María Jarama Ruiz
Assistant Product Manager
CTK Biotech
Class of 2020
Tell us a little bit about the work that you are currently doing.
In my current role, I maintain and track databases, design projects, and manage engineering change requests. I also acquire standards, clinical specimens, and competitor products, and generate experiment protocols, data analysis, and reports.
Why did you decide to get this MAS degree?
I applied to the master’s degree because of the courses it had. These courses connected science to industry and business, which greatly interested me. I also decided to do the MS because of the job opportunities that are made available to students. I have an undergraduate degree in biotechnology, so I knew I could have applied to biotech companies before getting this degree. However, I wasn’t sure if a pharmaceutical company would hire me without understanding the drug development process, so I entered the degree seeking to expand my knowledge. Thanks to this master’s degree, I was able to move away from the bench and obtain a position as a Product Manager.
What did you like best about the program?
I liked how much I learned in the marketing course. It opened my mind. I never thought I was going to like marketing, and it turned out to be my favorite course and the direction in which I would like to take my career in the future. While doing the case studies, I noticed how much I learned after doing 2 or 3. I rapidly noticed how my writing skills improved. I also learned that it is important to say what you think even though you may not know if that is the correct answer. I also liked the idea of creating my startup, which I hopeI can do one day.
What skills are you using that you learned in the program?
Project management, product management, communication skills, organization skills, time management, working in a cultural environment, hard work.
How did you leverage the program to get a new job?
Thanks to the help UCSD provided, my resume changed from something that was overlooked to a resume that got me a lot of interviews and eventually a job.
What would you like to tell someone who is considering the program?
I would say that with hard work and motivation, anything is possible. It can be stressful and time consuming, but once you are done with it, the knowledge and the experience you get with the master is worth it. Something important to take from the master’s is that it prepares you to break into the industry. When they told me to read their SOPs during my first day of work, I realized that if it hadn’t been for the master’s degree, I wouldn’t have been able to understand half of what they had on it. Furthermore, with the master’s, you get used to being on the spot almost every week. The presentations prepare you to speak in front of people, which happens every day at work. Overall, I really recommend this master’s degree.
