July is the Saturday of the calendar year. Someone had to say it. It’s a wonderful time for outdoor fun with your friends and family. It’s also tempting to let your motivation slip during the summer months. At Amberton, you’ve reached the halfway point in your summer term courses in July. Don’t allow the summertime to distract you from the ultimate goal of graduating. Stay motivated, and protect your focus to unlock the future that you deserve.

1. Power through

Sometimes you have to buckle down and get things done. Summer courses might be one of those instances where you have to find the will to succeed. It’s Texas. It’s hot. You’re going to want to take a dip in the pool—go ahead! It doesn't matter where you're working from as long as you can remain productive during your dedicated study sessions. Don’t allow the weather to sap your mental strength or the summer fun to distract your resolve to finish strong.

2. Stick to the schedule

Summer has a way of bringing out the unexpected. Plans go out the window and spontaneous moments seem to find you. Maintain your schedule and dedicated study sessions during your summer term courses. Don’t allow a schedule slip to turn into a habit of uncompleted tasks.

3. Alter the routine

A schedule and a routine aren’t the same thing. If your routine is to study or do your homework in your home office or at the dining table, switch it up! Tweaking your routine can have a positive impact on your motivation. Research suggests changing your environment can give you a boost to complete your next audacious objective.

4. Indulge in small summer pleasures

Never underestimate the power of an ice cream cone. Enjoying the small offerings of summer while completing your coursework keeps your motivation strong. So don't beat yourself up when it's time to treat yourself! Nontraditional students like you don’t have the luxury of taking summers off. It’s prudent to reach your graduation requirements sooner rather than later. The heat of summer doesn’t have to distract you from the goal or deplete your motivation. Remember this and you’ll stay on top of your game when you continue to work.

Nothing Worth Having Comes Easy

Working through school and getting to graduation day is no easy task. It can be incredibly daunting, and keeping sight of your goal is paramount to perseverance. The essential things in life aren't easy; they're earned with blood, sweat, and tears. Balancing student life as a working adult is challenging enough—so what practices will protect your sanity when college isn’t easy?

1. Stay in Contact with Your Professor

It’s essential to build a professional relationship and rapport with your instructors. They genuinely care about your educational and professional success; a strong connection with them can be invaluable. Make sure you communicate throughout the semester. If you’re struggling with an idea or principle, ask questions. Seek clarification not just to benefit your grade in the course but to gain knowledge and insight you can fall back on once you're applying your education in the workforce. Your instructors want you to take as much from their courses as possible.

2. Remember Why You’re in School

It’s important not to lose sight of the opportunities you are living out as you travel through your educational journey. While graduation is the goal, the lessons and teachings are what make the degree hold weight. You are in school to learn and earn your degree, not to stress yourself out and be miserable. Stress is temporary, and its memory fades with time. Embrace positivity and focus on the steps you must take to reach the finish line.

3. Take a Break

When you’re feeling burned out and overwhelmed, make time for yourself. This cannot be emphasized enough. Mental well-being is vital to being your best and producing the best work possible. Studies show that taking a step back from work improves overall brain function and increases the quality of work produced. Take the break you need, whether that looks like a 10-minute coffee break while studying or a weekend camping trip during a school-and-work marathon. When you can find balance in your relationships, mindset, and habits, you'll get more than an education you can use—you'll earn an education and live out an experience you genuinely appreciate.

Is an MBA Worth It for Career Growth?

There are a few magical letters in the world. Everyone loves to hear Y-E-S. In baseball, it’s all about RBI. The military implements an endless catalog of acronyms. However, when it comes to business, an MBA is a credential that can launch careers and open doors to leadership opportunities. An often-asked question: What are the advantages of doing an MBA? That answer isn’t as simple as yes or no. To answer it for yourself, you must measure your goals and circumstances.

