SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT | MOST POPULAR |  RSS | | REPRINT
|
HR Pro Studies for Ph.D. in Iraq Thanks to Online U
November 17, 2006
By Jacqueline Durett
There are plenty of reasons to go back to school, and not enough time usually ranks pretty high on that list.
But Judy Kenney doesn't believe in those excuses. Even though her job as an employer relations specialist at KBR, a Halliburton company, means she'll be in Iraq for the indefinite future, she hasn't let that stop her from her academic plans. Currently, through Minneapolis-based Capella University, Kenney is working toward her doctorate in human resources and presently is working on her dissertation.
"I started with Capella in 2003, and I selected the program because of the HR specialization, and I was really excited about that," she says. She also liked the mobility that the program allowed, which was good because when Kenney first enrolled, she was living in Atlanta, then moved to Toledo, Ohio, and then made the move to Iraq at the end of May when she started with KBR—the whole time remaining a Capella student.
She says her office work and schoolwork are demanding and make it difficult to know when to take a break. Kenney puts in a full day at work—often 12 hours—doing workplace investigations, providing training and advising employees. Additionally, she says, "I basically try to assist in any way possible to try to resolve conflict in the workplace."
When work is done, then the schoolwork begins and takes her until midnight or 1 a.m., allowing for about five hours of sleep.
But Kenney has had her eye on the Ph.D. prize for a long time, and limited sleep isn't going to stop her as she works toward her goal of finishing in 2007. And doing things the usual way has never been for Kenney, who achieved some of her previous academic goals while she was in the military. "Fortunately for me, I've always pursued my education through the nontraditional route, so it's something that I'm accustomed to."
This experience has worked out so well for Kenney, in fact, that it also has inspired a career choice. "I actually love human resources. I think it's such a great career field that I want to tell others about it. I want to help educate others. So my plan is to pursue my Ph.D., and once I actually achieve that goal is to become an online professor."
She's also found friends and colleagues among Capella's students and staff, and though her program is primarily self-directed, she does have meetings with them online or through class conference calls (both of which are a little tricky because of time zones). Kenney and her classmates also complete group projects and give each other feedback through e-mail—a viable means of mutual support, Kenney says. "The technology has made it really easy. There's always someone else who's going through the exact same thing that you're going through and can help coach and mentor you. It really is a learning community; it's not the community you would think of when you're on a college campus, but there is still a community."
And yes, sometimes the worst does happen—computer failure on deadline. Though professors are understanding and a technical support team is on hand at Capella, the few times Kenney has had trouble have taught her a valuable lesson: "not to wait until the last minute."
Kenney says both her academics and her job have contributed to her professional development—and she's in no rush to leave the Middle East. "I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I think that it's great for my development as an HR professional. I'm going to stay here as long as I'm still enjoying myself."
And while in Iraq, Kenney's also on a one-woman mission to encourage others who might be considering charting a similar academic course. "If you work hard enough at it, you can always find an excuse not to do it," she says. "If I constantly looked at all the reasons why I shouldn't do it, I wouldn't do it. Instead, I look for the reasons to do it."
Send story comments to edit@ trainingmag.com.
|
SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT | MOST POPULAR | RSS |
|
|
| Back to Marketing Index |
|
|
