John has a bachelor of science degree in business administration from East Carolina University. He returned there to pursue his MBA, but his studies were interrupted after he completed two classes. He left school for deployments to Fort Bragg and Kosovo.

Upon his return two years later, he finished his MBA degree and is now employed as a Department of the Army civilian, working as a Logistics Management Specialist. John is also a member of the North Carolina National Guard.

He believes that the MBA will help him progress quicker in his military and civilian career.

How was your transition from the military into the school environment?

It was difficult. First, I had to get into the school mindset–going to classes, studying, writing papers, etc., and then I had to balance school, plus work, and National Guard and my personal life. This all had to happen over a period of three months. In the military my schedule was fixed: from 7 in the morning to 6 or 7 at night, I was at work. While going to school, sometimes my classes were in the morning, while others were held in the evening, so it was hard to adjust my schedule as it changed semi-annually with each new semester.

Another problem that I faced upon my return to school was the age difference. Entering school after my deployment and being older than a lot of students who continued their education right after completing their bachelor's degrees forced me to adjust from a hard-charging attitude to a more temperate one.

How did you transition from the school environment back into the military?

It was easy to adjust because of my previous experience. Knowing the system and how it works helped me transition back to working for the Army. With my military experience, and being older, I was able to apply my knowledge, which in turn made it easier to adjust to a civilian schedule.

Initially, my MBA will not be a big help, but in the future it will set me apart. It will help me progress further in my career, and let me use the tools that I learned during my time in business school to become a better manager and a more effective leader.