How an MBA Shapes Your Career Path

A career is a long-term endeavor to which you can expect to commit roughly 45 years of your life. Along that journey, you’ll find substantial opportunities for growth. You’ll develop skills, enjoy numerous promotions, and increase your responsibility and impact on your workplace. Investments in your education, training, and network take time to mature and reap benefits. It’s a journey, not just one step. The important part is finding the courage to start!

The Key Advantages of Doing an MBA

An MBA Demonstrates Work Ethic and Dedication While an MBA may not earn you an immediate promotion, it does make an undeniable statement about who you are. An MBA degree highlights your commitment to professional growth, leadership, and business expertise. It communicates to others how you’ll function in the workplace—you’re driven, knowledgeable, a finisher, and dedicated to success. An MBA Expands Career Flexibility and Business Knowledge Having an MBA also provides flexibility. One can enter various industries by building upon the foundational disciplines of economics, finance, management, and marketing. Best practices can be translated to other fields and shared with high-level executives, offering new career pathways and business leadership roles. An MBA Unlocks Leadership and Entrepreneurial Opportunities An MBA will help you achieve your goals if you are entrepreneurial or aspire to a leadership role within a corporation. Having an MBA isn’t a backstage pass to perpetual recognition in your career. But it can transform the opportunities that lie before you, open doors that would have otherwise remained sealed, and develop you into a capable and self-confident professional leading in today’s workplace and shaping tomorrow’s economy.

Start Your MBA Journey Today

If you have questions about how Amberton’s MBA program can work for you, please contact our advising staff today!

Making Moves in College

On its surface, returning to school may seem like continuing your education and pursuing your degree. But don’t be tempted to overlook the other aspects of the college experience that add value and help you advance. School is where you gather tools and give yourself the opportunity to have a professional leg up.

Cultivate Your Professional Network

As a working adult student, you know the importance of having a professional network. Developing and maintaining peer relationships will help you to have allies within your chosen profession. There will come a time when you’ll need them, and they’ll need you.

It will never be easier to build professional relationships than while you’re enrolled in college. When you’re engaged in a rigorous environment and working toward similar goals, developing camaraderie is natural, and it’s built to last.

Develop Or Clean Up Your Online Presence

This point shouldn’t surprise anyone. You may even wonder why bring it up, but if you’ve spent time around an HR department, you’ll know how much online behaviors impact the workplace.

If you’re behaving poorly online, stop it–it’s costing you, whether you see the impact or not. So, how should you use social platforms to your advantage?

Do you have a LinkedIn profile? Is it up-to-date? Are you connecting with your peers and actively using it? Use this educational period to work on your online presence. Take advantage of the added value!

There’s more to your professional online presence than just LinkedIn. X (Twitter) can be leveraged professionally, too. In any industry, there are influencers and motivators on X. Follow and engage with them and their followers to bolster your network.

Consider it research - what information or best practices can you glean from these individuals? Like any tool or technology, it’s all about utilizing it for good. The internet and social media are the same.

Take Advantage Of The School’s Professional Resources

No one has the perfect resume. No one has impeccable interviewing skills. These things are living tools. You wouldn’t get rid of your gardening tools once the flowers bloom, so don’t neglect the tools that help shape your career.

You should always be tweaking your resume, even if you’re happy with your career and place of employment. Anything can happen at any moment in the workplace, leaving you in need of an updated resume. If you’re not maintaining your resume, your skills will become dull. Losing your edge is the biggest catastrophe.

If your professors offer to evaluate your resume, allow them to do so. If you can submit your resume to a career services center on campus, do it. The more eyes on your resume, the more polished it will become.

Interviewing is an art form. Having the self-awareness to reflect and evaluate honestly how you present yourself and communicate in an interview is challenging. We’ve all heard that practice makes perfect, but there’s a caveat. In order to improve, you need forthright feedback.

In our professional culture, hiring managers rarely provide any assessment to candidates. Do yourself a favor and participate in mock interviews. You may be surprised to find something about yourself you didn’t even recognize.

