After five years as a business operations analyst at U.S. Bank, Pennie
Brown was eager to advance in her career. However, she felt she
lacked certain tools to move to the next level.
Then she saw an article on U.S. Bank's internal Web site featuring
employees who were graduating from Capella University. They had
gained an edge by furthering their education. Inspired by the article,
Brown decided to look into the degree. She learned that with U.S.
Bank's reimbursement program and Capella's online format, she
could fit school into her busy schedule, which included raising
two teenagers.
Brown enrolled in the Master of Science in Information Technology
program at Capella. During her first class in technical writing, a
subject that had always been challenging for her, she discovered
ways to apply the coursework to her job at U.S. Bank. Writing
became less intimidating as it became more relevant to work,
while learning to express her ideas clearly made her more valuable
as an employee.
As her schooling continued, she found more ways to apply
the material to her career. In an e-commerce class she learned
vocabulary that helped her understand trends in online banking. "I'd
study a concept, then run into it at work," she explained. "I could
quickly adapt to issues as a result."
The Capella master's program also helped Brown grow as an
individual. The coursework improved her research skills and
taught her to think more globally. Most importantly, continuing her
education made her more confident. "Now I hold my head a little
higher, and stand a little taller," she said. "I'm a lot more confident
and people notice."
In addition to noticing her confidence, her supervisors have
rewarded her with two promotions since she started her Capella
program. "I don't think I would have landed the positions if not
for the education," she said. Now, as a Profitability and Reporting
Manager, she leads a research team and reports its findings to
executives, a job she doesn't think she could have done without the
teachings from her master's degree.
"My degree and education are the tools I needed to build my career,"
she said.