Earning a degree fresh out of high school isn杏吧专区檛 the path everyone takes.
That杏吧专区檚 true for Clarence Chapman, who earned his B.S.B.A. in Management online in May at the age of 32. 杏吧专区淚 went to another university for a semester out of high school,杏吧专区 Chapman says. 杏吧专区淏eing young, it wasn杏吧专区檛 really for me. I had my mind on other stuff, like working.杏吧专区
Although stepping away from school allowed Chapman to start earning a full-time income earlier than most, he found with time that not having a degree meant his career had little direction.
杏吧专区淚 coach basketball at Centerville High School, and the coach I was working under once, Montrelle Taylor, he graduated from UL Lafayette,杏吧专区 Chapman recalls. 杏吧专区淗e told me, 杏吧专区榊ou know, you杏吧专区檝e been telling me how your jobs have been, and I think you should go back to school.杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
With that advice, Chapman杏吧专区檚 journey began.
Gaining a Fresh Perspective
In late 2019, Chapman enrolled at to complete his associate degree in business.
After finishing his program there, he took advantage of the 2+2 Transfer Pathway between SoLAcc and UL Lafayette. Through the pathway, students who earn an associate degree from SoLAcc can apply all 60 credits earned there toward their business degree at UL Lafayette.
Entering the online management program, Chapman had experience in management roles, including as an assistant store manager at Dollar General, but his management courses offered a fresh perspective on both his and his supervisors杏吧专区 work.
杏吧专区淭here杏吧专区檚 so much more to management than what I previously thought,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淭here杏吧专区檚 HR, there杏吧专区檚 scheduling, there杏吧专区檚 leadership, there杏吧专区檚 finance. Now, when I look at my current supervisor in my data entry job, Jeffery Beverly, I can appreciate everything he does. I feel like he fits every quality of what I杏吧专区檝e learned in my classes.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淚 think back now to when I was a manager at Dollar General, and I understand it better. As a manager, you can杏吧专区檛 be rude to people; you have to be both firm and friendly. And you also have to consider all these other business factors.杏吧专区
One of Chapman杏吧专区檚 favorite classes was MGMT 445: Digital Business, taught by Dr. Ron Cheek, associate professor of management.
The class examines the key elements of conducting business digitally.
杏吧专区淔or one assignment, we had to make our own web page,杏吧专区 Chapman says. 杏吧专区淚t was just amazing how Dr. Cheek helped me. When I had questions, he was there for a Zoom call. He really pushed me.杏吧专区
Overcoming Challenges
Though being an online student 杏吧专区 both at SoLAcc and UL Lafayette 杏吧专区 made school convenient for Chapman, it didn杏吧专区檛 make the work any less challenging.
Chapman particularly struggled with MGMT 382: Operations Management. He was originally set to graduate in Fall 2023, but four courses and a job on top of MGMT 382 proved to be a lot.
杏吧专区淭he course for me was just really mind-blowing,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚t blended a lot of business with statistics. I had a hard time grasping the concepts.杏吧专区
So, he delayed his graduation by a semester to focus on the course by itself and visited The Learning Center for additional support.
杏吧专区淭he tutor I worked with, Zoe LeBoeuf, was great,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淪he broke everything down so well. With each exam, I just did better and better. It felt really good.杏吧专区
Finding Community & Support
Being an online student at UL Lafayette didn杏吧专区檛 stop Chapman from immersing himself in the college experience that he previously missed out on.
He purchased the Campus Connection Plan each semester, giving him access to the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 recreation center and to campus activities like Intramural Sports.
杏吧专区淚t was nice to be able to do some of the college activities 杏吧专区 going to football games, playing rec sports 杏吧专区 while working and doing what I needed to do,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淭he guys on my intramural basketball team would be surprised when I杏吧专区檇 tell them I was in my 30s!杏吧专区
And Chapman found a study partner in his sister, who杏吧专区檚 working toward her degree online at another university. The two often completed their schoolwork together, bouncing ideas for their assignments off each other.
杏吧专区淭here was a moment where I thought I wasn杏吧专区檛 going to graduate,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淢y mom would always tell me, 杏吧专区楽on, it杏吧专区檚 going to be okay. You just have to find your way, figure things out, and give it time.杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
Looking Ahead
Now that he杏吧专区檚 finished, Chapman is already thinking about what杏吧专区檚 next 杏吧专区 and encouraging the students he coaches to do the same.
Attending Commencement alongside graduate business students in the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 MBA program and M.S. in Accounting program, he felt inspired to one day be one of them.
杏吧专区淪eeing those black gowns and hoods 杏吧专区 I know if I pushed myself through my bachelor杏吧专区檚 I can do the same for my master杏吧专区檚,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚 want to go back to earn my MBA now.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淚 always tell the kids I coach that it杏吧专区檚 OK if you want to get into the workforce, but you have to get an education. Whether it杏吧专区檚 online, on campus, I don杏吧专区檛 care. Just get an education.杏吧专区
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