Graduating this spring with my master’s degree was not on my bucket list.
With about 25 years of professional experience in Southern Baptist media, I wasn’t sure I really needed it. I figured my experience spoke for itself. Several situations led me to a realization: If we’re not careful, we stop seeing things with the same curiosity and wonder we used to.
Ultimately, there is always room for growth.
Embracing new challenges
I began my journey to get my master’s degree in strategic and digital communication at the University of Tennessee in the fall of 2021.
I was immediately surprised how applicable it’s been to my work with TAB Media Group and our efforts to maximize our content and keep our audiences informed on multiple formats.
For those thinking of getting a master’s degree, here are a few things I learned along the journey — sometimes the hard way.
1. Pace yourself. Earning a master’s is a marathon, not a sprint. Getting enough sleep is critical. Regularly staying up all night reading and cramming for a quiz or trying to pull off a last-minute paper can burn a person out — especially with a family and full-time job.
Do your best, but don’t allow yourself to get stressed out over every assignment.
2. Work ahead. I never knew if something unexpected with family, church, work or weather was going to derail my plans with getting school work done.
Allowing time for those surprise moments is key.
3. Finish. I recently heard some great advice from an accomplished runner and Iron Man athlete. He said the finish line will always look different than you expect.
Manage those lofty expectations and focus on finishing in a God-honoring way.
Finishing my master’s was definitely worth all of the effort — and I couldn’t have done it without great people around me.
