![\"Linda](\"http:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2016\/07\/linda_agyapong-e1468512385975-169x300.jpg\")
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Moving Forward with a PhD<\/h4>\n
Agyapong, who is from Ghana , now works at JPMorgan Chase in Delaware as a compliance manager. Even though she has a career she loves, she always knew she wanted to pursue a doctorate and was delighted to find Capella\u2019s PhD in Project Management<\/a> program. \u201cMany people are surprised,\u201d she says. \u201cThey don\u2019t know that this specialization exists.\u201d<\/p>\n Once she started, Agyapong pursued her degree with focus and intensity. \u201cI started in May 2014 and recently completed all of my coursework,\u201d she says. She looks ahead to her dissertation as a way to test herself. \u201cMy target is to complete my dissertation in three quarters,\u201d she said. \u201cIs it realistic? Maybe not, but I will do my best. I love to stretch myself.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Agyapong has been able to apply what she\u2019s learned in the PhD program in her career. \u201cThe coursework really improved my communications,\u201d she says. \u201cI wasn\u2019t much of a writer. But being a project manager, you have to communicate a lot. The PhD program has really improved my skills. Now my writing looks more professional, and I\u2019m more confident. Ninety-five percent of project management is rooted in communication, so having to develop that skill is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n Writing skills aren\u2019t the only part of her education she can put to immediate use. \u201cJust the deep knowledge of project management itself has helped me,\u201d she says. \u201cI have background from my work experience, but now I\u2019m getting the perspective of the theory and expertise around it, which gives me a deeper understanding of how it does and can work.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Agyapong believes that Capella\u2019s focus on writing helped her win the James R. Snyder International Student Paper of the Year Award from the Project Management Institute<\/a> in 2015 for her paper, Impact of Quality and Risk Management on Information Technology Project Success<\/em>. \u201cThe doctoral program gives you so much weekly writing practice,\u201d she explains. \u201cWithout it, I\u2019m sure I wouldn\u2019t have won the award.\u201d<\/p>\n The program has also opened up a potential new career avenue for her. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to teach,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m currently a tutor for FlexPath<\/a> students, but I\u2019d love to become more fully involved in the academic world.\u201d Along with teaching in higher education someday, she\u2019s currently involved in opening a school in Ghana. \u201cI\u2019ll be balancing two continents for a while,\u201d she says. \u201cI may be doing virtual lecturing, but eventually I plan to be back in Ghana full time.\u201d<\/p>\n In the meantime, Agyapong continues to develop her knowledge in her doctoral courseroom, hands-on at her job, and through participation in the professional groups she belongs to, including the Project Management Institute. She will speak at two PMI events this year \u2013 one being the EMEA conference in Barcelona, Spain, and the other being the Africa regional conference to be hosted in Ghana. .<\/p>\n Asked what advice she\u2019d give to people interested in pursuing a PhD in Project Management, she says, \u201cIf you want to do a PhD, do it. Don\u2019t put it off. There are lots of good reasons not to do it now, like family, finances, and time, but the longer you put it off, the harder it will be to start.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Learn more about Capella\u2019s online <\/em>PhD in Project Management<\/em><\/a> and <\/em>PhD in IT Project Management<\/em><\/a> programs<\/em>. <\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cNinety-five percent of project management is rooted in communication.\u201d PhD candidate in Project Management tells how her education is already influencing her career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":4802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12,151],"tags":[67,7,51],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4800"}],"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=4800"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4808,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4800\/revisions\/4808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stgwww.capella.edu\/blogs\/cublog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Applying Coursework Today<\/h4>\n
Skill Development Leads to Award and New Career Goals<\/h4>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/h6>\n
See graduation rates, median student debt, and other information at <\/em>Capella Results<\/em><\/a>. <\/em><\/h6>\n