学生经历:胡安·瓦雷拉，MBA

你可能会想到 供应链管理 (SCM)作为一种专门适用于制造的功能, 比如来源, 收集, stocking and assembly of components that make up everything from giant industrial machines to consumer goods, 包括汽车, 电子产品, 玩具及体育用品. But Juan’s story demonstrates how major retailers like Walmart and Target are also heavily invested in the tactics and technologies of SCM to efficiently deliver thousands of products to hundreds of stores. 在我的世界里, so many things depend on managing the supply chain intelligently and efficiently so we can meet our customers’ needs while maintaining profitability,胡安说, 即使我们面临意想不到的挑战.”  

据胡安说, the growth of Walmart’s IDC in Eastvale is mainly the result of their acquisition of 4 other distribution centers that were previously used by other companies. 在这67条.校园占地7英亩，包括2个.9500万平方英尺的货运整合设施, 916 full-time associates contribute to a well-orchestrated and perpetually moving blend of strategic planning and automation. 

Juan将沃尔玛的IDC描述为分销链中的中间人, 每年为公司节省数百万美元的分销成本. Shipping containers of material from Walmart’s vendors arriving at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are unloaded here. Cases from those containers are stored and consolidated to full trailers heading out to 6 Walmart Regional Distribution Centers (RDCs) in 加州, 亚利桑那州, 犹他州和俄勒冈州. 一旦在那里加工，材料就会被运送到由这些配送中心服务的780家沃尔玛门店.

Juan在DeVry和Keller管理研究生院获得了两个学位:a 技术管理学士学位，全球供应链管理方向 2021年和 工商管理硕士学位 in 2023. Both have helped him manage major disruptions in the past few years that significantly impacted Walmart’s supply chains and put every bit of his SCM experience and education to the test. 

首先，COVID-19大流行使许多制造和分销系统陷入停顿. 然后, 正如供应链在2022年夏天开始复苏一样, 铁路公司和工会之间的纠纷导致了洛杉矶的一堆集装箱, 长滩和其他港口. 在此期间，估计有一些 310亿美元的贸易额 要么在港口等待，要么被困在美国海岸. Juan and his colleagues found themselves having to think quickly and creatively to find a solution while striving to meet profitability goals and deliver items to store shelves when customers needed them. 

“现在的情况是，已经在海上漂流了几个月的集装箱正在进入. 与此同时, 同样是这些公司，它们也在尝试推出新的货运模式, 这批货物可能会更快到达. 您正在尝试推出新的卷, 但是你必须存储原来的体积,他说, “那你怎么办呢?? 清算? 向慈善机构捐款? That’s where we have to get very creative about what to do with these items that aren’t turning over because of this unprecedented disruption.”

沃尔玛供应链的中断可能造成的影响不仅仅是让商店的货架空无一物. 它对在那里工作的人产生了重大影响. 胡安描述了, 在大流行期间没有任何交易量, he and his colleagues had to reach out to their network to schedule shifts in a way that got their associates the hours they needed to keep paying their bills. 对胡安, it was both refreshing and gratifying to experience the strategic and employee-centric approach Walmart’s senior leadership took. 对他, 这家零售商对员工的奉献精神是让他留在那里工作的原因之一, 而且这家公司的文化是他从未经历过的.

Juan’s career journey has been fueled by his ambition to move up and put himself in a position to be considered the stand-out candidate for any job. 他将教育描述为“通往成功的桥梁”,，而他需要用它来实现向上流动的愿望也变得清晰起来, 几年前在塔吉特百货工作时, 胡安申请了亚马逊的一个职位，这是另一家在该地区占有重要地位的公司. 他被告知，如果没有学位，他晋升到管理层的机会很小. 而不是纠结于被拒绝, he decided to explore the possibility of pursuing formal education in the field where he already had so much hands-on experience. 

当你忙于工作和家庭时, 胡安开始研究SCM专业的十大赌博平台排行榜, 使他能够按照自己的节奏学习，而不需要往返于学校之间. 对于Juan, DeVry检查了所有的盒子. 他的下一步是与我们的一位学术顾问会面. “指导老师给我讲解了课程. 他说, “这是它的样子, 这是你们将要学习的内容, 这是你学习的速度.“这让我的决定变得容易，因为它回答了我的许多问题，”胡安解释说. 他的学费, 而不是他的雇主付的钱, was made more affordable by tuition savings that he qualified for through a partnership between DeVry and Walmart.  

