Forging a New Path: How One MBA Graduate Transformed His Career
A PNW College of Business Alumni Story
Hear Bryan’s story on Instagram
When Bryan Cheek (MBA’12) enrolled in the Purdue University Northwest (PNW) College of Business’ Master of Business Administration program, he entered with a goal to enhance his operations management role at U.S. Steel. His program experience helped him discover an unexpected career direction.
While completing his path of study, Cheek took a course in data analytics, which allowed him to see the exciting possibilities of applying his skills in data analysis.
“It was that single point where I realized, ‘I get this, this comes naturally to me and I really enjoy doing it,'” he says. “That decision point changed me from an operations manager to somebody on a career path in data analytics and data science.
“My decision to come to Purdue Northwest for the MBA program was the defining, most important decision I made in my career. It put me on a different trajectory.”
Today, Cheek serves in a leadership role within data analytics and data science—a career path that traces directly back to a decision to invest in himself and embrace new opportunities.
Before joining PNW’s MBA program, Cheek had grown in operations management at U.S. Steel. Working on the mill floor gave him a deep understanding of how organizations operate and how leaders support their teams. As his career progressed, he began to see new possibilities for his future.
“I liked what I was doing, but I wanted to shift,” he recalls. “I wanted to find a path where I could use my knowledge base but stretch into a different direction.”
That determination led him to explore graduate programs throughout the region. Purdue University Northwest’s MBA program ultimately proved the best fit for him.
My decision to come to Purdue Northwest for the MBA program was the defining, most important decision I made in my career. It put me on a different trajectory.
Cheek earned his undergraduate degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette and was already familiar with PNW’s reputation for academic excellence. At PNW, he found a graduate program that challenged him to think differently, expanded his skills and helped him find the confidence to pursue opportunities that might have seemed out of reach based solely on his previous experience.
“I was able to show interest in opportunities where my career experience didn’t necessarily align,” he explains. “But I had the coursework, the projects and the tangible evidence of my abilities. I could show my skill, my effort and what the program was helping me achieve.”
Just as impactful were the relationships he built along the way.
Working alongside a cohort of professionals from different backgrounds created an environment where students learned from one another as much as they learned in the classroom. Classmates leaned on each other’s strengths, challenged one another to grow and formed connections that will continue years after graduation.
“Those relationships stand today,” Cheek says. “I’ve been a support mechanism for my cohort, and they’ve been there for me. That hasn’t stopped.”
For professionals considering graduate school at PNW, his advice is simple.
“You already have that drive,” he says. “Now it’s about making the decision. For me, that decision put me on a new path. I didn’t know exactly where it would lead at the time, but this graduate program enabled me to get there. You get a lot of value here at PNW, but you have to recognize that value and take advantage of the opportunity.”
Cheek’s determination to earn his MBA from PNW became a turning point—one that transformed his career, expanded his confidence and helped him discover a future he hadn’t previously imagined.