Action | Student News

Chasing a Master's Degree Online p.2

How do you fit your studies in with your life and your job?

Susan: It’s my first semester in the program, but also I’ve had a lot of traveling to do the past several months. So the program has been built to be very flexible. ... Being able to get access wherever you are, whether it’s in Australia or Japan, is very nice, and I’ve not had any problems being able to do that.

Julie: Well, sometimes I work 40- to 60- hour workweeks. I could probably ask to cut back, but I’m part of a team and many of our projects offer excellent learning opportunities for professional development. I guess I really don’t want to cut back, so many of my weekday evenings, plus Saturdays and Sundays, are spent reading and doing homework. That was a surprise— I had forgotten how long it can take to get through material.

When I was looking to go back to school, I couldn’t choose a night course or a weekend program, because I wouldn’t be able to travel, which is a big part of my job. I spent the month of October in Asheville, which was necessary as it was a huge learning experience on my career path. ... That work experience was worth about a semester’s worth of learning, based on what I learned in the field. So ... I’m getting the learning that I want for my personal development and maintain the learning that I need for my career development at work.

Mark: For me there’s a four-hour time difference [from the time zone of the other students], so that part has been a little hard. ... It’s a lot to stay on top of, for any of us that has a family, has to travel, or has a relatively stressful full-time job. All of that aside, I would still check the “highly recommended” box.

Joele: With a new baby, I can do my work while she’s sleeping. I couldn’t do it if I had to be at a classroom somewhere at, say, 1:00. I’m so interested in the classes and I see how they apply to my work and what I want to do in my career. I guess the most important thing is that I really do want to do the work.

And how are the courses that you’re taking?

Kathleen: I do have a background in ecology and ecosystem management, but the ecosystem management course that we’re taking really delves into the human dimensions of ecosystem management, which is absolutely practical and critical. When I was an undergraduate, we weren’t talking about human dimensions and ecosystem management in one class—you would have had to take several different classes and put the information together yourself. The interdisciplinary approach makes sense in terms of what I’m doing on a daily basis in watershed protection: I’m dealing with real communities, real bureaucratic systems, real economic constraints, real ecosystem scientific challenges ... it’s very practical and applied.

Julie: There was something about the class project on Three Gorges Dam that was daunting to me: I thought, I don’t know anything about China; I don’t know anything about the fish in China ... but it was just taking a problem and stepping back and seeing that it still had the same components that a smaller or local problem would have, and you could still manage it. That was a good learning experience.

Susan: The environmental economics class I’ve directly used already. One of the projects I’m on [at work] is looking at cap and trade [policies] for reducing mercury from coal-fired power plants. So to better understand how that’s been used, where it’s worked and where it’s not worked, has really helped me in terms of understanding it better in my current position.

Christopher: I’m actually exploring an independent study project that I’m excited about. . ... There’s a great host of well-known and reputable faculty to work with.

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