There comes a time during a person’s career where they hit a fork in the road. In one direction, there is a previously unforeseen opportunity, and in the other direction is the path that was planned out. For CityU student Scott Frayo, he had a plan in place to continue to be a scientist for the remainder of his career, but once he discovered his excitement for numbers and data, a new path arose, and he saw an opportunity. “I worked as a scientist for many years and once we moved back to Seattle from Vancouver, I also changed positions to accounting and bookkeeping. I was good with numbers and data and it clicked that I wanted to do something different.” Scott said.

After looking into other institutions and not finding a program that would fulfill his educational needs, he discovered CityU. “I did some research and came across City University of Seattle. I spoke with the program director, Dr. Laura (Williamson), at CityU and she introduced me to the new Master of Business Administration with Data Analytics program.” Scott said.

Although Scott was a scientist for many years, and now a data analytics major, Scott had a different plan for his career and life.

“I was born in Scotland and raised in Washington. My dad was in the Navy and we moved to Washington when I was two. I wanted to go to college but I didn’t have any money for that so I joined the Navy with the intent to go to college after. I fixed aircraft while working on the Abraham Lincoln during that time and once it ended, I had the choice to use my GI bill or join again. I left the Navy and went to University of Washington and received my degree in cellular and molecular biology.” Scott said.

Now that Scott is attending CityU, he has the flexibility needed to have a job and attend school full-time “Between working and taking care of my son, CityU’s flexible course schedule gave me the opportunity to do school full-time as well.” Scott said.

When asked what advice he has for anyone considering the Data Analytics program, Scott said, “Absolutely do it! it’s a unique program and not many other programs focus on data analytics – It is career-friendly and they educate you with relevant classes and the qualifications you need for your career. I’m currently taking a course right now on diversity in the workforce, which is something other universities should be paying more attention to.”

As Scott is one of the first students to join this new program at CityU, his future is full of opportunities. “I have accepted a position to be the Lab Director at Botanalytics and with this new position coming up I’m going to use my newfound data knowledge to not only share the information I learned but enact change directly – having a strong science background and now strong data experience will help me evolve my leadership skills and become well-rounded and informed in this next step in my career,” Scott said.

Learn More

If you are interested in learning more about CityU’s Master of Business Administration: Data Analytics program, visit www.cityu.edu or call 888.422.2898 to speak to an advisor.