Paula Pierce
A Degree in Business Administration
Fulfilling the Dream of a Working Mom
My interest in earning a college degree comes from my desire to broaden my knowledge base while providing more income for my family. A recent study from the U.S. Census Bureau reinforces the value of a college education: workers eighteen and over with a bachelor's degree earn an average of thirty-eight percent more than those with a high school. Getting a college degree is a career necessity in today's business world.
I grew up in a small, lower income neighborhood in Arkansas with my mother and brother. When I was five years old my parents divorced, leaving my mother to raise me and my older brother on her salary alone, which was not much at the time. My mother received her high school degree through the GED program when I was seven years old. I can remember being so proud of her and her accomplishment. She wanted only the very best for me and my brother and did everything she could to always take exceptionally great care of us.
I watched my mother struggle over the years with financial issues and saw how not having a college degree kept her from excelling in the work place. She would talk about being passed over for promotions because she did not have a college degree. Instead, a newly hired employee, with a degree, would receive the job as her supervisor and she would train them to do their job.
There have been many personal challenges and obstacles along the way. While attending high school it was always my dream to attend college and earn my degree in Business Administration with a minor in music education. I knew that I did not want to follow in the footsteps of my parents, without college degrees, and face the struggles they both faced in their careers. However, after graduation in 1982, I fell in love and chose another path to follow in my life. I married my high school sweetheart and worked diligently to help him obtain his goal of a college degree. After eighteen years of marriage and two children, my husband and I divorced and started our lives over again.
Due to financial constraints and taking care of my children, attending college became a mere dream that lingered in the back of my mind. I have never lost that burning desire to do everything possible to further my career and making my dreams come true. However, I had to face reality and put my dreams temporarily aside for the good of my family.
I am a very proud single mother of two amazing teenage children. Both of them aspire to attend college after high school graduation. The importance of a college degree is something I have emphasized to both of them since their first day of kindergarten. Without the proper education I know how difficult it is to maintain financial stability and prominence in our world. My prayer and hope for them is that they will obtain college degrees and never be passed over for a promotion just because they do not have a degree from an accredited college, something that has happened to me time and time again during my career.
After moving to Alabama four years ago, I was very fortunate to find employment as an Executive Administrative Assistant with a manufacturing plant that works primarily for the United States Military. Through the knowledge I have gained while employed in this industry I have excelled and have been promoted to my current position as a Business Analyst. Serving our country through the products my company produces, gives me a sense of well-being and accomplishment that I can make a difference and help to make our country as great as possible.
Obtaining a degree in Business Administration Management is important to me as an employee of a very prominent, successful and growing company. The advantage of having a degree, in my area of expertise, is a requirement for continued growth in my career path of choice. A degree in Business Management will help me to be a valuable asset to any team in which I aspire to work as a Project Manager. It will benefit me greatly in realizing my full potential in serving our country through facilitating the planning, scheduling and controlling of all activities that must be done to achieve project objectives, thus allowing a quality product to be delivered to the end user, our Armed Forces.
I am dedicated to put my energies into learning as much as possible and earning my degree in Business Administration Management through online training as well as continuing my hands-on training at work. After completing both the college educational requirements as well as the hands-on training, I will be equipped to pursue my goal and my career path as a Program Manager.
Online training will enable me to continue to work full-time and have the financial stability required for my family to survive. Online training also affords me the flexibility to enjoy my family in a relaxed atmosphere instead of having to rush off to a college campus several nights a week and then come home after everyone has gone to bed for the evening.
The management team I work for is very goal oriented and encourages continued education for all their employees. They encourage participants of online courses to work on their class studies during down time or will work diligently with employees to adjust their schedules and help their employees succeed.
I have shared my career goals and aspirations with my family and my companys management team. They have all pledged to do their part in helping me to fulfill the requirements needed to achieve my dream.
A truly successful company is only as successful as its top employees. I desire to be just that:one of the successful top employees. The best reason to go to college is to learn more about the world we live in and then to use that knowledge to make this a better world for generations to come.
One of the happiest days of my life will be when I can thank my family and friends for their encouragement and their support and present my diploma to show them that dreams really do come true, even for Working Moms.