Lauren Hickman

Job Title

Digital Learning Specialist

How has this degree affected your professional outlook? What about personally?

Professionally this degree helps create opportunities for advancement. In my position, I now have the ability to move up, or I can move into a campus administrator role. I appreciate this degree allowing me to have options in my career path.

Having a master's degree has also made an impact personally. I feel more confident and I am proud that I continued my education beyond my bachelor's degree. This is a great personal goal that I have accomplished while being a working wife and mom!

What was your single biggest takeaway from the program?

A master's program is a more professional approach to higher education.

How much time per week did you spend on your studies?

5-8 hours.

Describe how having an online option made a degree more accessible for you

Because I work full time, my schedule was limited to the evenings. Because I am a wife and a mom, my schedule was limited to a few hours in the evenings. Being able to take courses online gave me the flexibility that I needed to be able to complete tasks without taking away from my other responsibilities.

What was one of the biggest challenges during the program, and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge was staying on top of all the information when it was located in many different places. At times this could be very frustrating, but reflecting back on it, I realize that multitasking and staying organized are two critical life skills that were supported by these experiences.

Why did you choose to earn your advanced degree from Lamar University?

I have several friends/colleagues who have earned their master's with Lamar, so word of mouth went a long way. I also greatly appreciated the affordability of the program when compared to other options.

What advice would you give to a prospective student who is considering this program?

Make sure you take the time for the courses. Stay on top of assignments and projects. Do not let the practicum log sit on the sidelines and wait until the end of the program to complete.

What helped you get through the program the most? What helped you make it to the finish line?

The recorded webinars were helpful because I could rarely make it to view them live. It was nice to view them later for clarification of assignments. I also lived by the blackboard weekly outlines. I am a sequential worker, so I like to be able to see things in a list that I can accomplish in order.

Describe your family's thoughts and feelings about you earning your degree.

My parents are so proud of me for completing my program. I hold the highest level of education in our family and I feel that we are all proud of that. My husband is my biggest supporter and we accomplished this together!

If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I would have worked more on my practicum log earlier, just to make it more consistent all the way through.