Ashton Tuckerman decided to put her thriving marketing career on hold to focus on studying a Master of Business Administration (MBA) full time. While it was a difficult decision at the time, Ashton believes the calculated risk paid off.
Three-quarters of the way into her degree, Ashton landed her dream job as general manager at Brisbane-based marketing agency TwentyTwo Digital.
“My MBA has pretty much paid for itself,” she says.
This is what went into her decision-making process, and how the UQ MBA prepared Ashton to take the next step in her career.
Why Ashton chose the UQ MBA to accelerate her career
Ashton knew that to advance in her career, she had 2 options. She could either continue working for the next 5 years, hoping for the right places, managers and support to help her along the journey. Or, she could fast-track the process by completing an MBA. Acknowledging she had some gaps in her skillset, including finance, accounting, economics and business operations, Ashton chose the latter option.
“I don't know how I ever would have had exposure to that kind of information just by working alone,” she says.
“It’s one of those things where unless I worked with an amazing CFO or COO who was willing to bring me into the conversation and take me on that journey, I don't know how I would have had exposure to all of these topics.”
“Enrolling in the MBA was definitely a decision around future-proofing my career. There was also the personal satisfaction of challenging myself and doing something for my career that I knew would pay off.”
When deciding where to study her MBA, Ashton also considered the importance of expanding her local network in Brisbane.
“Over my 13+ years working in marketing in Brisbane, I have found that your network is your net worth," she says.
"So, when it came to deciding where to do my MBA, I wanted to expand my network and gain access to new amazing people who didn’t work in my industry. UQ obviously has a tremendous reputation, so that played a factor as well.”
Fully immersed: what studying the MBA full time looks like
While she considered continuing to work while juggling her MBA studies, Ashton ultimately decided that to get the most out of the program, she’d have to fully immerse herself in it. So, she left her chief marketing officer role at Gathar to embrace studying the MBA full time. Ashton says this was a difficult decision and the outcome wouldn’t have been possible without her husband’s support.
“My work was so demanding, so I was fortunate to be able to make the decision to go all in and make the MBA my sole focus for 18 months. I loved it."
I think it's wonderful that you can do the UQ MBA in any way that fits your lifestyle, and this was the way that really fit my lifestyle best.
For Ashton, studying the MBA full time meant completing one intensive course every 4 to 6 weeks. This looked like around 40 hours a week with contact class hours 3–4 days a week, assessment and independent study.
“Most of my classes were weekdays, but I did one weekend intensive, which was 3 weekends over the course of a month.”
But she also had the flexibility to go on a couple of overseas trips, by opting out of doing certain courses and picking them up later.
“The fact that I was able to go on these big trips that we had planned and still stick as close to my original pathway as possible is pretty amazing.”
Investing in herself: scholarships, flexibility and global opportunities
Taking time out of the workforce obviously has financial implications. Ashton managed this by doing some consulting work on the side and applying for scholarships.
“The way that we looked at it was: this is an investment in me and my future, my future earnings, my future career, my potential.”
“I applied for the Women in Business scholarship and was lucky enough to be a recipient of that, which honestly made a huge difference.”
This scholarship was the determining factor in Ashton deciding to do a short-term global exchange to Harvard, where she completed a leadership course.
“Learning about leadership frameworks through the Harvard Business School was honestly incredible," she says.
"I think the biggest thing I took away was how contextual leadership is and the importance of adapting your leadership style to your business, team or economic environment. This skillset is hard to develop, but I think if you're willing to go on that journey, it will keep growing with you.”
Landing her dream role: how the MBA paid off
When Ashton was around three-quarters of the way through her MBA, she had the opportunity to apply for a general manager role at digital marketing agency TwentyTwo Digital. She was ultimately successful in acquiring the role and her new employer was even happy to wait the 4 months until Ashton finished her MBA before she started.
“Prior to the MBA, I would have seen a job like that and thought, ‘that's something I want to do in the future, but I'm not ready for it’," she says.
