Returning to school to earn your graduate degree can be tough, especially when there’s work to do and tuition to pay. A previous graduate of Johnson & Wales University, 22-year-old Shaunya Noble knows this firsthand.
After completing her undergraduate degree in Culinary Arts & Food Service Management through JWU Online in 2017, Noble, a server from Douglasville, Georgia, knew that tuition would be a factor in whether or not she continued her studies. “I wasn’t planning to come back and get my master’s because I was in-between whether I wanted to or not [because of the tuition cost],” she explained.
Her plans changed when she logged onto social media one day and read an announcement about the university’s partnership with Bloomin’ Brands, which includes Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, and Fleming’s Steakhouse. Noble, a front-of-the-house employee of Carrabba’s, was now eligible for a tuition discount through her employer. “I’ve been with Carrabba’s five years, so it was a win-win because I already know how Johnson & Wales works online,” she said.
In January of 2019, she began her Master of Business Administration (MBA) courses online. She admits that going to school while balancing life and work is a journey that can stressful because there’s always work to be done in the online classroom. In order to be successful, Noble plans her days, schedules time for her discussion posts, readings, and responses, and finds time to work whenever she can—even on her lunch breaks at work.
“It’s really easy to get overwhelmed,” she explained. “But I just take it one day at a time.”
And so far, her strategy is working. She’s continuing to work for Carrabba’s, is scheduled to complete her degree in the next year, and hopes to someday become a restaurant consultant. Her goal, she says, is to help people to start up their own restaurants.
Do you have questions about taking classes online? For more information on how JWU Online can help you reach your career goals, contact us at 855-JWU-1881 or email [email protected].