Hometown: Fair Lawn, NJ
Title: Assistant Director, Sustaining Engineering & Continuous Improvement
Company: AERCO International Inc.
Bree McQuillan
My Story About Me
When you are working until 2 am on work projects, you need to lean on someone to pick up slack.
The Wharton Executive MBA program challenges even the most focused students as they struggle to balance high-powered careers, family demands, and a rigorous academic program. Bree McQuillan had to perform quite a juggling act as she got married and had her first child while in the program. How did she do it all? “I realized you just learn how to make it work.” Bree stresses how important it is for new moms to get family and friends on board to help them navigate both the program and motherhood successfully. But the hard work was worth it. She found what she learned at school was very instrumental in helping her navigate new work responsibilities she got as a result of a promotion.
Bree talks about taking on life changes during the program, learning outside the classroom, and moving up in her career.
Saying ‘I do’ and exams
I got married right before finals in my first term. That was really nerve-wracking. Your first term is nerve-wracking in general — you’re thrown back into school mode, you’re adjusting to the professors and the workload. But I made it through. I was actually studying on my honeymoon, in Greece, looking over at the ocean in Santorini and studying economics and accounting. But it was better than working all day, coming home and studying in your dining room at 9 o’clock. Once I got through that, I realized you just learn how to make it work.
Balancing baby and the program
I had my son three weeks before finals during the fifth term. (I time things really well!) Business school can be slightly more difficult for women because they have a lot of family obligations. Sometimes they don’t want to put things on hold. It’s a balancing act, and it’s tough to juggle, but it’s definitely doable. I’m not a superwoman by any stretch of the imagination. As long as you have supportive family and friends, you can do it.
The Wharton (Mommy) Network
I also had a lot of support from Wharton. They worked with me so I could take a couple of finals early to make sure I got the academic requirements done, and I could spend more time with my son after I had him. It worked out.
One of things the staff did when I told them I was having a baby was hook me up with women who had had babies while in the program. I got to talk to them, and they gave me advice on how to get through it. That was helpful because, in addition to family and friends, I had a whole other network of women to lean on.
Work/life/job balance
You have to have a supportive network if you are going to enter a program like this. When you are working until 2 am on work projects, you need to lean on someone to pick up slack. Then you do the same when they need help. Before I had my son, I would work all day, then come home and study late at night. I had a colleague who would get up at 4, and go into work and get three hours of studying in before his work day started at 8. You have to find that time. You know you need to put in the time to get the grades and retain the material. You just fit it in, like you fit exercise in your life. You make it a priority.
A business degree to balance an evolving career path
My background is in industrial engineering. I’ve worked for manufacturing firms, and my role in both of those firms was around operational efficiency. Because I had the technical background with an engineering degree, I really wanted to get the financial background that I would need to make more effective business decisions at a corporate level. I knew an MBA would give me that financial and business knowledge. My company knew I was interested in pursuing my MBA, and they offered to sponsor me in the program.
Classroom learning broadening your professional perspective
Corporate Finance with Professor Percival was an absolute highlight for me — I never knew finance could be so interesting. He kept me hanging on his every word during class. My company was purchased by a private equity firm at the end of 2007, and we have a strategic business plan to sell in the future. Much of what I learned in this class, as well as Corporate Valuation, Venture Capital & Advanced Corporate Finance gave me a greater understanding of how my company was financed, why certain executive-level business decisions were being made, and the theory behind private equity management. I could go back to my company and talk EBITDA numbers with the executive staff with a much greater confidence and understanding of what goes into the numbers and how each operating decision we were making was affecting the bottom line. It enabled me to make better decisions at an operational level, having a greater understanding of the P&L.
Life lessons from the classroom
Another unique class is Total Leadership with Stew Friedman. I took this class during the term when I had my son (5th term). It was such an interesting time to take the class because I was embarking on a new part of my life, and I was concerned about how I would continue to balance my career with my new family life in the future. The Total Leadership course makes you take a deep look into your inner values and aspirations, and whether you are living your life in line with those values. You are paired up with two classmates who act as coaches for you throughout the course. What I learned in this class is something I will take with me for the rest of my life. The class forces you to ask difficult questions of yourself, to challenge yourself to be a better leader and to look for wins in your life (between career, family, community and self domains) instead of always thinking of things in terms of balancing (needing to sacrifice one area of your life to fulfill another). It was truly eye-opening to think about ways you could combine domains as opposed to always thinking in terms of trade-offs.
Using what you learn in school to move up in your career
One of my courses was a new-product development class. I knew when I signed up for this class that my company struggled in this area, and I wanted to bring something back to them.
As it turns out, one of my new responsibilities at work is developing a process for new-product development. We are a technology-based business, and we are trying to launch a few new products this year. Historically, we’ve struggled to launch on time with the margins that we want. Either we are late to our internal timeline targets or the costs are too high. Our company is trying to put in a new process to enhance new product-development launches, and I have been tasked with developing and implementing it. Thankfully, I will be able to take the frameworks that I learned in this class and apply them to this new role.
Immersing yourself in the campus experience
I like the fact that you are submerged in the program for the entire weekend. I’m based out of New Jersey, and I work in New York. The programs I was considering in New York didn’t include a residency component, which meant commuting back and forth from the city on each class day, resulting in less of an opportunity to develop camaraderie with your classmates. At Wharton you are here all day Friday, sleep here overnight, and are here all day Saturday. You have no choice but to focus on school. With a weekend schedule, you can concentrate better, and you form much closer relationships with your colleagues, which is a large part of the experience.
114 people I can call up for help
My favorite part of the Wharton experience is my colleagues, especially my learning team. You become really tight with those people, and I know we will stay in touch for life. We all come from different backgrounds and different industries. You’re going to school with such brilliant business leaders — doctors, investment bankers, engineers — it runs the gamut in terms of experience. And you can’t place a value on that. You learn a lot from this network of people, and I think you probably continue to learn a lot from them throughout your career. You’re always going to have those moments at work where you need advice, and now I have 114 people I feel comfortable calling up for help.
Do you have any advice for applicants?
As important as the classwork is — and it’s an extremely rigorous program so you will spend a lot of time studying — don’t let that be all encompassing. Take advantage of the social aspect as well; it’s just as important. It’s those nights when you want to sleep or study just a little more that you need to force yourself to go out to dinner. Put yourself out there because you’ll gain so much from your colleagues and your classmates. You will develop relationships that you can’t place a value on.
I remember in one of the first classes we took, the professor said half the class thought they deserved to be there and the other half was wondering how they got in. I say to the half that is nervous about how they are going to make it through the program: Be confident because the school knows how to pick exceptional people. If you get in the program, you deserve to be there. The 114 people I graduated with are an incredible, impressive group of individuals. I gained confidence because of this program, knowing I can take on more professionally and balance a lot of things at once.
