Why TI:GER?

I am an attorney enrolled in the TI:GER program while pursing my MBA, so this is my second graduate student experience. My decision to pursue an MBA was based largely on my desire to work on business problems as opposed to problems that are strictly legal in nature. Having been through the law school experience, I know that practical experience is a key influence on future career choices.

During law school I took part in mock trials and law clinics where I represented individual clients in real court proceedings. I then went on to clerk for a trial judge, work as a prosecutor and eventually started my own law practice. My experiential learning had a strong influence on my confidence in interviews for some of these positions, as well as the strength of the cover letters that I wrote and how quickly I could adapt to the new role. In sum, my experience with trial work during law school lead to my desire and ability to pursue a career in trial practice.

While reflecting on that experience, I started my MBA journey with a desire to gain practical experience in advising companies on business strategies for commercializing new technology. In my law practice, I had experience advising a key client, a startup research and development company, on contract negotiation issues. As I now aspire to step into the new role of strategic business advisor, TI:GER has been a tremendous opportunity to learn how to apply essential consulting skills, such as how to analyze the market for a product as well as how to assess the commercial viability of a particular technology.

In TI:GER, I am also exposed to the team dynamic that exists in small startups and many project-based work environments. My team is composed of law students, MBA students and one PHD student. Although our primary roles are based largely on individual areas of academic study, we are all exposed to the variety of issues involved in commercializing technology, such as intellectual property protection, market analysis and customer discovery.

I chose TI:GER based on the expectation that its experiential learning format would be a huge influence on my career path after the MBA program. Being in TI:GER has already provided key experiences that have helped me distinguish my skill set during job interviews.  I am passionate about the program, the technology and the team, and consider my decision to apply to TI:GER one of the best career decisions that I’ve ever made. I look forward to applying my TI:GER experience in my new career.

Jermaine Fanfair

TI:GER Class of 2017