"When I saw this role, I thought, ‘yes, I can do that’ and I felt like I ticked all the boxes, which wouldn't have been the case 18 months earlier."
“Taking the calculated risk of investing in yourself and your education and not knowing if it will pay off was stressful. But being able to take a job like this increased my salary, so I found the MBA pretty much paid for itself.”
Now, as the general manager at TwentyTwo Digital, Ashton is responsible for growth of the business, which includes client management and retention, seeking out new business opportunities and pitching, as well as creating and elevating the brand in market. She’s also responsible for people management including recruitment, growth plans, performance and onboarding.
“The most enjoyable aspect of my role is the growth and development of team members. I get so much satisfaction from seeing people do things that they maybe thought they couldn't do or being able to promote internally.”
Ashton with the TwentyTwo Digital team
Confidence and capability: the personal impact of the MBA
Beyond this tangible career outcome, Ashton says the UQ MBA had a personal impact in the form of increased self-confidence.
“I was told very early on in the program that the MBA would give me the tools and language I’d need to make high-level decisions," she says.
"It's hard to really understand what that means until you experience it. Now I find myself being able to walk into board rooms or into industries of clients I might be unfamiliar with, and I have the language and tools to have the conversations, ask the right questions and get to the core of issues."
“Doing the MBA has also given me the tools to feel confident in making business decisions and validate my approach to the questions that keep me, and presumably all leaders, up at night.”
Building a powerful network: unexpected connections and lifelong friends
Before starting the MBA, Ashton expected the program would increase her network. It was one of the reasons she chose to study the MBA at UQ, because she wanted to continue growing her career in Brisbane. But what she didn’t expect was the insights she gained from learning alongside such a diverse, experienced cohort of professionals.
“I was exposed to so many completely different industries I never would have encountered otherwise. The diversity of who you get to meet and work with is amazing. I worked with people in mining, lawyers, gallery owners, doctors, Olympians and pilots."
“This exposure to so many different worlds is valuable because it broadens your perspective. It makes you realise how all parts of our society work together and how we have many of the same problems, regardless of whether you're running your own startup or working for an ASX-listed company.”
Ashton says the MBA fosters a sense of community and that she’s made lifelong friends through the program. This connection extends beyond the cohort Ashton studied with to anyone in the MBA community.
“It’s nice to have a group of people you’re deeply connected to because you’ve conquered a shared challenge,” she says.
“Even if you haven't met someone but they’re part of the UQ MBA alumni community, that gives you an instant connection and conversation opener because you have this shared experience.”
Turning theory into strategy: applying MBA learnings at work
Taught by award-winning academics and proven industry leaders, Ashton found the MBA learning experience practical and rewarding.
“The calibre of faculty exceeded my expectations,” she says.
“I found their combination of academic expertise and industry experience valuable."
“You’re encouraged to do assessments on your current or former workplaces, or even places where you might like to work in the future. This involved a lot of reflection and diagnosing why situations had played out that way and what I’d do differently next time, which made the learning tangible and beneficial.”
“I was able to draw on my new employer’s business when completing the final assessment for my economics course. I looked at the business’s economic performance in market and came up with recommendations around how to future proof the business in this economy, where economic uncertainty is the norm. It was amazing to have this opportunity and think through how we could remain competitive in market, and what we need to adjust to position ourselves as an agency of choice in the lead-up to the Brisbane Olympics."
“I brought the assessment back into the business and our founder and the executive leadership team signed off on it, so we're starting to roll it out now, which is really exciting. This assessment ended up being incredibly valuable and has influenced our business strategy moving forward.”
Ashton’s story is a testament to the power of investing in yourself through education. By stepping away from a successful career to pursue the UQ MBA full time, she not only gained new skills, connections and confidence but also accelerated her career trajectory. Her experience shows that with the right support, mindset and opportunities, the decision to study an MBA can be life-changing.
Discover where a UQ MBA could take your career.