在攻读学位期间, Juan says he began to understand many of the issues and trends modern supply chains function with and what drives metrics, 比如对操作的潜在改进，以及在供应链的每个阶段减少浪费.

顶点课程是许多研究生十大赌博平台排行榜的必修课程. 在典型的顶点岩中, 一个项目, 如期末论文或作品集, 是否需要证明学生在学习领域的能力. 胡安回忆说，他在DeVry攻读MBA的顶峰课程特别具有挑战性. 这是一个真实的供应链模拟，每个学生, 4或5人一组工作, 在一个虚构的电脑芯片公司担任高级管理人员. 在这个场景中, weekly decisions were made regarding production goals and inventory levels based on constantly fluctuating market conditions. 

胡安将MBA顶点课程的模拟描述为“再真实不过了”,” presenting the students with real-world quandaries like: Do we target a high-end market or develop a cheaper product for the lower end of the market? 我们是增加自动化还是让员工加班加点来提高产量? 这些举措将如何影响我们的底线? 

“在顶点时期, I was able to see things from the perspective of my general manager at Walmart and gain a better understanding of the process – and the financial impact – of that senior-level decision making, ”胡安说, “我认为DeVry的课程为我的顶峰做好了准备. 它让我把事情拼凑起来.”

胡安称赞DeVry团队，包括他的导师和职业顾问的支持. “老师们总是可以回答问题，他们非常足智多谋,他说, ”I initially did not plan on pursuing my MBA after completing my bachelor’s program but my Student Support Advisor talked to me about his experience and how 工商管理硕士学位 helped him in his career.他回想起导师的鼓励如何帮助他认识到，获得MBA学位是可以实现的, 胡安决定继续前进. “The MBA program gave me more insight into what I should expect in the real world of supply chain and exposed me to a higher level of thinking,他继续说道。, 让我更有思想, 基于数据的增值业务决策.”

胡安向朋友和家人推荐了DeVry, 其中包括一位对从事营销工作感兴趣的密友. 这位朋友现在已经完成了市场营销专业的学士和硕士学位, 胡安高兴地报告说他做得很好.

胡安对他的家人在他的教育过程中给予他的支持的感激是显而易见的. “我美丽的妻子保拉是我能够完成学士学位和MBA课程的一个重要原因. 在我上学的时候，她牺牲了自己的需求来支持我. She has consistently given me words of encouragement throughout my education and reminded me of my end goal and how it would all pay off, 不只是对我, 但对我们家来说.”

Juan remembers taking his laptop to family events and on vacations so that he could work on course projects, and how even his young daughters understood there were times when he couldn’t play with them until after his homework was finished. 胡安的父母和三个弟弟也很支持他, 检查他的进度, 定期询问他的课程情况，鼓励他坚持学习.

现在胡安已经完成了他的学业, he’ll have more time to enjoy fishing and hiking with Paola and daughters Breanna (9) and Juliana (5) in the recreation areas of 加州’s Mammoth Lakes region. 他们分享的许多美好时光都被记录在胡安的“爸爸和女儿钓鱼”YouTube频道上. 意识到这些家庭时光是多么珍贵, Juan’s been recording as much video as he can with the ultimate goal of sharing a collage of photos and videos – however potentially embarrassing for them – on each of his daughters’ wedding days.

近年来，它经受了供应链管理领域一些最大挑战的考验, 胡安正带着应得的自信接近他职业生涯的下一个篇章. 对他来说，未来是光明的，杯子总是半满的. 他想继续向上发展, and that shows in his enthusiasm and eagerness to share his journey with anyone interested in pursuing a SCM career.

如果你想在快节奏的全球供应链管理世界中寻求职业生涯, 我们可以帮忙. 我们的 本科学历，全球供应链管理专业 能帮你探索文化吗, political and economic conditions of foreign markets and better understand the logistics at all stages of the global supply chain. 这个学士学位专业可以100%在线获得, 帮助你平衡学业和工作, 家庭和你忙碌生活中的其他因素.  

每8周开课一次.