Benny Huang’s entrepreneurial energy was evident since he was little. It’s a characteristic that Benny says he was born with. Driven to be his own boss, Benny chose the startup route after earning a two-year degree from City College of San Francisco rather than pursue his acceptance to San Francisco State University.

The result of his efforts was P. Land, a one-hour photo-developing shop that opened its doors in 1993. Remember, this was a time when one-hour photo development was all the rage, when mini-labs with compact machines allowed for rapid photo development.

But where P. Land diverged from its big-box competitors was in its clientele: Rather than service individuals, Benny’s company invested in heavy-hitting business partnerships such as Coldwell Banker, California Department of Transportation, insurance companies and magazine publishers. After five successful years in business, Benny found it was time to move on.

That inherent entrepreneurial spirit was morphing into a hyper-focused look into solving business problems. It’s what led him to work as a manager at Warner Bros. Studio Store, an operations manager at San Francisco International Airport, a project manager at Impark and then as a regional manager at Schnitzer Properties.

The common theme within each of these roles?

“I was always fascinated with and interested in identifying and analyzing work problems, and then coming up with solutions to solve them to better our business operation processes,” Benny relates. “There’s always this desire inside of me to seek out a better way to solve business problems, to better understand different business concepts, to analyze and form a better business plan or strategy.”

What Benny was drawn to is business analysis. It seemed a natural step forward for Benny to learn how to lead efforts to define needs and design solutions that deliver value to stakeholder organizations. Pulling from his past work experience, Benny has the full skill set to utilize business strategy, operational processes and procedures, requirements management, and subject matter expertise to lead organizations through complex changes.

Takeaway Number One: On Choosing Our Certificate Program in Business Analysis

I was drawn by the outstanding reputation of UC Berkeley Extension, and wanted to take advantage of a super-knowledgeable, experienced group of professional instructors to further improve and solidify my business skills. I heard about the program from my friends and then did a Google search.

The courses were packed with a lot of real-life work problems and examples and the corresponding business analysis competency to solve them.

Takeaway Number Two: Gaining Real-World Learning

It was a wonderful experience going through the classes and interacting with my fellow students and instructors. The courses were packed with a lot of real-life work problems and examples and the corresponding business analysis competency to solve them.

The classes were intense and challenging and effective in helping me to identify and define solutions, solve real-life work problems and improve my decision-making skills. 

My instructors were patient, attentive and super-knowledgeable in the subject matter. Specifically, Dr. Brian Harman—my instructor in Business Analysis Planning and Methods—really stood out for me. His sessions were well-designed. Combined with his vast knowledge and effective course materials, learning in his section was easy, fun and enjoyable.

Learning online was a wonderful experience: I could learn in the comfort of my own home without worrying about a long commute, looking for parking, et cetera. 

My employer believes that educational courses are essential in adding value to and successfully managing our business.

Takeaway Number Three: Lessons Learned Parlayed to Work

When I earned the certificate in 2019, I moved from a senior regional manager to a regional director role at Schnitzer Properties. I oversee the day-to-day operations and the profit-and-loss (P&L) of more than 400,000 square feet of commercial spaces comprising retail shops, restaurants, offices, car-rental companies and parking in the San Francisco Bay Area.

We utilize data analytics to identify trends and needs among different patron groups to optimize our operations. We do this by offering different products and rates to meet their needs, resulting in cost savings and increased overall efficiency.

My employer believes that educational courses are essential in adding value to and successfully managing our business.

Earning the Business Analysis certificate has positively impacted my tenure at the company as I am a better leader because of it.

Takeaway Number Four: Work Hard to Meet Your Goals

Personally, earning the certificate feels great because I did very well, academically, throughout the curriculum. Professionally, having these new skills has helped me to become a better team collaborator, make more sound business decisions, lower our operation costs and improve our P&L performance. 

My advice to you is to pick the right certificate that meets your goals and then focus, stay disciplined, continuously learn and surround yourself with positive people—your instructors and classmates! And, most importantly, stay persistent in pursuit of your goals!