To go back to school or not go back to school? That was the question facing Devon Izard shortly after leaving UIC with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 2014.
Thank heavens for the counsel of Gies College of Business associate dean Ron Watkins, Izard says.
“Making the decision to commit the time and money to go back to school and pursue a graduate degree is complicated and taxing, to say the least. I was extremely lucky to have befriended Ron years prior to having to make this decision,” says Izard, now the manager of acquisitions and investments for Murray Wise Associates of Champaign.
“Needless to say, he was one of my first calls to try and analyze if I should pursue my MBA and then the potentials for where. Ron was extremely insightful into the pros and cons of pursuing an MBA at that point in my career.
"I knew his advice was coming from a place of truly caring about my career development and not just trying to recruit me to the U of I.
“After many conversations, I ended up choosing to pursue my MBA at the University of Illinois and now know that I made the right choice. Ron is still a person who I reach out to for ongoing career advice and unfortunately for him, this will not stop anytime soon.”
