{"id":1878,"date":"2012-11-01T15:29:22","date_gmt":"2012-11-01T15:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/?p=1878"},"modified":"2016-02-15T16:56:46","modified_gmt":"2016-02-15T16:56:46","slug":"matt-van-zant-08","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/2012\/11\/01\/matt-van-zant-08\/","title":{"rendered":"Matt Van Zant ’08"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Matt Van Zant \u201906 MBA \u201908, the decision to go back to school wasn\u2019t easy, but it was simple.<\/p>\n

In 2001, Van Zant was employed in the information technology (IT) industry. IT, at that time, was one of \u201ca few remaining professional fields where work experience was acceptable\u201d in lieu of a college degree, Van Zant said. But, he could tell the industry\u2019s job requirement expectations were shifting in a manner that put more emphasis on formal education.<\/p>\n

Van Zant opted to return to the classroom to ensure that his skills and qualifications could sustain his career in the future. When it came time to pick a program, he had two choices.<\/p>\n

Van Zant said he considered going back to school for industry certifications offered by a technology company such as Microsoft. As a non-traditional student, he believed the certification process would be an adequate option for him, but he would be required to attain a new certificate each time new technology was issued. \u201cIt\u2019s like having to take a driver\u2019s test whenever a new car is released,\u201d Van Zant explained. \u201cThat\u2019s why I was disenchanted with the certification process. I just didn\u2019t want to pursue certifications forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MattInstead, Van Zant found that his second option\u2014an undergraduate degree at a traditional college or university\u2014would better suit his needs and fulfill his personal desire for a challenging college experience. Van Zant applied to Augsburg College\u2019s business administration: management information systems program through the Weekend and Evening College. He said initially the College\u2019s information systems program caught his eye, as did the maroon Augsburg College sign he passed during his workday commutes through the heart of Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

Van Zant continued working full time while he pursued his Augsburg education in the adult undergraduate program, and he graduated in 2006. Immediately following his bachelor\u2019s degree completion, Van Zant enrolled in Augsburg\u2019s master of business administration program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt capable of doing more\u2014driven to do more,\u201d Van Zant recalled. \u201cI was already in \u2018school shape;\u2019 I was encouraged by my professors; I had mastered the balance of school and work; and I was anxious to take my education a step farther.\u201d<\/p>\n

The steps Van Zant took allowed him to gain more responsibility in his career and expand his role from one with a narrow focus to one that is broader and more challenging, he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been with my current employer for almost six years, and I\u2019m amazed that I keep reaching back into the \u2018toolbox\u2019 for the skills I learned in college,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

Since 2008, Van Zant has shared insights from his work experience and his post-secondary education with new Auggies as an adjunct instructor in Augsburg\u2019s business department. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to teach because it keeps me involved in the Augsburg community,\u201d Van Zant said. He teaches adult undergraduate students, and he shares his own success story with his students. \u201cGoing back to school was a strategic decision: I wanted to round out my portfolio,\u201d Van Zant said. \u201cNow I know it\u2019s one of the most rewarding things I\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Matt Van Zant \u201906 MBA \u201908, the decision to go back to school wasn\u2019t easy, but it was simple. In 2001, Van Zant was employed in the information technology (IT) industry. IT, at that time, was one of \u201ca few remaining professional fields where work experience was acceptable\u201d in lieu of a college degree, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":6384,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[54,17],"class_list":["post-1878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-stories","tag-fall-2012","tag-weekend-wec"],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1878"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5877,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1878\/revisions\/5877"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}