#GoEags #EWUMBA

EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY CHANGED MY LIFE. Let me preface by saying the second time I went to EWU, it changed my life. Not that the first time wasn’t a milestone, but receiving my Master’s in Business Administration was the tipping point.

My lineage of being an Eagle stems from my mother who received her degree from EWU in the 90’s. My sister and her husband graduated in the early 2000’s. I received my Bachelor’s degree in 2002. During my tenure at Eastern, I (as many students tend to do) treated the Cheney campus as a commuter campus. I had no real attachment to the school except what was required to graduate.

Graduating...the first time

Post graduation, I faced the issue that many other graduates faced: what do I want to do when I grow up? Well guess what, I had just grown up. I continued working the retail position I held while in college. It wasn’t for lack of trying. I papered the PNW with resumes and applications. I had a sinking feeling that recruiters and HR managers knew what I wasn't willing to admit: I had no clue what I wanted to do.

For the next few years, I felt as if (professionally) I was just floating in the stream of life. I worked various retail positions and by 2004, picked up a second job as a bartender. In 2005, the average annual salary for a college graduate was about $33,000. Minimum wage (the pay grade I was obviously at) in the state of Washington was $7.35 an hour. Knowing that my friends and peers out earned me was hard to swallow...but I knew it was no fault but my own for where I was at. I was thankful I had a job and made "ok" money. I never imagined that, at the age of 24, I would have a college degree and not be able to apply it. I had dreams of being a lawyer, or a banker, or a teacher…not a salesman and bartender.

By the fall of 2005, I was still floating down that stream. I had started dating a woman who is now my wife. We were enjoying our 20’s, balancing responsibilities with a desire to have fun. My wife, Tabitha, had aspirations of getting her bachelor’s degree and entering the professional field. Making this kind of decision in your mid 20’s is no easy task. I looked at her with envious eyes at the perseverance she was willing to dedicate to achieving this goal.

The Change...

About a week later, I was talking to my father about something rather random when he asked me what my current goal is. He didn’t ask me what I wanted to do with my life. He didn’t pass down judgement for not applying my degree. He simply asked what my current goal was. Without realizing what was going through my mind, I blindly said, without any forethought “I want to go back to Eastern and get my MBA.” My father, a man of great discipline, replied “Ok, let me know if you need help.” (Side bar...I realize now that this moment was the reason I went back to school. I had just told my father I was going to get my MBA. Can't really back out of that one)

In the late months of 2005, I had reached out to a number of people at Eastern to determine how I would go about entering the world of academia once again. In short order, I had applied to the graduate program at Eastern and was tentatively accepted, pending my completion of prerequisite classes.

In the next two and a half years, my life transformed. In 2006, the retail company I was working at closed down. At that point, I chose to tend bar full time to pay for tuition. As you can imagine, this turned out to be a worse decision. It was with the help of close friend, Breelyn, that I was subsequently able to get a job with a bank here in Spokane. A few weeks later, I quit my bartending gig. I FINALLY felt like a professional! In the summer of 2008, in the midst of getting married, I also finished my MBA courses and submitted my portfolio for review.

Upon graduation, I was extremely nervous. I had put applications and resumes out into the world and had not received much interest. It was like 2002, all over again. During my MBA program, I had elected to take classes that focused on the application of information technology into all aspects of a company. It was not a traditional MBA and it had me worried. In the end, I caught the eye of a hiring manager in my then current company and he brought me on as a Business Intelligence Analyst.

#GoEags

From 2008 until today, I have progressed at what I consider an accelerated rate in professional development. I regret nothing of my past jobs for each of them have helped define my character and my drive. I have met and made amazing friends along the way. Every job has taught me more about myself and who I need to become. 

Having a MBA from Eastern opened doors and gave my application second looks whereas it could have been tossed aside otherwise. But most of all, it gave me a sense of self confidence and self-worth. I once viewed EWU as a commuter college. Now, I wear the colors proud along with my wife (an Eagle) and daughter (future Eagle). Eastern Washington University changed my life – and it will change yours!