In times of economic uncertainty, many people consider returning to college to improve their skills - - by completing their degree or getting the next degree.  It is no surprise that the most vulnerable employees are those who don’t meet employer educational requirements.  In good economic times, firms are less stringent about who they hire, as long as the hiree is talented.  In bad economic times, firms choose these same people to lay off, in general.

There is no question that completing a degree pays off; the chart below shows just how big the expected payoff can be.  In terms of investments, there is no other investment that can pay off like this one can.

In considering degree completion programs, one has to be very careful, though, because not all degree completion programs are created equal.  In many publicly available studies, employers emphasize the following as skills that are required to be successful in business:

     •Ability to think critically
     •Ability to present information to different audiences, orally and in writing
     •Ability to make ethical decisions
     •Ability to lead teams and work in team environments
     •Ability to manage projects, establish milestones/benchmarks, and gauge success
     •Ability to think globally
     •Ability to use tools to analyze business conditions
     •Ability to think cross-functionally

To maximize the effectiveness of your investment of time and money, find a degree completion program that doesn’t just prepare you with business content.  Find a program that delivers far beyond just the content and includes the skills listed.  Consider the final bullet:  Ability to think cross-functionally.  Essentially, this means that in the real world, business occurs in a manner where accounting, marketing, and management are mixed and are NOT stand-alone subjects.  For example, considering developing a new product for sale combines finance, marketing, economics, and management of the project.  Each of these “stand-alone” disciplines is influenced by the others and must be simultaneously considered for optimal effectiveness.  Learning business in stand-alone courses, then, does not necessarily help prepare you for the rigors of real-world business.

Economic downturns are actually an opportunity – an opportunity to increase your skills by completing your degree.  Completing your degree is an investment so it is important to find a degree completion program that gives you the skills necessary to achieve your career goals.

In Salt Lake City, Westminster College has the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program that is specifically designed for adults who are ready to complete their degree.  The BBA program is project-based, which means that instead of simply taking courses, you will be completing real-world business projects that prepare you for leadership positions with best-practice organizations.  Projects are cross-functional by design, so you learn business the way it really occurs.
Most importantly, the projects require you to build your skills in the bulleted areas listed above.  They force you to think in the way business really occurs.

They help you build your skill set.  When an employer asks you what you can do, you can answer very specifically because you’ve not only learned about business, you’ve DONE the types of projects businesses use every day:  financial analyses, benchmarking, market analysis, segmentation and targeting, balanced scorecards, development of business pro-forma analysis, and business plans.  And, along the way, you’ve perfected your ability to write and present, to lead teams, to gauge success, and to lead world-class organizations.

Degree completion programs require you to reprioritize your life for a while.  Westminster College’s BBA is self-paced, meaning you work on projects as your life allows, at a pace YOU set.  Westminster’s full-time faculty members act as your personal learning coaches to help you maximize your learning and project performance.

Find a program that is right for you - - one that maximizes your investment by giving you both the business knowledge and the business skills and abilities required for success.  Minimize how seriously your life is disrupted by finding a degree completion program that “fits” in your life.   Most importantly, find a degree completion program and start moving closer to fulfilling your career goals.

NOTE:  While Westminster College is located in Salt Lake City, any student from any city can enroll in the BBA program.  You will be required to attend 6 two-day residencies in Salt Lake City during your 15-18 months in the program, but you can use our learning tools no matter where you live/work.