Martin Guttinger

MBA in Information Technology Management

Ever since Martin Guttinger moved to the United States from his native Switzerland in 1994, the idea of getting his master’s degree always remained in the back of his mind. But with two young children and a heavy work schedule, Guttinger saw years pass with his dream left on the shelf. In the last few years, however, the 46-year-old manager at Cisco Systems began to get serious about furthering his education.

“I work in a highly competitive environment,” he said. “Education can make or break a career. Promotions between two candidates are based on 1) experience and 2) education. I want to be competitive in the workplace.”

Though his daughter and son were older, his job running the Translation and Localization unit of his company kept him traveling, often overseas. Whichever grad school he chose needed to be extremely flexible. Through a posting at Cisco, Guttinger first heard about Jones International University, the first entirely virtual institution in the U.S. to receive regional accreditation.

“Cisco and JIU have a similar philosophy that I embrace,” he said. “From the first contact I had with JIU onward, I was very impressed with the personal attention and support as well as the quality of the programs. The fact that it was completely online was a must for me. Anywhere in the world that I had an internet connection, I was able to study. It was remarkable.”

Guttinger liked the format of the courses and that despite the faculty and students were scattered all over the globe, the interaction between everyone was convenient and very positive.

“I especially loved the capstone project where everything I studied came into practice,” he said. “We learned to run a company, which was a lot of fun and put our skills to work.”

Guttinger recently graduated from JIU with an MBA in Information Technology Management, a course of study he said has expanded his profession opportunities and given him a great sense of personal achievement.

“The discipline needed to complete an MBA is considerable,” he said. “I won’t lie and say it wasn’t extremely difficult and that there were times that I felt like I couldn’t make it. But the hardship has been more than worth it.”

Guttinger, however, cautioned that distance learning isn’t for everyone.

“It’s really a test of how mature you are and how serious you are about your education,” he said. “For the people who understand that pursuing an advanced degree requires a huge commitment and are willing to step up and make that happen, the rewards are great, both professionally and personally.”