At Your Employment Solutions, we strongly believe in the concepts of self-improvement and continuing education. Knowledge is an important ingredient in living a good life!
Today we want to congratulate two of our great employees who each graduated over the weekend. Congratulations to Tyler Lewis and Alison Evans!
Congratulations Tyler!
Tyler is a recruiter with Your Employment Solutions and he earned his Bachelor’s degree from Weber State University. He’s a really great guy, who enjoys helping others and has plans to continue his education in the future with a Master’s degree.
Congratulations Alison!
Alison is the director of Human Resources at YES. She graduated from Utah State University and earned a Master of Science in Human Resources (MSHR) from the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business.
Alison’s Take on Work and Education
I interviewed Alison and asked her a few questions about the importance of education and the balancing act that many people face in terms of school and work. She had some great answers and advice based on her journey to a Master’s degree.
Here’s what she had to say:
How does it feel to finally be graduating?
I’m not sure how to feel to be completely honest with you. I’m absolutely thrilled to have accomplished something I set out to all those years ago, but there is a fear inside of me that I will get bored and not know what to do to preoccupy that time I spent in class or doing homework. I need to find some new hobbies now!
How many years of schooling have you put it to get your degree?
Six years of college total. I spent 2 1/2 years getting two Associate’s degrees, 1 1/2 years doing my Bachelor’s, and another 2 years for my Master’s degree. Full time the entire way through! Whew!
Wow! All of that full time?
Yes. I worked full time the entire way through. My parent’s weren’t able to help me pay for any of it, so I had to fend for myself. Luckily, I had academic scholarships to help pay for school, but I worked multiple part time jobs at the same time to help pay for my living expenses.
At one time during my early years in college, I had 21 credit hours and 4 part time jobs. I was a Residential Advisor, Art Gallery Receptionist, Math and Accounting Tutor, and the Residential Life Chair on Student Government. It definitely kept me on my toes!
How difficult was it for you to balance your work and school schedule?
If I don’t stay busy, I go crazy and get really lazy, so balancing it was never really an issue for me. I just did it. I loved staying active, meeting new people, learning new things, and in turn, learning more about myself and what I’m capable of. Plus, I talk fast, walk fast, eat fast, do every thing fast. That helps get more things done in a shorter amount of time!
What’s your best tip for making that work?
I suggest never underestimating yourself and never make excuses. Instead, make it happen!
What is the most important thing you have learned from your education?
I’ve learned how to manage my time, my emotions, my actions AND my reactions, and how to help those around me learn the same things. I have learned to function within many different contexts and that is priceless to me. School taught me many specialized things about Human Resources and everything with a business context, but through that training I learned all of that other stuff that helps me function in society in ANY context. I learned how to be more emotionally intelligent and that is the most important thing I believe I walked away with.
Why do you feel getting a degree has made you better qualified in your career?
The knowledge, facts, and case studies I have been exposed to have given me a much broader view of what is really affected by my decisions and actions in an HR role. The countless classmates I have spent time with and shared real life experiences with, and collaborated on projects with, has taught me a great deal about how people function within a business environment and how to influence so many different types of people.
My degrees have provided me a solid understanding of management, finance, psychology, and HR all within the business context, and I don’t believe my mind would be near as advanced in strategic thinking without that. It would have taken me much longer to learn that stuff on my own.
What advice would you give to those who are considering going after a degree?
I would highly suggest doing so and not giving up! Some see it as just a piece of paper, others see it as a huge student loan bill. I see it as a really expensive piece of paper that proves you set out for a goal and did everything possible to follow through and accomplish it. It shows sacrifice, commitment, dedication, and confidence. It’s worth a lot more than I will pay in US dollars for it.
Sure it’s hard, and often times the light at the end of the tunnel felt more like an on coming train, but it’s worth it! I wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world!
Thanks Alison!
Again, from all of us here at Your Employment Solutions, we offer a hearty congratulations to Alison, Tyler, and everyone who graduated over the weekend!
Cheers to our Utah Graduates!
Eric Nelson
Marketing Manager
Your Employment Solutions
“I help connect Utah jobseekers to Utah jobs.”
P.S. Make sure you visit our job board!
