I am busy. Just like you. I mean I am really, really busy. I am the training and organizational development manager for Calphalon (a division of Newell Rubbermaid), and like most people working in human resources, I have found my job becoming less and less about managing the practical aspects of human resources and more and more about providing strategic business management. Don´t get me wrong, I love my job and I love the challenges that it brings. But a few years ago I realized that in order to take my career to the next level - to gain the knowledge I would need to take it to that level - I would need to earn an advanced degree.

How I would do it? I had no idea.

Now I already had earned a bachelor´s degree and a master´s degree.Way back when, after attending college full time for a year, I realized I needed an alternativeway to pay for school. So I joined the military, where I worked in personnel for the Air Force while completing my degree. But just a few months before graduation, the military base where I worked closed, so I decided to pursue a career in human resources in the civilian sector. And so here I am, still working in human resources, and glad I am.

However, when I began researching schools where I could earn a PhD, I had a sinking feeling that my career path might very well result in me relocating to a different part of the country a few years down the road, which would obviously be problematic if I chose to attend a traditional university. And sure enough, I was offered an excellent opportunity with Calphalon and did move, from Atlanta to Toledo, in March of 2005.

But I was determined to get my PhD. I spent a year researching schools but discovered that most institutions I looked at didn´t offer PhD programs in HR-related disciplines. But HR is what I do, and I like what I do, and I wanted my PhD to relate to my work.

Clearly I needed to broaden my horizons, so I started looking at online universities, but I had my reservations. Are these schools really any good? Will my employer respect my degree? I needed to be sure.

It was critically important to me to find a school that was accredited by a reputable accrediting body and that had a reputation for academic rigor. I wanted my PhD to be worth something, after all. Then, one day I noticed an advertisement for Capella University. I was surprised to see a PhD specialization in HR management.

After checking into the school, I learned that Capella is accredited by the The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Apparently more than 100 companies, many of them Fortune 500 companies, have chosen Capella as a preferred education provider, including Johnson and Johnson, Farmers Insurance, Wells Fargo, and Boeing. 

To make a long story short, I am now pursuing a PhD in organization and management with a human resources management specialization at Capella and expect to graduate in 2006. For my dissertation, I plan to focus on how organizations can best attract, retain and develop top employee talent. I am specifically interested in exploring workforce planning, to hone my skills at assessing an organization, all of its key positions, and developing profiles or models for those positions. I am interested in looking at the incumbents in those positions and identifying their potential as well as their skills gaps, and ultimately creating individual development plans.  Another aspect of talent management I plan to explore is succession planning. My hope is that my research will directly apply to my work at Calphalon.

Am I glad I decided to earn my PhD at an online university? To put it simply: yes. For one thing, I have learned the importance of conducting research to study the latest developments in my field. Now I seek out peer-reviewed journals and other materials that I didn´t even know existed before. It has helped me gain buy-in at my company because I can support my strategies with examples from research. I like looking at what is cutting-edge so I can stay ahead of trends and keep my organization forward-thinking.

I am also living proof that online degree programs are helpful for people who are climbing the corporate ladder, especially those whose positions might take them to a different geographic location. You can conduct your course work from wherever there is an Internet connection, whenever your schedule allows. Believe me, the work is not easy, it is just more accessible.

An added benefit of my PhD experience is the relationship I´ve developed with my mentor. Each of the PhD candidates at Capella is assigned a faculty mentor, and the conversations I have had with my mentor have had a great impact on me. He helped me find direction in what I want to pursue and has encouraged me to take the necessary steps down that path. One of those goals is to teach, to give back to the next generation of business leaders. Since beginning my PhD program at Capella, I have begun making that dream come true. I taught courses at Kennesaw State University for people seeking HR certification through the SHRM Learning System, as well as a graduate school course at the Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University.

Lastly, I want to address the culture of an online university. Being that so much of the interaction with your fellow students and professors is via a computer screen, you might assume it is a cold, distant and impersonal environment. It is not. What I have found out is that online learning creates a true community. You do indeed develop relationships; you do become very involved with and learn a great deal from those learning along side you. It may sound strange, but some of the friends I have made pursuing an online degree will no doubt be lifelong friends.