Case studies: University of Liverpool Management School: Jane Lomax

Jane Lomax is studying an MBA at the University of Liverpool Management School. She is from North Wales in the UK and previously studied her undergraduate degree in accountancy

 
What degree (undergraduate) did you study and where?

I studied my first degree at the University of North London (now the London Metropolitan University) and graduated in 1992.

Eventually moving to the Midlands, I managed to get a job as an internal auditor at a large metropolitan borough council – finally putting my degree to use. I moved back to North Wales and continued working within local government, but this time progressing to business improvement. I continued in this field and moved to a senior management role within a charity in Liverpool.

Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?

The charity had its finances significantly reduced over the last two years and I knew that we would have to make a number of redundancies to ensure it continued into the future. At this point I reflected a lot on where and what I wanted to be, and where my career was heading. Following discussions with a number of my peers I felt one of the best ways to answer my questions was to pursue an MBA.

How are you funding your MBA?

At the start of my course I worked one day a week for the charity. I found initially that it was easy to balance this with studying. However, as the course got more intense, it was difficult to dedicate the right amount of time to my work. Further funding issues within the charity have since resulted in my redundancy. I have to admit, there is a certain amount of relief as I can now dedicate all of my time to studying. 

Why did you choose this MBA programme and Liverpool?

I settled on the Liverpool MBA for a number of reasons. Its Russell Group status and the dedicated MBA careers support were key factors in my decision making. The length of the course was a very important element (12 months full-time), as was the competitive price and the £3,000 MBA study award I received as a UK student.

After visiting each of the universities, I found the support and contact I had from the University of Liverpool unsurpassable. Elaine Eades, director of MBA programmes, and Julie Byrne, MBA administrator, were always happy to answer any questions and get back to me. I found this efficiency very persuasive. 

Tell as a little bit about the course…

So far within the programme, we have covered finance, strategy, economics, marketing, and how to develop as a leader. Those few topics don’t sound much but the sheer volume of work covered and the intensity of the first few weeks cannot be described. I have enjoyed every minute of it, in particular working in groups.

The various group projects have been really interesting, ensuring each individual’s skills are utilised to the advantage of the group to get the best results possible. 

The course is also helping me to develop as a leader as it has required a lot of self-reflection, allowing me to identify my skills and the best way to utilise them. This is helping not only within university, but also within my home and work environments.

What advice would you give to other considering an MBA?

I thought that going back to university and studying after 20 years would be hard, and it is. The support from staff is excellent and students from the three MBA courses (Liverpool MBA, Business Finance and Management MBA and Football Industries MBA) frequently cross-over in lecturers together, bringing many different perspectives to the learning.

There are a significant number of overseas students and this mix has broadened my understanding of different cultures and of what is happening elsewhere in the world. I have made many friends, all of whom I’m sure I‘ll be in touch with in years to come.