Purdue master’s student Raymond Agbor has traveled across the world in pursuit of his dreams. His journey started in Cyprus, at the European University (EUC) in Nicosia, where he studied Business Administration at graduate level. Then he traveled back to his home country of Cameroon, where he found a job as a business administrative analyst. After working in that role for seven years and developing a passion for the field, he decided to make a major jump and move to the United States, where he hoped to take his career to new heights.
In 2018, Raymond settled in the Des Moines, Iowa area and started taking classes in business and software development at a community college, eventually earning his associate degree and working various jobs in the software development industry. However, after a few years, Agbor started thinking about going back to school again. He knew there were a lot of opportunities that could come from studying business at a higher level, he just needed to find the right program.
“Even while working, I kept thinking about how much more there was to learn, and where I could go back to school” Raymond said. “Purdue was one of the universities I had in mind from the beginning. They were well known in business, and I knew it would be a high-quality degree.”
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Through online research, Raymond found Purdue’s online Master of Science in Computer and Information Technology (CNIT) program. The program was highly ranked, fully online, and had a concentration in business analysis – meaning Raymond could study without having to move away from his family or leave his job.
“It was the best quality online program available” he said.
Though Raymond thought Purdue would be a good fit after researching the program, he became even more confident in his decision during the application process. He reached out to faculty members in the program while completing his application, and they offered invaluable support.
“The faculty were so supportive, answering my questions and helping me feel more confident in my application,” Raymond said. “I knew I wanted to work with them instantly.”
Raymond started the program in the summer of 2023. The experience has been intense and challenging – but he says everything he’s learning makes the program’s rigor worthwhile.
“You have to conduct your own research and dig deep into the topics,” Raymond said. “Every week we have assessments, and while they are difficult, they also help me practice my skills and understand the field better.”
Throughout his online learning experience, Raymond has consistently leaned on Purdue’s faculty to help him work through projects and assignments. Even though he’s hundreds of miles away from Purdue’s flagship campus, he’s never felt unsupported. His professors always make time to meet with him whenever he needs some extra help.
“The professors are supportive in the online classes and outside of class,” Raymond said. “If I need more explanation or direction, they help with that. They guide me and help push me to accomplish more.”
When Raymond started the CNIT master’s, he was most excited to explore the business analysis concentration. The concentration’s curriculum, which is based on IIBA® (International Institute of Business Analysis) and PMI® (Project Management Institute) standards, has allowed him to customize his plan of study around topics he’s interested in, like conducting stakeholder analyses, mapping requirement metrics and flows, designing software tools, and building visual analytics.
“The concentration has a lot of interesting course options,” Raymond said. “You can take a course in organizational change management, for example, or courses in project management. These are good tools for anyone interested in working in business at a higher level.”
Though Raymond has a couple years of study before completing his master’s, he’s already looking ahead to what he wants to do in the future. In particular, he has three ambitions he’d like to tackle after he completes his master’s, and each goal builds off what he’s learned so far.
“First, I want to earn my doctorate, and this program is a great jumping off point for that,” he said. “I’d also like to create a consultancy business down the road and offer services to small businesses and entrepreneurs. And I’d like to teach business classes one day at the university level.”
For his doctorate, Raymond would like to stick with Purdue and matriculate into the university’s innovative online Doctor of Technology program, the first of its kind at an R1 institution. But for now, he is concentrating on making the most out of his master’s experience. Regardless of what the future brings, he considers being a graduate student at Purdue one of his greatest achievements – because he knows it will help make his dreams a reality.
“No matter the challenges, all of this has been worth it,” Raymond said. “This degree is a springboard that goes from here all the way up to the sky.”
To learn more about Purdue’s master’s in computer and information technology, including the program’s concentrations in business analysis and project management, please visit the program’s webpage.
