TU alumnus Shawn Oleson (BA ’13) shares how TU’s International Business and Language program prepared him for his career.
My short career has already taken me from a small and scrappy startup to the largest company in the world Amazon and back again. I feel that TU’s International Business and Language (IBL) program has given me the business acumen to fit in a variety of different industries from old school insurance to cutting edge tech. The coursework and breadth of topics presented allowed me the flexibility to join a variety of different business units within a company and never feel like I was stuck in one role. Where other more generic business programs may glaze over the cultural nuance of business, TU’s IBL degree provided the intercultural awareness and competency for me to thrive in fast-paced and dynamic international business environments and working together with people from all across the globe. It paired together with a focus on language skills inside the classroom and provided outside opportunities to utilize them in both internships and studying abroad. These real-world experiences allowed me to immediately enter the marketplace and start delivering results at a level that outpaced many of my peers. I enthusiastically recommend the IBL (German) program to any student who truly wishes to broaden their horizons, explore and understand the real international side of business. A literal world of opportunity awaits!