Make the Most of Your Time

Don’t allow your time in school to pass by simply checking the boxes. If you’re just turning in your assignments and taking tests, let me assure you there’s so much more! At Amberton University, we want to prepare you to be ready, able, and excited for the next steps in your career. We want your toolbox to overflow.

Have questions about Amberton? Join our Advisors for a live Zoom, Saturday, February 22nd from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm!  RSVP at Info@Amberton.edu. Zoom Link:  https://ambertonuniversity.zoom.us/j/86348922326?pwd=MvstqKBDaMnXakF0iCVTespMeiiO4h.1 Meeting ID: 863 4892 2326 Passcode: Info  

Have questions about Amberton? Join our Advisors for a live Zoom, Wednesday, February 5th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm!  RSVP at Info@Amberton.edu. Zoom Link:  https://ambertonuniversity.zoom.us/j/89077493911?pwd=b5lCy9Rgd1bQ2qCC2BAJaIWblAbaZU.1 Meeting ID: 890 7749 3911 Passcode: 187596  

Not all investments are created equal. Brand-new cars depreciate the second you pull off the lot. Stock values bounce up and down. The right education is certainly an investment. How do you determine the true value?

As you research and consider which school to enroll in, evaluate the tuition cost, faculty credentials, academic rigor, and job placement after graduation. Your education is an investment in your future, so will this institution educate you well?

Why Education is the Best Investment for Your Future

The return on your educational investment will vary depending on your location, economic uptops and downturns, and chosen career field. When you assess the categories that matter most, you’ll see why Amberton is such a special university.

With any college you choose, you should expect to receive a quality education and the skills necessary to perform competently in your chosen career. You expect a degree to elevate your competitive performance in the workforce. You also expect post-graduation support. That’s what you’re paying for. And who doesn’t love a little extra attention?

At Amberton, our professors show unparalleled enthusiasm for your education and success. They’re not trying to prove anything against you in the classroom; they’re genuinely rooting for your success and looking for ways to help you succeed.

“I am passionate about higher education because it puts students in a position to explore their passions, challenge their ideas, and reach their full potential, thereby allowing them to affect their families, workplaces, and communities positively.”

- Dr. Adam Guerrero, Associate Professor

As a nonprofit university, Amberton focuses solely on the educational needs of the students rather than the prestige often embodied by sports programs or campus facilities–all things paid for by elevated tuition. We believe Amberton University only succeeds when our students do.

“You have faculty, staff, and administrators all working harmoniously together for the benefit of that student.”

- Dr. Steven Tidwell, Business Professor

Amberton is a specialized institution designed to meet the specific educational needs of mature students. We tailor the schedule, experience, and curriculum for you. You can be confident that Amberton is committed to the continuous transformation of the educational process by directly responding to the needs of the students and the community. We want to adapt to the ever-evolving needs of the working adult so that education and the doors it unlocks are attainable.

“The faculty has a lot of experience and years of experience in their teaching disciplines. And our students - most of them are working students when they bring workplace issues to us, we can always help them,”

- Dr. Deborah Hill, Academic Dean & Business Professor

Together, we create personal growth and transformation that will last a lifetime. That is the greatest benefit of investing in the right education for college.

By Dr. Sharon Price

All of the buzz about AI is central to every conversation these days. Even late adopters are intrigued by the possibilities in the race to implement this emerging technology in their respective fields. Accounting is no different. The consensus of how AI will impact the accounting profession may still need to be entirely determined, but changes are here for the accounting industry, and more will arise.

Students are asking great questions as they navigate the changing landscape. What accounting knowledge is still relevant to me for my future career plans? Will we even have an accounting profession? Is this technology capable of replacing the role of accounting in business?

Adapting to AI: The Future Skills for Accountants

Undoubtedly, the role of accounting is changing along with the skills necessary to be successful and relevant, but accounting remains a wonderful profession with incredible career opportunities.

