Jason Sauls began his college career in 1989 with no chosen field in mind. “Going to college was just the thing that you were supposed to do after high school. I attended a couple of different colleges with no clear direction of what I was trying to achieve,” said Sauls.

Sauls left college, started a family, and worked several different jobs. In 2004, he started working in telecommunications for an engineering firm in Alpharetta, Georgia. This gave Sauls a new perspective on corporate career tracks and inspired him to complete his undergraduate degree.

In 2011, Sauls graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University with a BBA in Management and thought he’d return to school for his MBA. Working for the Fiber Design Team at EPB in Chattanooga, Sauls realized that he needed to keep sharpening his technical and management skills.

Sauls began looking for degree programs that could benefit his new position as a systems administrator and, as a lifelong Dawg fan, he decided to look into the programs UGA had to offer. “An information session and a few email exchanges later, I was enrolled in graduate school at the University of Georgia Terry College  of Business,” he said. Sauls is now studying in the Online Master of Business and Technology program.

Something that Sauls finds interesting about the program is how interactive it is despite the online medium. According to Sauls, professors outline the work and provide due dates well in advance so students can work at their own pace.

“Even with the freedom to work somewhat at your own pace, classmates can use various means to stay actively involved with each other,” said Sauls. “Working together on the group projects is necessary, but even on the individual assignments, classmates are there to help answer questions.”

Sauls said the MBT program is rigorous and challenged him to set aside the time needed to complete assignments. “However, instructors and classmates all work together for the greater good of the learning environment,” he said. “The instructors provide ample teaching opportunities and resources, and the entire community is available and willing to answer questions as they come up.”

The curriculum has deepened his knowledge in coding, working with databases and servers, project management, and the latest industry trends. The courses apply directly to his work and improved his understanding of the technical subject matter in meetings. What he’s learned has raised his comfort level to tackle projects assigned to him. 

“I will leverage my knowledge to help troubleshoot current applications, while also seeking opportunities to implement new systems to serve our customers better and improve our business environment,” Sauls said.