“It helped me a lot with my management skills.” - A graduate’s perspective on the online MSc Entrepreneurship Management and Innovation at the University of Bath
We interviewed recent graduate Lyubomir Hristonev, to hear his experiences of our online MSc Entrepreneurship Management and Innovation.
What did your time studying at the university of Bath teach you?
It's taught me a lot about business life, about how to manage my time perfectly, and about managing different aspects of life, education, work and free time. It also taught me about the English education system, which is one of the best in the world. I learnt a lot about discipline, leadership and a lot about how to apply the things that I’ve learnt into real life business and the business environment.
What would you say the best things about studying this degree would be?
The best things were the practical assignments, pitch decks, public speaking, projects which were very interesting. Every professor had their own approach, but it was quite unique, and everyone wanted to teach you the most important things. My fellow students were also great, this combination of cultures and diversity helps you grow as a person and increases your communication capabilities with people all around the world. Studying their culture while studying at the university was also a great way to increase your knowledge, and it was quite a unique experience meeting with people from Hong Kong and at the same time from Canada. So, from one part of the world to the other, it was quite a unique experience which cannot be found anywhere.
What unit was your favorite? What unit or key theme did you get the most value out of?
Although all units addressed different crucial aspects of entrepreneurship, my favorite unit was Entrepreneurial acceleration, because it taught me how to grow my business and formulate the perfect execution plan. Scaling up is most probably the hardest part of running a small business, therefore this unit is one of the most important ones in the programme.
Do you feel that studying this MSc has helped you?
Yes, it helped me a lot with my management skills because I've had a lot of courses throughout the degree which taught a lot about management. I was able to apply this knowledge to my current position that I'm holding.
What was the subject of your dissertation and how did it apply to your career?
The subject of my dissertation was related to my career specifically, it was related to managing the satellite connectivity on board vessels and in the maritime market. It was related to studying this market and with my current role as a manager of the team, how to implement new services to new markets, whether this is feasible and what are the resources that are needed. The dissertation was quite connected to my everyday work, and it helped me a lot in my in my work.
Were you working alongside this degree?
Yes, I'm currently working as a Head of International Sales at Vivacom. It is the largest telecom operator in Bulgaria and I'm Head of International Sales for the past 1 1/2 years. So, I've been managing both studying and working at the same time. When I first started studying at the University of Bath, I was at the position of International Sales Representative with the same team. I got promoted to managing the team during my studies at the University of Bath, this was another milestone throughout the way. I grasped a lot of valuable information throughout the courses, and I managed to combine it with my work, which was the hardest challenge throughout the course.
Were you able to get in touch with other students on the course?
Yes, we've had a lot of conversations and a lot of group work with other students, which was a unique experience because one of the most important things studying here at the University of Bath is the connections that you make with other students, which are lifelong connections. We've had a lot of mutual projects, we've had a lot of video conversations, even though we didn't see each other in person, I'm positive that we'll be able to do that someday, and we are keeping in touch even after the graduation. So, this was a very pleasant journey along with them.
How was the Virtual Learning Environment? How did you find the lecturers? Were you able to be in touch?
The portal that we were using for studying was quite helpful because it had a lot of information. We had all the reading lists, we had all the tasks in advance in a calendar, so I marked them along the way. It was very helpful. All the professors from all the courses were very helpful because a distance learning programme is not as easy in terms of communication and they knew that very well. They were always there for us to support us along the way. I've had a lot of conversations, online meetings with all the professors, and they helped me go through the material and it was quite useful.
What was it like to finally visit campus for graduation?
I got the chance to visit campus on my graduation and I was astonished by the nature surrounding it, especially the view of the lake. The sports facilities were the biggest ones I have ever seen on a campus, and the new School of Management building was very modern. The room I stayed in was cozy and convenient for studying.
"I got the chance to visit campus on my graduation and I was astonished by the nature surrounding it, especially the view of the lake”
What advice would you give to someone wanting to study the course?
I would advise them to seek and to get the information which would really apply to their own life, that’s the most important thing. I really believe that this programme teaches you of real-life business environments, the theoretical part is important, but the things that you can apply, these are the things that stay in your mind afterwards. This programme is very suitable for people who are business oriented, who have the entrepreneurial mindset and who want to develop their own business activities in the future.
If you would like to learn more about our Entrepreneurship Management and Innovation course, request information below.