When I was just about four classes shy of earning my Bachelor of Business Administration I got very bored. I no longer wanted to earn a business degree. I was so bored I decided to change my degree to Bachelor of Science in Information Technology.

It was a strange shift made even stranger by the fact that I was the only businessman in my entire program. I learned Java, C, SQL and a dozen other acronyms.

There were times that I struggled because I am not a coder. I'm not a programmer and my mind doesn't necessarily think the same way that an IT professional's mind thinks. In fact, most in my program were working in the field so they could practice everyday at their job.

In the end, I was able to graduate with honors but I still didn't want to take an IT job.

Within a year, I decided to go back for a business degree so I entered the master's program.

Looking back, that combination isn't that common. You don't find too many businessmen who have a degree in IT nor do you find many IT managers that have a degree in business. But, I've found that this combination has been spectacular for me.

As an owner of a company that lives in the world of technology, understanding what my employees go through on a daily basis has been invaluable in helping them be successful.

Drawing on the graphic design background I had from early in my career, adding in my sales and sales management experience in addition to the IT and business training, I'm able to help my team craft appropriate strategies for our clients.

When thinking about the experiences you have, you never know when doing something hard now will pay off down the road. You never know when the combination of your seemingly disparate skills will provide you with a significant advantage to those with whom you compete.