: Do you have any future career aspirations as of now?

A: Thanks to courses like Leading Technology Teams, Human Capital, and Communication, I want to lead teams and take on managerial roles. I am looking for roles that I have prior experience in, which are operations, business development, and project management. After going through MTM, I learned certain skills so now I am applying for a few roles, such as product management, account strategist, human capital, negotiation, and even recruitment, that I feel I am more prepared for after receiving my MTM degree. That has broadened my horizons in that sense, making me capable of pursuing a variety of roles. 

Q: Any final words about the MTM program?

A: OISS, the Office of International Students and Scholars at UCSB, is there to help and it provides you with everything you need for graduating and internships as an international student. GauchoNetwork is super helpful for networking and finding jobs, and UCSB alumni help refer you to certain companies.  

Connect with Muhammad on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/muhammad--mehdi 

Learn more about the Master of Technology Management program: tmp.ucsb.edu/mtm