The ‘Unicorn’ MBA: How Chelsea Doman Found Her Perfect Fit at the Gies College of Business

As a single mom of four, Chelsea Doman knew that going back to school would take more than ambition; it would take a program that truly suited her busy life. She’d built a career spanning pipeline operations, a decade of data analysis, launching a nonprofit for educational advocacy, and corporate analytics in the automotive industry. But her passion for learning persisted.

“I’ve always loved learning. Stopping with my bachelor’s didn’t seem like enough,” she says. “I’ve had various points where it seemed like it was time to go back to school, but I wasn’t sure if I should do a master’s in linguistics or pivot to engineering. Nothing was quite shaking out.”

Between her responsibilities as a mom, working full-time, and running a household on one income, many graduate programs felt out of reach. Either they were too expensive, too time-consuming, or too rigid. Then she discovered the University of Illinois Gies College of Business iMBA.

“When I saw Illinois had an online MBA with Coursera, it was like the heavens opened. I grew up in Illinois, so getting a degree from there while living in Wisconsin, plus not needing to study for the GMAT…it was like I found a unicorn! It was exactly what I was looking for.”

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Why an MBA, and Why Gies?

“My friend did an MBA online with a different university. Seeing that she could pursue this while working and being a mom made it seem possible. Being a single parent, one-income household, and 20-something years into my career, I didn’t want to go six figures into debt, because what would the ROI be?”

For Chelsea, the MBA wasn’t about chasing a bigger salary or title. It was to fuel her affinity for learning and to fulfill personal goals.

“I did it for the joy of learning, a longtime goal, a holistic business understanding, and to future-proof any opportunities that might come my way.”

She needed a flexible, affordable, and reputable program, so when Chelsea discovered that the Gies College of Business offered its MBA fully online, it felt like the perfect alignment. Here was a world-class institution with the academic rigor she wanted, delivered in a format that allowed her to realistically balance work, parenting, and everything in between.

A Transformative Experience

Chelsea enrolled in the Gies Business iMBA in January 2022, and what she gained exceeded her expectations. She quickly became engulfed in connection opportunities as well as social and academic networking groups, both live and virtual.

“I have firm friendships with people that started online! Every day, you have the opportunity to meet and interact with different people all around the world.”

With initial nervous jitters about certain aspects of the curriculum, Chelsea began building confidence course by course. Eventually, she found herself thriving in subject matter she once feared.

“The class I was most nervous for was stats, and it ended up being one of my favorites. Being able to nerd out in Excel all the time was awesome, and of course the professors made it so engaging and fun. From that point forward, anytime I was overwhelmed, I thought back to stats.”

And the community was unlike anything she’d experienced. The Gies College of Business is extremely dedicated to building an online community for their learners, and Chelsea’s experience is a testament to just that.

“Every day you have the opportunity to meet and interact with different people all around the world. I didn’t expect that level of networking and engagement. Gies is a really unique community, and people are very eager to work together and learn.”

Balancing Career, Family, and Coursework

“Getting started is the scariest thing. Once you’re in it, it’s amazing. Of course, there’s trepidation about the workload on top of everything else I have going on. It’s not the easy route! But I certainly appreciate it a lot more now at 40-something than I would have at 20. It’s never too late.”

Chelsea used Coursera’s platform and the online format to make the learning work for her schedule. She appreciated the range of ways she was able to learn and digest new information.

“Coursera is my go-to when I look for online learning. It appeals to lots of different learning styles. Visual learners have videos. If you prefer to read, you have captions, and you can speed up or slow down. The videos made the information searchable and the format predictable every term. I really liked the flexibility of it.”

Beyond theTitle Change or Career Advancement

While many pursue an MBA to level up in their careers, Chelsea wants others to know there’s another reason to take the leap.

“Very often, there’ll be questions like, ‘How did you level up with your degree? How many promotions did you get? What was your salary?’ But really, the program is so affordable and rewarding that you don’t necessarily need the change in job title or salary. You’re going to have this transformative journey in the program that you can’t really put a price tag on. ”

The self-realization was actualized for Chelsea throughout her entire Gies experience. However, she notes the value of the final capstone course and the impact it had on her.

“The stimulation of the daily learning is like chipping away at the marble block, and you can’t really see what’s happening to you while you’re in it. But the final capstone was an amazing opportunity to reflect on the entire experience and how much I’d grown.”

Today, Chelsea is a proud graduate of the iMBA program and a Data Engineering Manager at Sargento Foods. She beams with confidence and pride for her newly acquired degree, and recognizes how the MBA has made her a more well-rounded and globally connected leader.

“The Gies influence is going to continue long after I retire. I really never imagined how transformative of an experience it would be. Of course, I expected ‘book knowledge’, but just the understanding I got of myself? I mean, it was life-changing.”

Interested in following Chelsea’s path?
The Gies Business iMBA from the University of Illinois is fully online, highly affordable, and built for ambitious professionals at any career stage. Whether you’re chasing career growth, personal enrichment, or both, you’ll join a global network and gain a truly transformative experience.