When Ryan Howard relocated from Canada for an MBA at HEC Paris in 2014, he only had one goal in mind.

For almost a decade, he’d worked as an oil and gas engineer for industry leaders like Shell. With an MBA, he’d gain the business knowledge and international exposure to accelerate his career in the field he knew so well.

But during his MBA, the price of oil plummeted. The industry was in disarray. And Ryan started looking for an alternative path. Now, he’s operations manager for Amazon Prime Now in the UK. Based in London, he’s at the center of one of the world’s most innovative firms, experiencing the expansion of its supersonic, one-day delivery service, nationwide.

The MBA gave Ryan the tools to change role, industry and location, and make the fabled MBA triple jump into tech. Ryan chose HEC Paris over INSEAD, London Business School and IMD. He interviewed for the Amazon job on-campus and secured an internship followed by a full-time role.

How did the HEC Paris MBA help land you a job at Amazon?

I never thought I’d end up in London working for Amazon. HEC Paris organized the recruiting and I was interviewed on-campus. I wanted to experience working internationally, and here I am.

The MBA gives you the preparation, the exposure and the flexibility you need. I did a three-month internship in the UK which was a fantastic chance to try out the job mid-degree. I was able to pivot completely during the program; to change role, industry and location.

For me to have done this sitting in my office in Canada would have been immensely more difficult. It’s 2016. Business changes fast. With the MBA, I’ve put myself in in a position to be able to react to that.

What does Amazon look for in its MBA job applicants?

Creativity, initiative and honesty about the type of work you want to do.

The interviews were completely honest. I’ve never been told what people don’t like about the company before in an interview! Amazon is open about its 14 leadership principles and about being customer-obsessed. If that’s something that appeals to you, you can do really well here.

Can you tell me something about working at Amazon that most people wouldn’t know?

Whether it be drones or the next technology, Amazon is a company that will do whatever it can to please its customers. When I was based in Newcastle in the UK, our site did a deliver order in five minutes and 19 seconds, from click to delivery.

Amazon Prime Now covers the vast majority of London. We have sites all through the UK and are looking to expand. It’s pretty cool to be a part of that.

Why did you decide to pursue an MBA?

It was a bit of an adventure to be honest. My career was great, the work was interesting and I loved Canada. But I got to the point where I could either be more technical or focus on business.

My dad is an engineer with an MBA. He always spoke of the MBA as a finishing school for engineers. For people with a technical background, it really is a degree that rounds you out for the future.

What should applicants think about when deciding to do an MBA?

Each school is unique. There is a school that fits your profile and what you want to achieve, you just have to find it.

The biggest thing is your future career plan. What industry do you want to end up in? What area do you want to end up in? What sort of network do you want to have when you graduate?

If you’re looking at changing everything, the amount of effort you need to put in scales up. You have to think about what sort of skills you need to do it. The MBA signals that you are capable, and employers recognize that.

How did you prepare for the GMAT?

I remember spending a lot of hours sitting at my kitchen table! I was very structured. I set a goal for the score I wanted. I sat, studied and did practice tests until I was confident that I could get it.

The GMAT is a test of how much work you can put into something. It’s not fun, it’s tough and it takes work. But it proves you’re willing to put in the groundwork.

Why did you choose to study at HEC Paris in particular?

I’d always wanted to work internationally. And I targeted schools outside North America to get the diversity and the international exposure.

I applied to INSEAD, LBS, IMD. But HEC Paris fit me the best. I liked the diversity and where the school was going. It really struck me as a school that was focused on the program and the students.

I was also really impressed with the alumni network at HEC Paris. You can reach out to them about jobs and internships. You get a lot of good information and a lot of support. These are people who I’m still in touch with today.