Commitment that carries weight

When Jeremy Jackson ’19 began considering an MBA, it wasn’t because he felt behind. It was because he was paying attention. 

After serving 12 years on active duty in the military, Jackson returned to his hometown and began working as a financial planner. Each week, the firm employing him published statewide production numbers, listing the results of more than 100 of Jackson’s peers along with their credentials. Over time, a pattern emerged.

“The top five or six people every single week always had MBA next to their names,” he said. “I just knew that an MBA was universally recognized. Everybody knows what an MBA is, it’s respected in the business community.”

That recognition mattered. Jackson understood that credibility plays a significant role in professional advancement, particularly in fields where trust and expertise are essential. If he was going to invest the time and effort into a graduate degree, he wanted it to carry weight.

For him, that meant choosing a university with a name people recognized. Central Michigan University, nearly an hour and 45 minutes away in Mount Pleasant, met that standard.

Jackson enrolled in CMU’s MBA program while continuing to work full time. Some courses were available online, but he chose to drive to campus one or two nights each week. The commute was long. Classes ran late. Many nights ended well after 10 p.m.

“I would drive down there one or two times a week for class,” he said. “I would get home at 11:30 at night a lot of times because class was late.”

The decision wasn’t about convenience. It was about engagement. “I personally found a lot of value in the face to face,” he said. “I personally have always liked that format more than online.”

For Jackson, classroom discussion, group interaction and direct faculty engagement were worth the additional time and effort. He accelerated the pace of his coursework as well, taking three classes at a time in order to complete the program efficiently. Balancing a demanding graduate schedule with professional and family responsibilities required sacrifice.

“To succeed at a program like that, any kind of graduate program, you do have to make some amount of sacrifice,” he said. “And that shows your commitment. Half a master’s degree doesn’t do anything for you.”

That commitment has paid off. Looking back, Jackson sees clear returns on the investment. Some are measurable—promotions, increased compensation and competitive selection for elite programs. Others are foundational—skills that continue to shape how he leads and communicates.

“There was a really big focus in several classes about public speaking,” he said. In one course, students were required to design and deliver their own TED-style presentation. “You had to create your own TED talk, and it felt like a lot of pressure as a student to stand up there in front of everyone in that format.”

Writing carried similar expectations. “As much as students hate writing papers, the writing aspect is important,” he said. “One of my courses had us write memos, others required white papers.  These are professional documents that you write in a business setting, and practicing in an academic setting yields dividends in your career.”

Those experiences translated directly into his career. “Communication in general, speaking and writing, was definitely something that the courses really pushed on the students,” he said. “And I think that’s very valuable.”

Today, Jackson is participating in an extremely competitive professional leadership development program at the U.S. Army War College, a 10-month, in-residence master’s program. He was one of 30 individuals selected from the Army Reserve out of several hundred eligible officers. He believes his MBA strengthened his application.

“I know that one of the things that causes me to stand out amongst my peers is the fact that I’ve got an MBA,” he said. “It is a recognized degree that people respect. It carries weight.” That weight has translated into tangible outcomes as well.

“It’s opened doors and given me opportunities that I otherwise would not have ever had,” he said. “It got me interviews, got me promoted. I’ve been hired for successively higher, harder, more important jobs.”

In an era where some question whether graduate business degrees still matter, Jackson sees the opposite. “I have heard in a lot of online articles and forums that the MBA is dead,” he said. “I would honestly say the opposite. Because fewer people get the MBA, I think those who have it stand out more. It is absolutely something that people recognize.”

For Jackson, that perspective is shaped not only by his professional experience, but by his military background. As a veteran using GI Bill benefits, he also experienced CMU’s support systems firsthand. Navigating VA benefits can be complex, particularly for students returning to education after military service. At CMU, that process was streamlined.

“When I started into the program using the GI Bill benefits, I had never done that before,” he said. “The VA is a complicated bureaucracy to get through sometimes. Whoever was helping me at the time just made that so simple. It was done before I even knew it.”

That support mattered. Without it, the process might have felt overwhelming. “If it had been more complicated, it might have been enough of a challenge to not enroll,” he said. “CMU made that so easy.”

Beyond credentials and coursework, Jackson points to another long-term benefit: connection. The CMU network has repeatedly surfaced in unexpected ways throughout his career.

“There are so many CMU grads around the world,” he said. “Most deals start long before the paperwork. They start when two people genuinely connect, build quick rapport, and create enough trust to move the conversation toward business.  Many times, I have gone to someone’s house, see a CMU flag hanging on their porch, and immediately have rapport.”

For Jackson, the degree represents more than coursework. It represents credibility, discipline and sustained effort—a signal that he invested in his own growth.

In his experience, that signal still matters.