Building Business With Intention
For many professionals, business knowledge is learned on the job—through experience, trial and error and daily decision-making. For Adam Abughosh, that hands-on learning came early and often.
Working within a family-run skincare and beauty manufacturing business, Adam found himself deeply involved in nearly every aspect of the company.
“I became deeply involved in operations, sales, production, leading teams and defining a growth strategy,” he says. “I was hands on across the business and helping shape how things ran internally while supporting growth externally.”
As the business scaled, so did Adam’s responsibilities. But with that growth came a realization: While he had the experience, Adam wanted to better understand why certain decisions worked—and how to make them more consistently.
That desire for clarity and structure ultimately led him to our Certificate Program in Business Administration, which is designed for professionals who want to pair real-world experience with rigorous academic grounding.
I was drawn to the certificate because it felt both practical and reputable. I wanted coursework I could actively use while working full time and a program that would help me grow as an operator and leader in a meaningful way.
From Experience to Frameworks
Before enrolling in his first course—Essentials of Business: Building a Professional Foundation—Adam had already built a strong professional toolkit. His career path placed him at the center of operational decision-making, requiring him to manage people, processes and performance across departments. But like many leaders who grow into their roles organically, Adam wanted a stronger theoretical lens through which to view his work.
“I wanted to understand business from a formal, academic perspective,” he explains. “I had learned a lot through experience, but I was curious about the fundamentals, frameworks and rules that are typically taught in a higher-education setting.”
The goal wasn’t to replace his real-world knowledge—it was to enhance it. Adam was looking for a way to align what he was already doing in practice with structured business principles that could sharpen his decision-making and leadership style.
When researching certificates for working professionals, Adam gravitated toward our curriculum for two key reasons: credibility and applicability.
“I was drawn to the certificate because it felt both practical and reputable,” he says. “I wanted coursework I could actively use while working full time and a program that would help me grow as an operator and leader in a meaningful way.”
The certificate’s flexibility allowed Adam to continue working full time while completing his coursework, while the curriculum itself emphasized real-world application across core business disciplines—finance, AI for management, operations and marketing.
I genuinely felt like I learned something valuable every week. I often found myself applying it to my work almost immediately.
Learning That Applies Immediately
One of the most impactful aspects of Adam’s experience was how immediately relevant the coursework felt to his day-to-day role.
“Whether it was rethinking production planning, evaluating margins more rigorously or approaching leadership conversations with more structure,” Adam says, “the coursework consistently translated into real decisions I was making at work.
“I genuinely felt like I learned something valuable every week. I often found myself applying it to my work almost immediately.”
That practicality was reinforced by instructors who brought lived experience into the classroom. Many lead teams, run businesses or navigate complex organizational challenges themselves.
“They taught from experience rather than theory alone,” Adam notes. “They were open about challenges they had faced and shared real examples that made the material easier to understand and more relevant.”
Equally valuable was the diversity of perspectives among his classmates. His peers included retired business owners, seasoned professionals and individuals newer to business—each bringing unique insights into class discussions.
“That range of perspectives led to strong discussions and thoughtful dialogue,” Adam says. “Hearing how different people approached the same concepts made the classes even more engaging.”
Personally, it gave me more confidence in how I think about business decisions. Professionally, it helped me grow as a leader and operator.
Balancing Work, Leadership, Learning
Throughout the program, Adam continued working full-time in a senior leadership role. Today, he serves as director of operations at a skincare and beauty manufacturing company, overseeing operations across departments, supporting sales and growth initiatives, managing production planning, reviewing performance metrics and leading teams as the business scales.
The online course format played a key role in making completing the certificate feasible alongside these responsibilities.
“I took many of the classes online and really enjoyed the format,” he says. “It allowed me to balance a full-time job with school, and the classes were still interactive and discussion focused. It never felt passive or disconnected.”
For Adam, the value of earning the business administration certificate extended far beyond technical knowledge. The program helped him approach leadership and decision-making with greater clarity, confidence and intentionality.
“Whether it was financial concepts, leadership frameworks, operational planning or learning how to think about tools such as AI in a practical way, I found myself approaching decisions with more clarity and intention.”
Earning the certificate also gave him language and structure for skills he was already using—making it easier to communicate strategy, align teams and execute ideas more effectively.
“Personally, it gave me more confidence in how I think about business decisions,” Adam reflects. “Professionally, it helped me grow as a leader and operator.”
When Adam looks five to 10 years into the future, his ambitions are both bold and grounded in experience.
“My goal is to help scale the company to the next level and then move into building my own venture,” he says, “using everything I have learned along the way.”
For professionals considering the certificate, Adam offers straightforward advice: Engage deeply and apply what you learn in real time.
“Use what you are learning as you go,” he says. “Participate in discussions, ask questions and learn from the people around you. The more you engage, the more valuable the experience becomes.
“If you are genuinely interested in business, this program goes deep into many different areas and consistently ties concepts back to real-world situations. It is a great fit for business enthusiasts who want to keep learning and growing—especially as things like AI continue to shape how businesses operate.”
