Jessie Adamczyk: More Than a Business School, A Community

“The Notre Dame Executive MBA really boosted my strategic clarity and confidence for what’s next in my career. With 15 years of experience in e-commerce marketing and client services, the program’s broad business perspective, from finance to operations, gave me the power to go after roles where I could make a bigger impact. I feel more on track and happier in the direction I’m heading.”

---

Q&A with Jessie Adamczyk

What made you want to come to Notre Dame, and specifically to do the EMBA program? 

I started looking around and found that an EMBA might be a better fit for me at this point in my career. I looked around the Midwest because I live in West Michigan. With three young children and a full-time job, I didn’t want to be flying out and balancing long-distance travel constantly. I attended a lot of Notre Dame’s events and panel discussions before deciding. Every single time, somebody pulled me aside and made me feel genuinely welcome and like my experience would actually add value. The people were really what drove my decision for Notre Dame. I felt like I’d be coming in as part of a family and supported, and my voice would matter.

Can you share a little bit about your career journey prior to coming to Notre Dame?  

I graduated with a degree in advertising in 2009, and I jumped into an agency right away. Then I moved on to work at an e-commerce platform company doing more of a general marketing coordinator role. It was a startup, and I quickly kept adding more responsibilities. Over 12 years, I went from a coordinator to VP at that same company, getting amazing experience and access to resources. I felt good about what I was doing, but I started thinking longer-term about my career and how to keep growing when my experience was mostly in one place. The trigger for me to think about an MBA was that my company was going through an acquisition. I was part of the team evaluating private equity firms, and I was a part of all those strategic conversations and the data rooms. I was exposed to so much more in finance that I just didn’t know, but I wanted to know. That was the point when I knew that this was a perfect opportunity to get my MBA and expand from marketing to a broader business understanding.   

What's your number one tip for parents considering the EMBA? 

As a busy mom of three young kids, including an 8-month-old when I started the program, I can tell you that doing an EMBA with a family is totally doable with the right support. My tip is to get support in advance and prioritize quality time. The program takes a big chunk of time, meaning less time with family and lots of solo parenting for your partner. Make sure you have 100% support from your partner and support system before you start. When you do, you can really focus on making your quality time together count. Remember, you’re also showing your kids the importance of education and hard work.    

Was there a specific aspect of the program that had the biggest impact on your professional growth?  

I started job searching after graduation. For me, it wasn’t about securing a big role; it was about stepping up my game. I already knew what my capabilities were, and my experience was strong, and the Notre Dame EMBA just took it to another level. It definitely gave me more confidence. You often see ‘MBA preferred’ in those higher-level job descriptions, and the Notre Dame name carries a lot of weight. But the biggest thing was the clarity I got about where I wanted my career to go. Understanding all the core business principles –accounting, finance, operations – gave me the strategic view to confidently go after new challenges and bring more to the table. That’s why I feel more settled and happier now.   

Are there any other ways the EMBA continues to help you to grow?

It’s really all about perspective. The biggest takeaway has been the different ways of thinking I learned from the other people in the program, even more than just the professors. I’d only really known one industry and one company, but hearing how others tackled problems was eye opening. Now I’m in a totally different industry, at a much bigger company than before. But I can see problems from many perspectives and speak to things differently now. It made it really easy to change industries without missing a beat. It also made me value the importance of having that “think tank” support group of smart people around me. I’ve taken that approach and connected with people in similar positions to mine in different industries so that I can bounce ideas and questions off others to get more perspective.

How has the Notre Dame alumni network supported you personally or professionally?

The Notre Dame alumni network is amazing. I can reach out to other alums, and they’ll reply right away and offer help, even if they don’t know me. It’s just like, ‘Hey, fellow Notre Dame alum looking for this,’ and people respond. That was helpful when I was job searching and putting feelers out there. I don’t anticipate that level of support changing anytime soon.

If you're not sure if you'll fit in at Notre Dame, take it from Jessie: 

“The people were really what drove my decision for Notre Dame. I felt like I’d be coming in as part of a family and supported, and my voice would matter.”