“Where am I going to be five, 10 years from now?”
This powerful question ultimately pushed Robin Davis-Thrasher into pursuing a graduate degree. After years of working in clinical care, the Suffolk, Virginia, woman wanted to trade the hospital floor for a desk job.
Davis-Thrasher believes her master’s represents “the key to my door” – and not just any door, but one that leads to an office with a view. In fact, she and her brother, who work for the same healthcare company, are in a friendly competition to see who will land that corner office first.
As she pondered how to advance her career and shift from a technical role to a business role, Davis-Thrasher asked herself, “What degree can I take everywhere in this company?”
The answer: a Master of Business Administration in Project Management, offered 100% online by Florida Tech.
Davis-Thrasher had earned her bachelor’s in Business Administration Healthcare Management online from Florida Tech, becoming the first in her family to graduate college. She liked the flexibility and fast pace of online education.
As a mother, doing things on her own time was important. Supporting her kids at athletic events while studying her textbooks was hard work but rewarding.
“They saw the sacrifice; they saw the late nights,” she said.
“It wasn’t easy, but nothing in life is easy.”
Davis-Thrasher began her educational journey at Florida Tech in 2006 and over the years has enjoyed the virtual friendships she made with other students, some of whom she first met as an undergrad. Seeing them pursuing career goals and enjoying success has been a memorable experience.
Her own achievement was an emotional moment, one she struggled to put into words.
Her pride is perhaps best conveyed through her advice to those who may be indecisive about their future. She would tell them, “You have to think about, ‘What [do] I want to do with my life and is it really important to me?’”
Davis-Thrasher credits the support of her husband and children and the sacrifices they made during her journey: “My husband believed in me before I believed in myself.”
Now, when she looks 10 years down the road, the project administrator envisions herself as lead project manager for a large corporation, or possibly earning a doctorate in medical fraud.
Whatever path she pursues, she expects it will lead to that office with a view.