{"id":1260,"date":"2019-09-05T08:39:16","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T15:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1260"},"modified":"2024-07-23T11:09:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T18:09:09","slug":"business-degree-online-air-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/business-degree-online-air-force\/","title":{"rendered":"Striking a balance between student and staff sergeant"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9\" style=\"margin-bottom: 20px;\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"744\" height=\"419\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mfeH8B2DbmI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption video-caption-full\">\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">In Oregon State, Chris Burke found a veteran-friendly university that offered a flexible business degree program online that provided knowledge he could apply in real time to his job in the Air Force.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Ecampus alum shares how to successfully juggle military life, raising a family and earning a business degree online<\/h2>\n<p>With a career in the U.S. Air Force, Chris Burke has worked at odd hours, been deployed overseas and mastered the art of balancing a job and raising three children.<\/p>\n<p>Add going back to college into the mix, and the need for an undergraduate program where he could complete coursework from anywhere and on his own schedule became even more essential. That\u2019s why when Burke was looking into online bachelor\u2019s degree offerings a few years ago, he searched for one that was both <a href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/about\/welcome\/online-learning.htm\">flexible<\/a> and veteran-friendly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was trying to find someone that could understand that I was in the military \u2026 I can&#8217;t come to campus to, you know, take exams or anything like that,\u201d says the staff sergeant, who is stationed in Nevada.<\/p>\n<p>With Oregon State University Ecampus delivering high-quality programs online \u2013 along with a supportive military and veterans office and the ability to pay tuition with the Post 9\/11 GI Bill \u2013 Burke decided to enroll at the top-ranked school. He graduated in June with his <a href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/online-degrees\/undergraduate\/business\/\">bachelor\u2019s degree in business administration<\/a> with a specialization in supply chain and logistics management.<\/p>\n<p>Burke wanted a program that could help him land a job in logistics management once he\u2019s out of the Air Force. To his surprise, he\u2019s already been able to apply what he has learned online with Oregon State to his professional role.<\/p>\n<h3>From staff sergeant to online student<\/h3>\n<p>Burke\u2019s job for the Air Force involves ensuring that aircrafts have all of the parts they need to operate as planned \u2013 so if an aircraft needs a new wheel for its next mission, he helps oversee the process. He mainly works in the Las Vegas area, but when he flies to other cities, he can bring his schoolwork with him.<\/p>\n<p>As many online students come to learn, time management is crucial for success. In Burke\u2019s case, it was particularly important given his work shifts at various hours and a personal life centered around family. While juggling responsibilities has been challenging, his experience in the military taught him about the self-discipline he needs to juggle his roles as sergeant and student.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s one of those things \u2013 you have to squeeze in whatever you need to do in whatever little time you have,\u201d Burke says.<\/p>\n<p>As an online student, his professors regularly assigned group projects, enabling him to interact with classmates around the world. Building positive relationships was particularly helpful in some of the more difficult OSU Ecampus courses, allowing him to turn to others for support and motivation as needed.<\/p>\n<p>He even encountered several students who, like him, were balancing an online degree program with a military career. One classmate was stationed at a base where Burke had also once been stationed, and he became good friends with another military student even though they haven\u2019t actually met face to face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had a really, really close relationship for online students,\u201d Burke says. \u201cYou know, I check in on him \u2013 \u2018Hey man, how you doing?\u2019 you know, \u2018Stay safe out there.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<h3>A meaningful experience with lifelong benefits<\/h3>\n<p>Burke has applied what he learned in his online degree program to his role in the Air Force.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor instance, learning how to identify if you&#8217;re holding too much stock, which is something that sounds completely mundane, ridiculous,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I&#8217;ve already used it at my base.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Burke is in the midst of submitting applications to MBA programs and plans to leave the Air Force in the next few years. Hopefully, he says, he will find a job that will enable him to keep providing for his family.<\/p>\n<p>He feels that between Oregon State\u2019s reputation and the knowledge he gained from supportive instructors in the online bachelor\u2019s program, he will stand out when he starts applying to jobs outside the military.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything I&#8217;ve learned I&#8217;ve already been using at work,\u201d says Burke, who traveled to Oregon State\u2019s Corvallis campus for June\u2019s commencement ceremony. \u201cSo, I am pretty positive that I&#8217;ll be able to go get a job anywhere else and use what I learned pretty easily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ready for your next step?<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"rfi-button\" class=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/contact\/form\/\">Request Information<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minute read<\/span><\/span>With a career in the U.S. Air Force, Chris Burke has worked at odd hours, been deployed overseas and mastered the art of balancing a job and raising three children. That&#8217;s why when he was looking into online bachelor\u2019s degree programs a few years ago, he searched for one that was both flexible and veteran-friendly. He found Oregon State University, and through OSU Ecampus he earned his bachelor&#8217;s degree in business administration 100% online.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":1261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6,7,16,3,677,8],"tags":[122,19,129,639,450,121],"class_list":["post-1260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-ecampus","category-graduation","category-military","category-features","category-students-and-alumni","category-students","tag-air-force","tag-business","tag-business-administration","tag-business-and-communications","tag-supply-chain-logistics-management","tag-u-s-air-force"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Chris-Burke-836A0364-small-e1567624849433.jpg?fit=744%2C496&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-kk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1227,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/military-student-online-taniah-johnson\/","url_meta":{"origin":1260,"position":0},"title":"With her diploma in hand, military veteran puts self-doubt to rest","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"August 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Taniah Johnson didn\u2019t think she was smart enough for college. Just the thought of applying to learn online with Oregon State University Ecampus intimidated her. But she had something to prove \u2013 to herself and everyone else. Now she\u2019s an Oregon State graduate, active duty in the U.S. Air Force\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Taniah Johnson, a human development family sciences graduate of Oregon State University Ecampus","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/taniah-johnson-human-development-family-sciences.jpg?fit=500%2C494&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1827,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/7-insights-from-an-ecampus-entrepreneur\/","url_meta":{"origin":1260,"position":1},"title":"7 insights from an Ecampus student turned entrepreneur","author":"Jordan Friedman","date":"August 13, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"OSU Ecampus graduate-turned-entrepreneur Hannah Thelen shares her seven best tips on how to start a small business as a student, while doing well in school and more.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;All Stories&quot;","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hannah-Thelen-2020-grad-desert.jpeg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hannah-Thelen-2020-grad-desert.jpeg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hannah-Thelen-2020-grad-desert.jpeg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hannah-Thelen-2020-grad-desert.jpeg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":956,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/hannah-thelen\/","url_meta":{"origin":1260,"position":2},"title":"Up in the air, but laying a strong foundation","author":"Julie Cooper","date":"August 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Ask most college students and they\u2019ll tell you their future career plans are up in the air. But for Hannah Thelen, her current career is \u2013 literally. Hannah is an airborne cryptologic linguist in the United States Air Force. By pairing the extensive skills she gains through her business administration\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Archives&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hannah Thelen is seated outdoors with her husband to her right. The two are holding a puppy with brown fur, which lays on its back in their arms and looks playful with its mouth open and one front paw in the air.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hannah-Thelen-main.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hannah-Thelen-main.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hannah-Thelen-main.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Hannah-Thelen-main.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1188,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/veteran-earns-urban-forestry-degree-online\/","url_meta":{"origin":1260,"position":3},"title":"Online urban forestry graduate certificate serves as career pathway after military","author":"Callie Newton","date":"May 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"After earning an undergraduate degree, Andrew Carrier commissioned into the U.S. Air Force. 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