Current Engineering/MBA dual degree student at the University of Kentucky, Senait Nuguse, recently accepted a position in Chicago with United Airlines in their Pricing/Revenue Management department. In her new role at United Airlines, Senait will be analyzing large data sets to determine airplane ticket prices and how best to change them over time. Headquartered in Chicago, United Airlines (and United Express) operate approximately 4,700 flights a day to 356 airports across five continents. In 2017, United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights carrying more than 148 million customers. United's comprehensive route network includes U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark/New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 760 mainline aircraft and the airline's United Express carriers operate 546 regional aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 28-member airlines.
"I'm really excited for this position because it combines the analytical skills I gained through my engineering experience along with the business skills I'm gaining now in my MBA," says Senait. "As an engineer, I like the idea of a fast-paced work environment where I'm constantly solving problems. In this role, I will be figuring out the best prices for airplane tickets based on constantly changing data. Through my MBA courses, I felt more qualified for this type of position."
When UK MBA students secure their position, they are invited to the Graham Office of Career Management, the internal career management team at the Gatton College of Business and Economics, to “ring the bell” which is a tradition signifying a great career offer to a current student at Gatton.
Regarding her motivations for pursuing an MBA, Senait says, "I decided to get my MBA because I knew I wanted to be a leader. I had gotten a lot of leadership experience in my undergraduate program; however, it was more technical project management based. I wanted to gain more soft skills required to be an effective leader. As a result, I believed that by pursuing an MBA would help me develop those soft skills and gain a different point of view towards solving problems."
The University of Kentucky's College of Engineering and the Gatton College of Business and Economics recognized that integrating a strong business understanding with the technical background of an engineer can better equip students with the necessary skills to drive future innovations in both technology and business in a high-tech global economy. As a result, the Engineering/MBA Dual Degree was launched and has been the most popular dual degree option on campus.
Senait says, "I think in today's market, a combination of an engineering degree and an MBA gives you a wide range of skills that allows you to be qualified for a large set of opportunities and broadens your horizons. I don't think I would have been able to get my position at United without the additional skills I've gained in my MBA."
When asked about advice she would offer other engineers considering an MBA at the University of Kentucky, Senait said, "If you're considering getting your MBA, don't do it just because you think it will be easy. I underestimated the amount of work I would be putting in this year. It's only one year, but you really do learn a lot of useful skills. I would recommend an MBA to anyone wanting to expand their horizons after graduation, because that's exactly what this degree will do for me."
Senait will be graduating from the One Year MBA program in May of 2019 through the Engineering/MBA Dual Degree program. She graduated with her degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of Kentucky’s College of Engineering in 2018. Her first internship was with LG&E KU as a Transmission Planning Intern followed by Software Engineering Intern at Belcan where she performed system requirement updates on jet engine software. During her undergraduate studies at UK, Senait was an Undergraduate Research Assistant where she assisted with CAD modeling of the electron microscope and various interfaces to hold vacuum stages within the microscope. She also worked as an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for one of the electrical engineering digital logic labs. Senait also was the electrical team lead and manager of the University of Kentucky's Solar Car Team where she collaborated to construct a solar car to compete in the American Solar Challenge (ASC) which is a competition to design, build and drive solar-powered cars in a cross-country event. Senait also speaks Japanese and is a member of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
