Alumni Profile: Deepak Ramanathan, MS in MIS 2010

Deepak Ramanathan,
MS in MIS, 2010

• Pre-Degree Industry/Field of Work: Software Development
• Post-Degree Industry/Field of Work: Performance Management Consulting
• Undergraduate Degree: Information Science
• Undergraduate Institution: VTU (India)
• LinkedIn Profile: Deepak Ramanathan
• Current Employer: Performance Management Consultant, Deloitte

Why did you return to school to obtain your Graduate Business Degree?

Having completed my undergraduate degree in Information Science and working as a Software Developer for a year, I wanted to know the business side of IT and hence decided to complete my Master of Science in Management Information Systems (MS in MIS).

Why did you choose UIC Liautaud?

When I was shortlisting the universities to apply for my masters, UIC Liautaud appealed to me as it had a good mix of technical and business courses depending on one’s interest. UIC Liautaud’s proximity to downtown Chicago gave it an edge from a job perspective.

What has been the most unexpected gain resulting from your UIC Liautaud degree?

The most unexpected gain for me was learning how to quickly adapt to working with different teams which is so typical in consulting. A special thanks here to Professor Barlow who encouraged teams to meet off-campus and spend some time getting to know one another before diving into the project tasks. I think this helps you deliver better results as a team!

How has your UIC Liautaud experience influenced your career to date?

My goal from the program was to learn the business side of IT. The case studies and projects gave me good insight into this and helped me get to where I am today.

Which course or professor was your favorite and why?

I really enjoyed the Data Mining course taught by Professor Sid Bhattacharya. He was someone who allowed us to work on a rather aggressive project and backed us all the way. The challenges from that project has helped me numerous times in my current role.

What was your favorite aspect of the UIC Liautaud program?

The case studies and the real world projects one gets to do by working directly with clients. It was sort of my first stint at consulting and it helped me get into the consulting world.

How would you define the UIC Liautaud student?

There is a good diversity which provides opportunities for networking and learning about various cultures. 

Now that you’ve graduated, what advice do you have for current or prospective Liautaud students?

Choose the right courses without looking at it from a mere grade or job perspective. It’s totally worth it to take up a challenging course if it will help you in the long run!