Patrick Dickinson
Here at the MaastrichtMBA, we love our alumni and enjoy staying in touch! We recently caught up with class of 2016 alumni Patrick Dickinson and reminisced over his experience at the MaastrichtMBA and his current life. Read more to see what he is doing with all of that potential!
FAST FACTS
- Name: Patrick Dickinson
- Started: February 2016
- Graduated: September 2018
- Nationality: German
- Company: Deloitte
- Function: Manager SAP License Management
HI PATRICK, WHY DID YOU JOIN THE MAASTRICHTMBA?
Reasons to join the MaastrichtMBA program were mainly that I wanted to further my business education, stay up-to-date with science, gain a Masters degree, grow my professional network, and to improve my resumée for an increasingly competitive job market.
DID THE PROGRAM MEET ALL OF YOUR EXPECTATIONS?
Yes and more – effectively I didn’t have too many expectations, apart from that it likely would be quite heavy on financial techniques, which it wasn’t and I was glad about that. I was very positively surprised about the focus on Leadership and soft skills and the interesting mix of participants.
WHAT DID YOU FIND THE MOST CHALLENGING MOMENT?
The most challenging moment for me were two moments actually – the workload for my first module (Sustainability at CBS in Feb 2016) and feeling highly frustrated during day two at Orshof, which was an important and very rewarding lesson and module.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRECIOUS MOMENT ON THE PROGRAMME?
There are many moments I love to think back to. Some of these are: the student representative vote where Vincent and Tania won the vote (May 2016), TREK food festival 2017, Orshof soup sessions, the graduation party 2017, my last module which was Shanghai Nov 2017 (particularly the circus show on that Friday night – my last day of modules and the rooftop bar at the Hyatt Shanghai), and many more great moments.
HOW HAS THIS PROGRAMME INFLUENCED YOUR CAREER?
Having the MBA title made it easier to join Deloitte and my salary has increased markedly.
CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING THAT YOU EXPERIENCED IN THE MAASTRICHTMBA THAT HAS HELPED YOU IN YOUR CAREER?
We were taught that self-reflection is the strongest indicator for success in a Manager during the Organisational Behaviour module. This insight and living by it has greatly helped me during my career.
WHAT DO YOU DO NOW AND WHERE? WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FOCUS?
Currently I am a so-called Subject Matter Expert for SAP Software Licensing in the position of „Manager“ at Deloitte GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft. I focus totally on helping our clients manage their SAP licenses and how to avoid incompliances and reduce licensing costs significantly.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO ON THE SEARCH FOR AN EDUCATIONAL BOOST IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL LIFE?
Search yourself and identify what really makes you happy. If you can find that, pursue it and you will find real joy in your life. Titles and high salaries are nothing compared to real joy of life.