Erin Lynn
MBA Candidate
She earned her associate’s in paralegal studies (’90) and her bachelor's in accounting (’95) from Champlain.For Erin Lynn: immediate benefit, broader perspective
Erin Lynn saw immediately how the Champlain MBA could open doors in her career as an assistant controller.
“Accounting is relatively specialized and I believe that being exposed to a much broader range of business thinking and experiences will make me a more valuable employee,” she says. “The way we do business is changing rapidly and being knowledgeable of these trends is crucial.”
Her employer agrees, seeing the benefits of Erin continuing her education and becoming a more valuable asset to the company. “My supervisor (at S.T. Griswold in Williston, Vt.) completed her MBA while working full time, and realizes the importance of higher education and the time that’s necessary to earn it,” Erin relates. “As a matter of fact they are allowing me to work four days a week for the first six months of my employment so that I can keep a strong focus on getting my degree. They’ve been very positive and supportive.”
Erin knew about Champlain’s learning environment when she enrolled in the Champlain MBA. She earned her associate’s in paralegal studies (’90) and her bachelor’s in accounting (’95) from Champlain. “I enjoyed my courses/instructors and the personal attention that came with the classes,” she recalls. She had another reason for choosing the Champlain MBA over those offered by other institutions. “I especially like the concept of a program that’s very hands-on and applicable to day-to-day workplace situations.”
That applicability has already been a benefit, even though she just started in her new position and hasn’t had the opportunity to apply her new knowledge in her new workplace. But she has applied one of the core elements of the Champlain MBA-reflection-to her previous experience to gain perspective. “During my first course I did a lot of reflecting back on my last workplace experience. It gave me new insight into what was really important to me as I was out looking for a new position.”
Erin enjoys the benefits of online learning. “As with all learning environments, it is wonderful to hear others’ thoughts and ideas on various subjects,” she says. “It allows you to see things and gain perspectives that you may never have thought about yourself. I believe this is a valuable asset to everyone. “I love the idea of taking classes with people from other areas in Vermont and other states,” she says. In addition to the flexibility and convenience of online learning, Erin likes that as a single mother she can stay home with her 14 year-old daughter and still go to class. She also likes saving “on costly gas and parking.”
Game Art created by Justin Kimball