The turbulence of 2020 and the time since has many of us still reeling, but for Jonte Morrison, there was a silver lining.
Morrison earned his B.S. in Industrial Technology from the Āé¶¹Ņ¹ŹŠ in August 2020. Morrison says it wasnāt an ideal time to start job hunting, so he looked for other opportunities to advance his career.
Just a few weeks after completing his bachelorās, Morrison began the M.S. in Engineering & Technology Management online at Āé¶¹Ņ¹ŹŠ.
Now, heās graduating from Āé¶¹Ņ¹ŹŠ for the second time and says heās glad his path shifted in this direction.
Growing up in Lafayette, Morrison was always a problem solver. Industrial technology provided the opportunity to channel that into a career.
"It has a little of every type of engineering,ā he says.
āYou have construction, you have chemical, you have electrical ā you learn all of the different types of engineering in one major. That's what attracted me the most because it's not one-dimensional.ā
Although he didnāt immediately pursue a position in his degree field, Morrison began working full time upon earning his bachelorās degree. Advancing into graduate school meant he needed a program that would allow him to balance his responsibilities while earning his degree.
Because courses in the masterās in engineering technology program are 100% online, Morrison was able to strike that balance.
āIt actually worked out for the best because I could stay at my full-time job and get my coursework done,ā he says.
That isnāt to say it didnāt take some adjustment. Morrison hadnāt taken 100% online classes before his graduate coursework and had to quickly develop strategies for managing his time.
āOf course, it was a challenge. Especially when I first started,ā he says. āAs time went on, I learned to prioritize. School came first. I looked at my deadlines and tried to get them done a couple days before the due date to keep a good work-life balance.ā
Morrison says every course in the online M.S. in Engineering & Technology Management program built on the knowledge he gained through his undergraduate degree, but he especially enjoyed delving into Lean manufacturing and lifecycle analysis concepts.
"Lean manufacturing is basically telling us how to make a business run faster, using less energy and less money. That's very interesting,ā says Morrison. āAnd with lifecycle analysis, that's basically taking the product and analyzing the steps to create it.ā
With his masterās degree in hand, Morrison is embarking on his next chapter proud of the experience heās accumulated.
āIndustrial and systems technology are great degree fields,ā he says. āIt helps get your feet in the industry before you actually get in the field.ā
Ready to advance your career? Learn more about the MS in Engineering and Technology Management online program at Āé¶¹Ņ¹ŹŠ.