Patrick Laskey

Hometown:
Erie, Pennsylvania

Undergraduate School and Major:
Pennsylvania State University, B.S. Mechanical Engineering

Employer and Job Titles:
FMC Technologies, Direct Sales

What led you to pursue an MBA?
The main driving factor that led me to pursue an MBA was to expand my knowledge in business. Very early in my career I left engineering to pursue a role in our applications and inside sales team. It was shortly after this move, that I found myself sitting in Texas striving towards a career in sales. Within 18 months, I had abandoned the field of study that I had just spent four years working to complete. Pondering what was next, I realized that I was going to need formal business schooling in order to continue an upward career trajectory.

Why did you choose Rice for your professional MBA?
The first exposure I had to Rice was when I had first moved to Texas. Someone made a comment around the office about how highly sought after the school was, and it was the university to target if you wanted to progress in your career. Not knowing much about the school at the time, I filed that comment away as I knew school would eventually be a part of my future.

As I mentally committed to pursue my MBA, I began the search for a program that was flexible, well respected, and highly regarded in the area. I wasn’t leaning hard one way or another until I was sitting in the Rice University Shell Auditorium for the business school information session. After listening to the speaker’s presentation that evening, I knew this is where I wanted to attend graduate school. I can vividly recall coming home after the event with the feeling of a weight being taken from my shoulders. While I still had an uphill journey for the application process, I had found the school that I wanted to attend.

What has been a highlight of the program?
I came into the program with an open mind, and I can honestly say I have been blown away. Everything with this program is done above and beyond. From the time we were all together for Immersion, until the last final was submitted for our first semester of B-School, Rice proved why they are considered a top ten program. Business school is meant to bend, stretch and mold you, however it is not meant to break you. Just as we were dealing with a heavy work load around mid-semester, we received an email from our program director congratulating us on making it this far and informing us that she knew how we felt. It was a warm, welcoming email that brought everything into perspective and gave us that extra boost of motivation to continue forward.

What has surprised you about the journey so far?
Just how much time and energy was spent on the first semester! By no means did I imagine this being an easy ride, but I have had to find time I didn’t know I had in order to stay current on the workload. Having classes every other weekend, there is plenty of pre-work to complete in order to maximize the time spent in the classroom. With that said, time has flown by. Just this time last year I was working to complete my application, and now I am gearing up for the start of my second semester.

What advice do you have for prospective students?
Go for it! Graduate school, and specifically my MBA, was something I had thought about for years. I went back to check and found that I had been talking about going back to business school for the past four years in my yearly performance reviews, and finally I decided I was going all in. Timing is everything in a decision like this, but if you have ever thought about going back it’s never too late to begin the journey. Once you’ve been accepted into the program, take full advantage of the opportunity and really engage yourself in the process. Two years will fly by, and you want to be sure to make the most out of every moment.

What is something your classmates don’t know about you?
Before business school, I spent my spare time refereeing ice hockey. I grew up playing the game, and this was a way for me to stay close to the sport. Over the years I have officiated youth, club hockey, college, and even a few semi-professional games. In 2014 I was fortunate enough to officiate the under 16 USA Hockey National Championship Tournament.