Firsthand Experiences

Meet Shane Cuddson
U.S. Navy Reserves
MBA - Operations Management

Intimidation Turned into Addiction

Chief Petty Officer Shane Cuddson is the first to admit that, although it takes a lot to intimidate him, an online MBA degree program did just that. He really wanted his MBA though and AIU Online was the only school Shane found that he thought might fit into his busy life and had the exact MBA concentration he was looking for.

Having graduated through AIU Online with his MBA with a concentration in Operations Management in September, Shane is already enrolled in another online Master's degree program. He says he never would have considered this second online degree program had it not been for his experience at AIU Online.

"When I was first looking at MBA degree programs I still really had the brick and mortar mentality. I just didn't think classes could successfully be taught over the Internet and I was very apprehensive about all the computers and technology involved. Overall, I was just very pessimistic about online learning." But, because of his full-time job as a commercial airline pilot, along with responsibilities to his Naval reserve unit, the flexibility online learning seemed to offer was intriguing enough Shane started researching it.

Shane says he enrolled at AIU Online still leery of Internet education but with the idea that he would drop out after the first class if his fears proved true. "It didn't take me long to completely change my opinion. By week three, I was saying, 'This rocks!'" Shane is now preparing to begin a career-specific online dual Master's degree program - a Master of Aeronautical Science in Aeronautics and Applied Aerospace Education - at another university in March.

"I tell you though, (this other school) had better have as good of an interface and online architecture as AIU Online or I'm going to let them know!"

While Shane was initially worried about the computer skills and technical know-how online learning required, he says it ended up being no problem. "AIU Online made it so easy to get comfortable with the technology." Where Shane once only got near computers when absolutely necessary, he says he is now the one taking care of his and his wife's (Shane just got married at the end of December) computers, doing all the defragging and other maintenance on them.

Computers weren't all Shane learned about during his time at AIU though. "I apply things I learned during my MBA degree program everyday. It has enhanced my analytic abilities (Shane is an analyst in the Naval reserves) and has even just made me a better citizen. I can look at news and listen to politicians with more perspective." Shane eventually plans on using his MBA to orchestrate a change in jobs both in the Naval reserves and the airline industry. "With this MBA I have no doubt I'm going to see a commission and have my reserve duties enhanced." Shane also wants to segue from full-time pilot to something along the lines of a fleet manager or management pilot. "Ninety-nine percent of commercial pilots have a Bachelor's degree, but a much, much smaller percentage have Master's degrees. My MBA really makes me stand out from my peers when looking at it competitively speaking."

Although Shane heard more than once that it was the MBA degree that mattered and not the grades he earned while getting it, he couldn't just let himself coast. "After I got my first couple of A's, I got addicted to good grades. I started competing with myself. When people would tell me that my grades didn't really matter, I didn't care. My thinking was that with the kind of investment I was making to earn this MBA, I was going to put all I could into it. Why would you do all this to only come out with mediocre grades?" Shane graduated with a 4.0 GPA.

"AIU Online's MBA certainly isn't an easy degree program. The accelerated courses really busted my chops. Instructors weren't unreasonable in their expectations, but there was no way you could turn in garbage products and get good grades. Anyone who says they had an easy time at AIU Online, well, don't believe them."