Chance Garrett has extra incentive to graduate from the online Master of Business Administration program focused on global business and finance at Eastern Washington University.
“My dad, Bobby, and I have a bet from when I was 15 years old,” he said. “I bet him I would become a doctorate-holding professor at Eastern one day. He is a Teamster. If that happens, he is going back to school to take a couple of classes. The joke is he would have to be in my class and report to me.”
Garrett, 20, earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing on campus at Eastern in 2019. He then enrolled in the MBA program on campus, but moved into the online program after one quarter.
“I have always wanted to earn a master’s degree,” he said. “While I was doing my undergrad, I talked to some people who were doing the on-campus MBA about the program and how it aligned with what I wanted to do.”
In the online format, Garrett plans school around his schedule.
“When I started the MBA on campus, I was working part time because I didn’t want to overwhelm myself,” he said. “I saw the opportunity to switch to online and pick up a full-time position about the same time. I get off work at 2 p.m. Then, I start on my homework.”
Garrett started off by taking one course in his first semester after transitioning to the fully online format. Now, he is taking three courses simultaneously.
“I wanted to get done with the program quickly,” he said. “I like the flexibility that the online program offers. You can either take full advantage of the accelerated format, or you can decelerate and take one class at a time.”
Charting a Future
Garrett grew up in Wilson Creek, Washington, where he was one of seven graduating seniors in his high school class. He also got a jump on studies by taking courses at Big Bend Community College via the Running Start Program.
“I loved Running Start,” he said. “Doing that program helped me interact with many different people. I prefer to start out teaching at a community college. I like that setting and can get experience there. I can teach at Eastern after I get a good amount of experience.”
So far, BADM 552: Leadership and Ethics is Garrett’s favorite course in the online MBA program.
“I am in that course right now,” he said. “It has helped me build my knowledge base and given me a whole new understanding of the topics and issues we are covering. I am looking at things in different ways than I have ever looked at them before.”
Garrett has also taken advantage of the opportunities to develop contacts through the program that he can utilize when he’s ready to enter the workforce.
“Eastern gives you the knowledge base, but it also offers the networking and connections,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot more in these first couple of months by meeting people at different events made available to us.”
Especially because Garrett has a heavy load of courses, he spends extra time on the program to maximize his learning.
“I do extra reading to make sure I fully comprehend it,” he said. “It’s a good amount of work. I work on school 3-5 hours pretty much every night.”
Ready to Soar
With a June 2020 graduation date, Garrett is thinking about his next move toward reaching his ultimate goal of becoming a college professor.
“I am trying to figure out if I want to go straight into a doctoral program or enter the workforce,” he said. “I will be the first person in my family with a master’s degree. My mom has an associate degree.
“Most of my family has been supportive of me doing it. They knew I planned on doing it, and they’re happy, excited and very supportive.”
Because Garrett is completing the online MBA program in such a short period of time, he knows that managing the workload is key.
“You definitely should give yourself enough time to do everything,” he said. “Just because it’s online, don’t let it slip away from you. It’s still class and work.
“A lot of people take online classes and don’t stay dedicated enough to finish and give themselves enough time. It’s really all about time management.”
Someday, Garrett might be passing that advice on to his own students — including his Dad — at Eastern. So, what will he have to do to hold up his end of the bargain if things don’t work out?
“I don’t think we talked about the part of the bet if I don’t become a professor,” he said. “We were talking about it one day. I said, ‘I am going to do it.'”
Learn more about EWU’s online MBA programs.