The AICPA has suggested through its publication Reimagining Professional Accounting: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Knowledge and Educational Processes that in order to adapt to AI opportunities, accounting education must adjust its focus towards skills with the most impact in this transforming world:

• Technical skills in data analytics will require ongoing training and development.
• Business acumen will require a broader comprehension of the industry landscape and an increased understanding of strategy.
• Critical Thinking must be employed to analyze AI outputs concerning multiple stakeholders. AI is not without ethical considerations, and outputs must be reviewed regarding potential bias and fairness.
• Communication skills will continue to be a focus for those in the industry to relate complex financial information to those with less technical expertise.

Students with an accounting degree will be well prepared to add value to businesses with these skills. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the profession will continue to grow over the next ten years. At Amberton, we focus on developing the professional skills to help you succeed in tomorrow's workplace. Your Amberton degree or certificate is a foundation for a future of lifelong learning as you excel amidst the AI evolution and beyond.

Lost in the hustle and bustle of Christmas and the blitz to wrap up courses, there’s a little holiday called Thanksgiving. I think this day gets overlooked, and, as with many American holidays, the true meaning is skipped right over.

As Christians, we are mindful of the things we have to be grateful for. The word abundance has stuck with me in the weeks leading up to the holiday season.. We are blessed, living with more than enough provision. But it goes beyond that. We lead lives with an abundance of intangible blessings and grace.

If you look at from an American perspective, many of us are enjoying blessings that our parents and grandparents hoped for us. How many of us have the opportunity to “have it all” - the education, the family, the career, the house and car? We live in abundance.

Initially, the thought made me feel a twinge of guilt. I will be the first woman in my family to have all these things. But I recognized that in living in God’s gracious abundance, I have the opportunity to pour out even more.

How can I leverage my education to impact others around me? Can I use my skills and knowledge to help them achieve their own goals and ambitions? What is the calling in my life to further His kingdom with my career, based on the education I have been granted? How is my life positioned to make eternal impacts in ways not available to those before me?

These questions can be asked of you. How is God calling you to utilize the abundance in your storehouses?

The abundance we enjoy is not limited to the material possessions we have or the careers we’re working towards. We are abundantly blessed by the relationships and friendships fostered through our educational and professional networks. Don’t overlook the value or forsake the connections made during this season, especially in a like-minded, Christian environment.

How is God speaking to you this Thanksgiving season? How can you use your abundance for His glory?

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, from your family at Amberton University!

“For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance.” - Matthew 13:12a

Letter writing is an artform. It requires one to deliberately set aside time to complete them, which is challenging given our chaotic and busy world. Yet letters are so invaluable.

Before you start your first round of college courses, sit down and write a letter to yourself to read when you graduate.

Write down what you expect to take from your time in school–you’ll be surprised at how much more you learn about yourself and your field of study. Tell your future self about the things that motivate and drive you. Remind yourself of the things that intimidate you and even worry you about college and the challenge you’re undertaking.

One day you’ll look back and see that you are so much greater than those doubts and fears, and you will see how you’ve grown and achieved your goals despite them.

Even though you’re an adult and have life experience, college will refine you. You envision challenges today in the abstract, but, as with anything, you don’t know how you’ll react until you’re in the situation. You’ll learn to think with a new perspective and gain fresh, valuable professional insights. Like iron sharpens iron, you will be tested and improved during your time in college.

Writing a letter will give voice to your thoughts and feelings. You’ll more clearly see the progress and change you’ve made. Graduation is a proud time. There’s a definite satisfaction to earning a degree.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 33 percent of American adults have an undergraduate degree and only 12 percent hold an advanced degree. Relish your achievement once you’re there, and give yourself a way to look back and see how far you’ve come.

Take a few minutes to self-reflect, plan and dream. Anticipate the challenges and victories of this upcoming season in your life, and then write it down. You’ll appreciate it on graduation day.