Having degrees in more than one discipline can boost a career, as Jenny Huynh ’05 and Satish Zope ’99, ’02, ’05 MBA can attest.

With one bachelor’s degree in information science and another in marketing, Huynh is a consultant with CSC, a global technology and business services company with clients in industries from finance and technology to consumer and natural resources. She handles software integration for customers, taking projects from design through testing and refining. “They were interested in me because of my dual background,” says Huynh, who was hired by Amit Patel ’92 MBA, a partner at CSC. “A lot of times you see conflicts between the two [business and technology], so being able to understand both sides was a good choice.”

While studying at JWU, Huynh worked for the Internet Communications department. “It gave me a good balance of actual work experience … a lot of opportunities to build all my skills,” she says. “My writing improved a lot and it still helps me today.”

Huynh lives in San Francisco, Calif., but spends most of her work time at clients’ offices. Project test cycles alone can take up to two years. Since Huynh deals with IT and business professionals, her background serves her and her clients well. “I work on more of the front-end — the customer relationship management side —where my marketing degree comes in.”

Zope has three degrees from JWU: a BS in Web management and Internet commerce, another in hotel-restaurant management and an MBA in global business management. Working for Aditi Technologies in Seattle, Wash., where he lives, he is under contract with Verizon Wireless as senior user acceptance test lead (UAT). Zope is in charge of business-to-business Web applications, drawing up requirements for applications, adding modules and detecting and solving customer problems. “I’m in business ops, but part IT and part business. The best of both worlds if you would.”

It was not part of his original plan to work in technology. “When I first came to America, I didn’t know anything about computers.” After earning his BS in hospitality, the native of India worked for the Radnor Hotel chain in Philadelphia, Pa., as a night auditor, and his job included maintaining computer systems. “I started picking up computer books to learn how to do it, and that increased my curiosity … so I figured I may as well get a degree and make it formal on my résumé,” says Zope, who worked on the JWU Helpdesk for four years as a student.

All parts of his education regularly come into play. “Hospitality teaches you all about customer service and how to present yourself to customers even if the customer doesn’t agree with you,” Zope says. Interacting with superiors and co-workers, his MBA has relevance. “I look at the bigger picture now as opposed to being task oriented.

“Education never hurts you. Everything you learn is somehow going to help you in doing your job.”

email > jennyhuynh05@gmail.com, satishz@hotmail.com