About six months ago, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business with a focus in accounting. Transitioning from being a college student to being a full-time employee is a very big change. You go from having a variable schedule each day based on your classes to being on a regular work schedule, and you go from being a student who is not expected to know things to a representative of an organization who is supposed to know things. As a student, I tended to always be looking forward to the next step and was constantly looking for opportunities to relate my education to my real-world experience gained through internships and extracurricular opportunities, such as my experience as an editor for the Marlin Chronicle.
Now that I have graduated, I have found myself still using the methods that I found in college to get my bearings in the working world. My job specifically is a role in which employees generally come in with little to no experience in the field and are taught everything they need to know throughout the training program over the course of two years. They are teaching us everything from job specific calculations and policies to customer communication and project management skills. This means that in the day to day I am handling projects on a lot of different levels which is something that I find myself well prepared for following my experience at Virginia Wesleyan.
Additionally, since graduating I have “returned” to Virginia Wesleyan virtually in the form of working toward my master’s degree in business administration. Given that I have a full schedule with work, I have taken advantage of the ability to take it one class at a time. The flexible virtual format has made it a stress-free and seamless experience since I do not have to commute to a nearby school.
This program is also something that I have constantly been able to relate to my experiences at work and have found that this connection generally enriches both. Therefore, I would recommend pursuing a similar virtual master’s degree program to anyone who has an interest in continuing their education but is also ready to start working.
Dalton Powers graduated in May 2021 as a business major and speaks candidly about his transition from undergraduate education to the workforce and graduate school. During his time at Virginia Wesleyan University, Dalton was an active member of the Batten Honors college and participated in internships and research opportunities.
Dalton Powers
dmpowers@vwu.edu
