A career-changing decision: Ken Adams, MFin/MBA '17

April 21, 2020

When Ken Adams was looking to change his career, he thought about taking a business program to shift into a rewarding career that would allow him to connect with others.

Adams was looking to further his education with a master’s degree at a school located in Toronto that would allow him to sustain his career while also making a career shift. He found the Master of Finance (MFin) while already enrolled in the part-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) program offered by Wilfrid Laurier University’s Lazaridis School of Business and Economics. During his studies, the Lazaridis School began to offer a unique double degree for students interested in both an MBA and MFin degree. Adams was among the first students to graduate from this double degree in 2017.

Adams is now a senior relationship manager of media and entertainment at RBC.

Many other schools offer MBA and MFin programs in Toronto for working professionals looking to advance their careers. What Adams liked about the Lazaridis programs was the flexibility, format and networking.

“Weekend delivery was one big component of the choice,” Adams said. “Laurier has, particularly in finance, a better alumni network and more credibility.”

Hands-on learning and immersive classes helped Adams choose the Lazaridis graduate programs and also helped him in his role at RBC. Additionally, his previous work in corporate finance and security analysis, coupled with MBA projects now help him in his day-to-day operations.

“The master's program builds on that, where it's not just ‘go learn all of these things’; it's more of a framework of how to think about problems,” Adams said. “You'll apply sound logic to new and different issues you may be facing or new opportunities.”

Adams credits one of his professor for helping him secure his current job, though he says all of the faculty in the MFin program helped him complete his double-degree studies. This particular faculty worked at RBC as a commercial banker and also at Sun Life as a risk manager.

The flexible program structure and the faculty’s extensive industry knowledge allowed Adams to apply lessons learned in the classroom to real world applications.

The Lazaridis MFin/MBA double-degree program was the right decision for Adams to get where he wanted to be in the finance world. He encourages any potential applicants to choose the program to achieve their goals as well.

“I just wouldn't be where I am if I hadn't done this. I think it is a unique program with the MBA and the Master of Finance,” Adams said. “The balance that those two programs offer, I think, is something fairly unique.”