Garrett Miller is a Sales Manager for the US and Canadian operations of COPA-DATA, a European company that creates and sells industrial automation software. In this role, Garrett attends trade shows, pursues potential clients, examines how to better serve existing accounts, and trains other sales staff by providing them with context on COPA-DATA’s niche industry and sales cycle. “I enjoy my work because it’s customer facing,” explains Garrett, “while also getting to work with a great team internally. I also enjoy meeting other employees from our offices around the world to see different cultures and perspectives.”
In 2015, Garrett graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Human Resource Management. Quickly realizing HR was not the optimal fit for him, Garrett pursued a career in sales, building experience and a profession within the software industry. While working full-time, Garrett elected to join the TCNJ MBA program’s Strategy, Innovation, and Leadership track to hone his professional skills and develop new ones. He cites the program’s reasonable 2-year commitment and price as driving factors in his decision to enroll, as well as its proximity to his office.
When asked what he enjoys most about the MBA program at TCNJ, Garrett said “I like how the MBA program is hybrid so I have the flexibility to take remote classes, while also having the opportunity to meet the students and professors. I also like how it’s a lockstep program where everyone collaborates. This allows me to learn from other students through hearing their perspectives.” Another positive Garrett mentioned is TCNJ’s personal approach to the MBA, which has enabled him to get to know the faculty and his peers on a level his undergraduate experience did not allow.
Since joining the program, Garrett says he has learned to take ownership of leading and driving change in professional environments: “Historically I would often see problems and inefficiencies, which I would make management aware of, however I never provided a clear solution or action plan to improve. Now I take a more hands-on approach to come up with solutions rather than simply identifying problems.” This understanding has allowed Garrett to provide more structure in the sales department at COPA-DATA and streamline processes without previously defined workflows. He has also become skilled at identifying and solving inefficiencies while helping new hires to do the same. For prospective MBA students who desire similar insights into the nature of internal business operations, Garrett recommends integrating class material into your professional life as soon and as much as possible. “By doing this,” Garrett explains, “you get both classroom experience along with real-world experience that you can discuss with classmates, while getting their feedback.”
While Garrett says he does not plan to pursue any additional degrees after attaining his MBA, he does look forward to taking on greater responsibility and assuming new roles professionally. “My main goal will be to grow through real life situations,” he says, “I hope to eventually inspire and mentor others to grow and achieve in ways they didn’t think possible, as others have done for me.”