Earning an Online Bachelor’s Degree in Management
Filed Under Bachelor's Degree Online
Steve was frustrated at work. He liked his job, and he liked the people he worked for. But it had become clear to him that without a bachelor’s degree, he was never going to be promoted.
When Steve started working at Bakofski Printing it was a small company; Dave Bakofski had hired Steve as his first salesman. Over the years the company had grown, and they now employed over 60 people, including three other salesmen.
It was obvious that the next hire would be a sales manager and Steve had hoped that he would be offered the job. When Dave called him into his office Steve was already planning to ask for a nice salary increase. But instead Dave kindly, but firmly, explained to Steve that he couldn’t offer him the sales manager job and that instead it would be going to somebody with a business administration degree.
Although he was angry and upset about the decision, deep down Steve knew that Dave wasn’t being unfair. The company had grown bigger and more complex, and a degree in business administration would be valuable to the new sales manager.
When he and his wife talked that night they decided to look into the possibility of Steve returning to school to earn a degree. They quickly realised that it would not be possible for Steve to give up his job to go to school full-time; they simply couldn’t afford to lose his salary.
One of Steve’s friends had recently begun taking classes online from the local State University. When they had dinner the previous week, his friend had mentioned how much he was enjoying the class on marketing. Steve went to the website for the local university and browsed around some of the class listings. He was amazed how many different degrees it was possible to take online, and how flexible the schedule seemed.
When he arrived at work the next morning. Steve was surprised to be called into Dave’s office again. Over a cup of coffee, Dave emphasized that he considered Steve an excellent employee, one who had a good future at Bukofski if he earned a degree. And he made Steve an offer.
Dave explained to Steve that the company had started a new policy of helping their employees to earn a degree or other qualification. Bukofski Printing was willing to pay 50% of the cost of college tuition. And, they’d provide a long-term zero interest loan to allow their employees to pay the other 50% easily from payroll deductions.
It was just the incentive that Steve needed. Within a week, he had registered to earn an online college degree and had begun studying for a bachelor’s degree in management, with an emphasis in sales. He decided not to take a full course load the first semester, because it had been many years since he’d studied seriously.
Steve was surprised how much he enjoyed the classes. The professors all seemed to know their stuff, and they understood that most of their students had responsibilities outside the classroom. Assignments still had to be delivered on time, but deadlines were set long in advance, and teachers were very accessible by e-mail. There were also discussion groups online, which to some extent took the place of the classroom interaction missing from studying for a degree online.
It wasn’t easy to keep up with his studies, but Steve persevered. During his second semester, he took almost a full load, cut back a little at work, and was very successful. He now has about a year left of college. His basic requirements are completed, and he’s concentrating solely on sales management classes. Next time an opportunity comes his way Steve will be ready to take his career to a new level.
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