![\"mary_hughes\"](\"http:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2015\/08\/mary_hughes.jpg\")
<\/a>Q. What is your background?<\/h4>\n
A. I\u2019d long wanted to be a project manager and lawyer. I was fortunate enough to have worked in several New York law firms where I developed great project management skills. Then I relocated to Atlanta, where I was laid off from my job eight months later. It was a different environment there. I had the skills and experience, but it quickly became clear to me that without the educational credentials, it would be hard for me to find work, never mind look for promotions. I was about 40 then and didn\u2019t think I\u2019d ever go back to school. I didn\u2019t want to be a 50-year-old getting a degree. But then a friend said to me, \u201cYou can either be 50 without a degree, or 50 with one.\u201d I decided to at least look into it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Q. Why did you choose Capella?<\/h4>\n
A. I did a Google search on \u201cBachelor\u2019s in Project Management.\u201d When Capella University came up, I was intrigued with the idea of an online degree. When I called, the enrollment services representative I spoke with mentioned PMI\u2019s Project Management Professional (PMP)\u00ae<\/a> credential. I liked the idea of getting a PMP\u00ae before doing a bachelor\u2019s and was curious to learn more. Then she told me about Capella\u2019s Prior Learning Assessment<\/a> (PLA) program, which would give me credit for my certification and extensive work experience. It was just such a logical thing to do\u2014work on the PMP\u00ae and apply for the PLA. And I never would have imagined I could do any of this before I talked to Capella.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A. Initially, it sounded too good to be true, but it wasn\u2019t! It was amazing. It\u2019s exactly what I was told it would be, no hidden red tape. It\u2019s intimidating at first, but that incentive of being able to get to the bachelor\u2019s so much more quickly is a big motivator. There were people in the PLA lab providing feedback and support. Within two years, I had my bachelor\u2019s. That saved me a great deal of both time and money.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A. It was phenomenal. I\u2019d been out of school for 20 years and had never taken an online class. It\u2019s daunting at first\u2014it\u2019s like independent study, you\u2019re master of your day. But the Bachelor\u2019s in Project Management<\/a> program is structured, there\u2019s a roadmap laid out, and there are great resources. My favorite part was the feedback from my professors. That was critical. They spoke to me directly, took the time to give me tangible, useful information. They would commend me when the work was good and redirect me when it needed additional attention. I always gave every assignment my all, and they supported me in that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A. Absolutely look for the opportunities to find certifications or a PLA program. Contact your university and ask what certifications they offer in your field. Then find out if you can use the certification along with your prior experience to accelerate your progress towards a degree, like I did. Both have been essential to my career. Once I got my PMP\u00ae, before the bachelor\u2019s, I got a promotion at work. Since I received my undergrad degree, all kinds of opportunities are open to me that wouldn\u2019t have been without it. And I did this as a single mother who homeschools her son while working. If I can find the time and energy, someone else can do it too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A. I took the LSAT in February and have applied to three law schools. [At this writing] I\u2019ve been accepted to one and am waiting on the other two. But no matter what, in August I start law school. I\u2019m not sure what form of law I want to practice\u2014possibly family law\u2014but my project management experience and degree can be carried across to any area of work. I could work on the legal end of a project management office, or I could help develop plans to help families succeed. Getting my PMP\u00ae and bachelor\u2019s really opened up a whole new world for me. But once I\u2019m a lawyer? The next step is becoming a judge.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Find out more about Capella\u2019s <\/em>Bachelor of Science in Business with a Project Management specialization<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>PLA program<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Bachelor\u2019s in Project Management graduate shares how work experience and PMP\u00ae certification helped her reach her educational goal in less time and for less money. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":2828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12,151],"tags":[67,22,153,108,51],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2786"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2786"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2844,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2786\/revisions\/2844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Q. What was the PLA process like?<\/h4>\n
Q. How was your Capella experience?<\/h4>\n
Q. Any advice for others seeking certification?<\/h4>\n
Q. What\u2019s next in your career?<\/h4>\n