My Norwich University Experience : Employment

Education Benefits for the Unemployed

WheelCipher — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:04:00 GMT

The Obama administration is doing some good things with education. In an economic downturn like the one we are in right now, people are seeking out opportunities to gain new skills and re-tool themselves for jobs that might become available in the future. People are also working to facilitate career changes while they are out of work. In order to make that happen, education is the key ingredient.

The president outlined a plan under which the Department of Education will provide legal guidance to schools encouraging them to increase financial aid packages for the unemployed so they can enroll in educational and training programs while keeping their unemployment benefits.

Current unemployment rules create a problem for the unemployed looking to go to school. In most cases, if a person is receiving unemployment benefits, they have to be actively looking for a job. If they want to get more education or training, they have to give up unemployment benefits. If people return to school, they do not qualify for federal education grants since, in most cases, the qualification is based on the previous year's income.

The unemployment benefits that are offered to people who have lost their job are intended to be a safety net of sorts so people can sustain themselves in between jobs. I believe that enhancing the program in the way I described above is a great move. I think this benefits a lot of people and society in general. I believe that most people would rather work than collect benefits. At the same time, this plan gives the unemployed the tools to succeed down the road.

An educated populous is the foundation of a successful republic.

For more information on this plan, see www.opportunity.gov

Add to:

More Fan Mail From Viking

WheelCipher — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

It is I again. Since you are in Texas, I was wondering which graduate business school is generally viewed as more favorable by the people down there. University of Houston or the University of Texas? In addition, when I refer to UT, I do not mean the McCombs School Business at UT Austin, but rather the MBA programs at the other UT campuses, such as Arlington. I like both online programs, although I am leaning toward UT because one of the required courses at UH is Calculus and I really want to avoid taking Calculus if I can. In addition, do you think going to a Texas school makes sense if I plan to work in NYC or DC?

These are good questions. First, in Texas, if you go to an accredited school, you should not have any problems. Obviously, UT Austin is the big fish in this pond, but it is not the only good school in the state. I looked at the business programs at many Texas schools at some point and was not turned off by any of them.

If you are looking for an on-campus experience, I would be fine attending any school in Texas myself. If you are looking for an online experience, I know that the University of Houston at Victoria, University of Dallas and others offer that. I also know that UT Dallas offers the MBA program. It is not a cheap program, either. It was about $50k last time I checked. Moreover, that was for in-state residents. Things may have changed since the last time I checked. Do some homework and find out which one works for you.

Overall, I cannot tell you NOT to go to any of the Texas schools. Working in NYC or DC should not matter at all. It should have no bearing on the situation. People all over the country and world get their degrees from one geographical location and move to another for the purpose of work. You just need to see which one works for you and meets your needs.

I hope this helps.

Add to:

Things Happen For a Reason

WheelCipher — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:41:00 GMT

All of my life, I have lived by the motto, “things happen for a reason”. That is all I have to hang on to today.

Less than two months ago, I left a job that I had for almost a decade so that I could “stretch my wings” and make use of the six years of education I have accumulated. I thought I found a company that was ideal. One that was ready to push forward and do great things. That endeavor ended yesterday. I did not have the support needed to make the changes necessary to transform my department. There was a lot of conflict that made staying there almost impossible. So we agreed to part ways. It lasted less than 60 days.

I feel bad because I am not a job-hopper and I am dedicated to whatever project I am involved in. So now I must refocus. While I will still be looking for gainful employment, this is also a time in my life that I can consider starting a consulting firm or start teaching online classes for a university. Both of these are things that I have been wanting to do for a long time.

I have applied at one school. I am not sure how that will pan out. But after taking a few days off to get my bearings after that whirlwind mistake that sucked 60 days from my life, I am going to try and make something happen.

People usually send me e-mail asking for advice about school. But I suppose I am now asking for some advice from online instructors. Any tips you can offer? I want to make this work. I feel like there is no better time than the present to do something new. My goal is to teach undergraduate business classes. I have almost 20 years of experience in the corporate world. I think I have the background to do well. The only thing holding me back is that I have never had a teaching job.

Again, things happen for a reason.

Add to:

I GOT A NEW JOB!

WheelCipher — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Today is a very pivotal and important day in my life and in my career. I am starting a new job this morning and I am optimistic at the potential this position will have for me. I am going to explain how all of this came about and how education and social networking helped me in ways I would have never imagined. Please read on!

I have spent the last eight years with Time Warner Cable as the Manager of Customer Care in Austin, Texas. This is a job that I loved very much, but when I step back and look at it from a realistic perspective, it was a dead end. When I started at Time Warner, I had exactly zero hours of college credit to my name. When I am done with the MBA in about three months, I will have gone to school for six years straight to earn three degrees. All of that hard work paid off last week when I the new company made an offer I could not turn down. This is how it happened:

About a month ago, I a recruiter found me on LinkedIn. He sent me an e-mail that stated something to the effect of, “I have a great opportunity…” I replied, “I hate to sound like a prude, but I’ve had horrible experiences with recruiters. If this job doesn’t pay at least $100k just to get the conversation started, I don’t want to waste your time.” I knew that sentence would reveal the truth about this “great position”.

After a short phone call that night, I had a two-hour phone screen the following day with a strategic consultant that works for the company to handle their mergers and acquisitions, long-term strategy, and a whole host of other things that have made this company successful. After knocking that out of the park, I drove to Dallas for a panel interview that lasted a couple of hours.

That panel interview included the Vice President who would ultimately be my boss, the Vice President of Human Resources, and the strategic consultant that had interviewed me on the phone. A week later, I had another one-on-one interview with the VP who would be my boss. Then on Friday, February 27, I had yet another panel interview. This one included three VP’s that I had not previously met and the CEO of the company.

The following day, my cell phone rang and we verbally worked through the compensation package. This is where my education and experience paid off. While it is not appropriate to say what the package was, rest assured that it was way beyond my wildest dreams. I am now the Director of Customer Care in the aerospace/government/military industry and I could not be happier. The process took a month to complete but it was more than worth it.

In another post to follow in the next couple of days, I will outline what I did differently in this interview process and how it worked to my advantage. I think things happen for a reason, but as you will see in this upcoming post, I did put a lot of effort into it. Hopefully someone else will be able to benefit from my positive experience.

Add to:

Colossal Disappointment

WheelCipher — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:00:00 GMT

This has not been my week. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time looking for a new job where I can leverage my work experience with my near-complete MBA degree from Norwich University. With this economy, it has become more difficult to find the right gig, but I have been pretty patient with the whole process.

I had the opportunity to interview with what seems like a really great up-and-coming company that deals in supply chain management. I interviewed with four people and we mutually agreed that the interview was great. I got a good feeling from the process and this company was more cordial and outgoing than any other I’ve had contact with lately. I really appreciate when people at all levels keep in contact. This is a rarity not often afforded to applicants.

I was notified yesterday that I didn’t make it. It was a shock because the human resources person I spoke to said she was recommending me for hire. I guess it didn’t work out. It is a colossal let-down for me. That was the best opportunity I’ve had and I really wanted it to work. Between that and being bogged down with school and work, I am looking for a way to lift my spirits. I don’t ever put all my eggs in one basket and I’ve learned not to expect anything. But this event has driven me deeper into the rut I was already in. None the less, I will keep driving on in hopes of something happening at some point.

I believe that things happen for a reason. I can usually tell why things happen and good things usually come after the fact. That’s the way it’s always been for me. But it will be a struggle to see past this one for a while.

Add to: