Returning to Education Pays Off For Project Manager
Though pursuing a master’s degree nearly 20 years after earning a bachelor’s degree seemed daunting for Katie Parr, the experience quickly proved rewarding. “I could apply what I was learning to my role almost the same day,” she said.
Finding a World-Class Program
Parr began her career at Mutual of Omaha nearly 13 years ago in marketing, putting her bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications to good use. Over the years, she moved into creative project management then agile project management. She’s now worked professionally as a project manager for five years.
Graduate school was not something Parr was seriously considering. However, as fate would have it, she ran across a Bellevue University table at the ICAN Conference in Omaha and they told her about the University’s partnership with Mutual of Omaha. She and the two coworkers she was exploring the conference with enrolled in different master’s degree programs, with the Master of Project Management being the right fit for Parr.
“Not everyone knows about Bellevue University and I felt proud to be at the school with a project management program in the top five in the nation,” she said. The program is also accredited by the prestigious PMI Global Accreditation Center for Project Management.
Growing Knowledge, Career Simultaneously
Parr completed her degree online. She said that though there was a learning curve from in-person studies, she enjoyed the flexibility. “I liked that I could work at my own pace,” she said. “For example, I could get my homework done ahead of time when I knew I’d be going on vacation.”
I could apply what I was learning to my role almost the same day.
Though she was already skilled in project management, the program allowed Parr to dive deeper and master more industry terminology. “I could relate what I was learning to the work I was doing,” she said. “My manager could tell what I was learning by the questions I was asking.”
The program also armed Parr with specific processes to implement, like gap analysis and risk management assessment. “I’ve been able to apply these directly to my work, and these processes have made a big difference,” she said.
The married mom of two teenagers said it was tough to juggle everything, but they made it work. “For example, on Sundays we’d all be watching football together and I’d be on the computer. Everyone knew ‘mom is going to school now’ and they stood by me.”
Overall, however, Parr said she had a great experience. “I had a really good support system. The professors were great and I had peace of mind knowing Mutual of Omaha would support me with tuition,” she said. “My manager was awesome really and told me to do what I needed to because it was only going to help the company. Then other people in my area decided to pursue more education. It really opened the door.”