BTAS Reflective Essay

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University of Cincinnati

Reflective Essay:

Senior Capstone

Douglas Morgan M00781206

Senior Capstone

Course: AIS-4099003

Tuesday: 5:00 p.m. - 5:55 p.m.

Dr. Kegley

November 10, 2015


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Coincidently, I was already looking into the various educational opportunities within the

area and I happened to come across an article which announced that UCBA would be starting

the BTAS program the following year. Once I looked into the details of the program, I realized

that the BTAS degree would be a perfect complement to my Associate degree. Career planning,

along with serious thoughts about starting a family is what finally brought me back to school. I

knew I would go back to school one day, I just didnt realize it would be 10 years later.

My Current Status

Now that I am wrapping up with the BTAS program I am finding myself in a much better

place, personally, academically, and professionally. I am no longer working in an IT role at GE

Aviation; soon after I started the program, I was approached by the GE Aviation Tech Pubs

organization regarding opportunities they had available. Since the opportunities were on the

business side of things, I saw this as a great opportunity to further my knowledge, skills, and

abilities, and broaden my professional horizons. I started off with them as a Digital Production

Leader in which I supported and managed the production of digital deliverables. After being in

that role for a few years, I progressed into a more Project based role. Now working as a Project

Specialist within Tech Pubs, I am still supporting digital deliverables but in a much different and

more expanded capacity.

I believe that my success and advancement in the work place has been greatly

attributed to my experience in the BTAS program. As I began my journey through the BTAS

program, I started to adapt what I was learning to my professional life and soon after, I started

to see the positive results. My current leadership at work has been very much aware of my

academic progress and the fact that I am about to wrap up so I am hopeful that bigger and

better things are on the horizon.

Program Reflection

BTAS Expectations

When I first applied to enter the BTAS program, I was at a point in my career where I

needed to advance my education and take that next step forward. I was looking for the BTAS


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program to help me achieve this. In reviewing the program description and the curriculum that

was available, I saw that the program would have more of a focus on Human Resources,

Organizational Leadership, and other business related topics that management deals with on a

day-to-day basis. This program would be a perfect complement to my Associate degree, which

was more technical in nature. My initial expectation for the program was for it to help me to

broaden my knowledge, skills, and abilities, and enhance my business acumen.

Expectations Realized

As I worked my way through the program and completed my coursework, I found that I

was growing as a student, which was in-turn allowing me to grow in the workplace as well. This

growth was evident not only by the high marks I was receiving in class, but also by the fact I was

taking on more responsibility at work. This validates and confirms that my expectations for the

BTAS program are being realized and met. Sure, experience at work has helped to strengthen

my knowledge, skills, and abilities, but I believe that this originated from the experience and

knowledge I was gaining as a result of my coursework in the BTAS program. The courses in the

BTAS program were giving me the knowledge, insight, and tools that I needed to be successful

in the real world. Therefore, I believe my initial expectations of the BTAS program have been

met and have been far exceeded. I am pleasantly surprised at the results and would gladly

recommend the program to others who find themselves in a situation similar to what I found

myself in.

Summary

Program Impact

I have definitely been personally affected by being in the BTAS program. Once I was

active within the program and taking classes, I started to realize how much of an impact the

program was having on me, not only personally, but professionally as well. I took what I

learned within the courses I was taking and started to actively apply them in the workplace. I

was starting to look at situations from different angles and was taking approaches which I may

not have considered previously. Another big thing I noticed was an improvement in my


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confidence at work, especially in regards to dealing with others and presenting during

meetings. This has translated into ever-increasing responsibility at work which I am hopeful will

continue even after I complete the BTAS program.

As a result of my ever-increasing responsibility at work, I am getting involved in more

project based work where I am working with both local teams and virtual teams. In some cases

I am leading the efforts and in others I am an active participant. Interestingly enough, I have

observed that the increased responsibility in the workplace has had a positive impact on my

school work as well. I feel that as I have become a stronger contributor in the workplace, this

has in-turn allowed me to become a stronger student as well. It seems that the experience I am

gaining in both arenas are working off one another and are complimenting each other well,

thus allowing me to further improve, grow and expand my knowledge, skills, and abilities. My

experience with the BTAS program has definitely had a positive impact on my life.

Program Highlights

When I think about what I got out of the BTAS program, I think about what type of

content, material, and concepts first come to mind. I believe that the first things that come to

mind are the things I got the most out of during my BTAS journey. The first and foremost thing

that comes to mind is all of the HR related courses that I took. The HR courses were very

beneficial because they discussed and taught material that dealt with how to relate with other

individuals in a work setting. They taught various approaches to consider when tackling a

problem and they taught me that I need to carefully consider what I can and cannot say. These

courses gave me a better understanding of the overall process of managing human resources in

a workplace setting. As a result of the HR courses, I have also gained a better appreciation for

what human resource professionals have to deal with on a day to day basis.

Classes which covered leadership and supervision concepts also stand out in my mind

when I think about the BTAS program. These courses covered the various leadership styles and

approaches that can be applied within the workplace, how they differ from one another, how

they range in effectiveness, and how workers react differently to each approach. From

authoritative leadership style all the way to Laissez-faire leadership, there is a style and


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approach for almost any and all situations. My big take-away in this area was Situational

Leadership. Situational Leadership, in my opinion, may be the most effective leadership style

there is. You will be a more effective leader if you are versed in multiple leadership approaches

and know when and how to use each effectively.

When it comes to the concepts I learned while in the BTAS program, while I learned

about a lot of useful and effective ones, when I think about which one stands out the most in

my mind, it is Active Listening. When it really comes down to it, a big part of our success in life

is going to be attributed to how well we communicate. The concept of Active listening is an

approach that can help good communicators become excellent communicators. Active listening

requires a lot of practice but is something that is worth the investment. With active listening,

you focus completely on the message being transmitted by the sender; you keep an open mind,

dont jump to conclusions, and then ensure you give feedback to ensure you understand the

message. Active listening is truly invaluable because it can help to prevent and resolve many

issues and misunderstandings in the workplace. Without active listening, communication

breakdowns in the workplace are inevitable. Taking the extra time to carefully listen to and

understand others will take a person further than they realize.

Conclusion

As you can see, the BTAS program has had a positive effect on my life. I am glad that I

decided to make the leap and return back to school to pursue my bachelor degree through the

BTAS program. Academically I am where I want to be and professionally I have been going in

the right direction. I am confident that having my bachelor degree will continue to pay

dividends as I move forward throughout my life. The BTAS program has been a welcome

addition to my life and I highly recommend it to others who wish to improve their own lives.

The program is still relatively young so changes are still occurring, nevertheless, I still see it as a

highly beneficial and challenging program that does what it sets out to do; it provides its

students with an edge by enabling the knowledge, skills, and abilities that business leaders are

looking for in their employees today. The BTAS program helps its students to take their career

to the next level today so they can be the leaders of tomorrow.

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BTAS Reflective Essay