{"id":9639,"date":"2019-01-04T18:31:28","date_gmt":"2019-01-04T18:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=9639"},"modified":"2019-01-04T18:31:28","modified_gmt":"2019-01-04T18:31:28","slug":"utrgv-online-mba-alum-scores-profession-dealing-with-international-business-for-san-antonio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/?p=9639","title":{"rendered":"UTRGV Online MBA Alum Scores Profession Dealing with International Business for San Antonio"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"\"

Jean Luc Mette, UTRGV alumnus of the 100% online accelerated MBA program. Courtesy Photo<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

by Amanda L. Alaniz<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0UTRGV alumnus Jean-Luc Mette is no stranger to international borders.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He grew up in Germany, where he graduated high school and went on to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree in communications and a master\u2019s in journalism.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He worked for the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., found a job with the shoe company PUMA in the marketing and communications department, and had a chance to see Usain Bolt at the Olympics in London. Then he moved to the United States in 2013 with his wife, who is from the States. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2016.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Today, he is the\u00a0International Economic Development Manager for the City of San Antonio<\/a>, a position that was possible for him because he had completed the UTRGV accelerated online Master of Business Administration program from the\u00a0UTRGV Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship<\/a>.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think I would\u2019ve gotten my current role without the MBA from UTRGV,\u201d Mette said. \u201cSimply on paper, I would not have been the best candidate. This position is kind of unique in that it combines international relations with the business side. I had always had the international background, and some corporate experience, but not a solid business foundation from an educational perspective. But now I am able to legitimately say, I am very qualified for this position.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
UTRGV\u2019s ACCELERATED ONLINE MBA<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Called the 100% online MBA, the master\u2019s program accredited by\u00a0AACSB International<\/a>, provides the leadership and project management skills required for success in a competitive job market, like the one in San Antonio where Mette now works.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The program in 2017 was\u00a0ranked sixth in the nation<\/a>\u00a0among the 50 most affordable online MBA in financial planning degrees.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The online program can be completed in as few as 12 months and offers a highly qualified faculty ready to help students equip themselves with the necessary skills to enter the global job market and sustain a career.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Interested candidates applying for the online MBA do not have to have an undergraduate degree in business. However, they would need to add\u00a0three foundation courses<\/a>\u00a0to the degree plan, such as Introduction to Finance or Accounting for Managers.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The university would advise on which foundation courses are necessary for the student to be successful in the MBA program.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
USING WHAT HE LEARNED<\/strong><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
In Mette\u2019s role with San Antonio, he helps bring international companies, jobs and investments to the city, and occasionally assists the mayor and city councilmembers on international business trips.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He also oversees the city\u2019s trade office in Mexico City,\u00a0Casa San Antonio<\/a>, and works on special events, such as the visit of the King and Queen of Spain last summer.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He started working for the city in 2015 as an international relations specialist, an entry-level position. He helped organize a large trade mission to Germany that resulted in a Sister City relationship with Darmstadt. Following his promotion to senior economic development specialist, he worked mostly with companies that were considering locating to or expanding in San Antonio.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He said exposure to those responsibilities really sparked his interest and, ultimately, the decision to find an MBA program that would work with his hectic schedule.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI wanted to pick a school in Texas that didn\u2019t require me to be on campus several days or nights per week, preferably within the UT System,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Mette said he was impressed with the UTRGV curriculum, and the class structure was smooth. His overall experience was satisfying, helpful and worthwhile, he said.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cThe professors were good, classes were well-structured, and much of the content was the exact same as they teach at leading MBA programs across the country. The UTRGV MBA was the right choice,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Asked about plans for a Ph.D., he said he wouldn\u2019t rule it out completely, but right now he wants to focus on his career and his growing family.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
He also is involved in a side project that he says the MBA helped him prepare for. Mette, his wife, his brother and a business partner plan to open a bar east of downtown San Antonio in early 2019. When he wrote up the business plan, he said, the worth of the MBA from UTRGV became obvious.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
His advice for perspective college students is to find something they are passionate about.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cBecause then, learning and studying at night or weekends won\u2019t feel like work,\u201d he said. \u201cIt comes naturally. You\u2019re probably better at it if you care and find it interesting.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Visit the\u00a0Robert C. Vacakar College of Business and Entrepreneurship<\/a>\u00a0to learn more about its MBA programs and other business-related degrees.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Amanda L. Alaniz SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS \u2013\u00a0UTRGV alumnus Jean-Luc Mette is no stranger to international borders. He grew up in Germany, where he graduated high school and went on to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree in communications and a master\u2019s in journalism. He worked for the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., found a job with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-valley"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9639"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9641,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9639\/revisions\/9641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/losfresnosnews.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}