From the military to an MBA: Hear Aaron Barnum's journey to bridge the gap between his military and business skills
BusinessBecause caught up with Lieutenant Aaron Barnum, an active-duty officer in the United States Navy, to find out more about his experience studying for an MBA.Watch our video to find out more:
[VIDEO] From The US Navy To An MBA: My Business School Journey
Business school can be an excellent path for those with military experience. Many of the skills developed during a military career—such as teamwork, leadership, and communication—are highly valuable in the business world.
Aaron Barnum chose to pursue an MBA at Old Dominion University’s (ODU) Strome College of Business to bridge the gap between his military expertise and business acumen.
Located close to Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval base, ODU offers a military-friendly MBA program that can help military students build their careers in business.
Aaron explains that one of the major reasons why he wanted to join the ODU MBA specifically was due to its flexible format, with options to choose from classes taught asynchronously, in-class, and online.
“That just won me over right away,” he said.
Aaron hopes to use the skills and network from business school to advance his career in the military.
“Us [classmates] already having a relationship now is going to make us more successful for our country’s mission here in the next couple of years,” he says.
Discover the specific skills and insights Aaron is gaining from his MBA degree in our video interview.
Subscribe to the BusinessBecause YouTube channel to stay up-to-date with business school advice, career tips, alumni stories, and more.
Student Reviews
Unlimited opportunities for growth
My view of ODU is nothing short of amazing. I started attending ODU at in 2020 at the beginning of COVID-19 so most of my journey has been virtual but despite being in a virtual environment the faculty and staff have made me feel at home. The campus has endless opportunities for growth and academic assistance as well as hiring events for students looking to connect with jobs in their field. The campus is bright and lively but still has academia at the center of it. Its not too much of a party campus but there are opportunities for safe wholesome fun. All of my professors and advisors have been ready and willing to help with every issue, question, or concern.
The perspective of ODU from a Freshman
Old Dominion University is a diverse university that has a variety of clubs, sports, Greek activities, and more on campus. They have plenty of food options ranging from Italian to Vegan. Everyone is welcoming and supportive on campus, and there is plenty of support for all Old Dominion University students. I personally dislike the placement of my dorm complex due to the not-so-friendly neighborhood nearby, but it is only a 10-minute walk to all my classes. If I could change one thing about Old Dominion University, then it would be to include a small dining hall for each dorm complex opened after hours of the main dining hall on Campus.
Positivity Life changing
The diversity is key and this university demonstrates this. From the admissions, to the professors to the administration...it all shows a level of diverse rhythm and harmony that brings others together to learn in an environment that is enriching
A program with a lot of patience
I attended this university starting in 2014 and took many breaks in between for many reasons. I struggled with a lot personally on and off every semester, but I was still able to come back and finish with a decent GPA, which was fantastic.
My biggest issue with the college I was a part of at ODU was that I had little to no help finding an internship, which was part of my reason for finishing later than I started.
I also wish that they had made their health services more readily available to students no matter what year they were attending for.
Professors
I like the relationship with my professors, they really made sure that I fully understood what was going on. I think the campus could have been a little bit safer, they seemed to be a little bit of security issues.
ODU_ FreshmanYear
I really like how there are many options if it goes wrong or if you’re falling behind in your courses, there are many resources to help you. However, I don’t like how the professors don’t care too much to help you. College is really about being on your own and the transition from high school to college was definitely different yet effective.
