A few years ago, John Bierchen was coaching youth hockey, playing junior hockey and interning with the Tampa Bay Lightning. With his career underway and with no time to pursue college through traditional, on-campus avenues, he earned his bachelor’s degree through UA Online. We checked in with him recently to see how he’s doing since graduation.
Job Title: Head Coach of the Beaufort Knights and Assistant Coach of the Luxembourg National Team
Location: Beaufort, Luxembourg
UA Online Program: BS in Commerce and Business Administration
Fun Fact: I love doing theater. It comes in handy when making promo videos for our team, too!
UAO: Ice hockey coach? Tell us about that. What does that look like on any given day for you?
JB: It can vary, depending on the week. When we have a home game, I’m quite busy. From on-ice preparation for the team (including planning practice for about an hour every day), to breaking down footage and creating video clips to help us coach, and then actually coaching practice.
Off the ice, I do a lot of marketing for each game. We create a promo video for every game and release that on all of our social media accounts and try to circulate it to local press. We also manage some smaller campaigns as part of our social strategy leading up to game day. And then I usually have a press interview to fit into my schedule as well.
Fridays have become a “notes preparation day” for the game, and then Sundays begin the whole process over again!
UAO: How influential do you think the UA Online program was in getting you to the next stage of your career since graduating?
JB: If you want to be successful in life, I think time management is a necessary skill, and I believe that’s one aspect of the UA Online program that is underrated — its ability to teach you time management. It’s not always easy to make time to do the work and study, especially since most distance students have jobs and/or families, but I think it teaches you to block out time and multitask, which is
good and has helped me.
UAO: Are there any particular course concepts that have been beneficial to you in your career?
JB: GBA 490 Strategic Management was by far one of the harder classes, but as more time passes since I graduated, it is a class I appreciate more and more. The concepts and projects you do in the course translate extremely well to the real world of business.
UAO: Looking back, what was your favorite thing about UA Online?
JB: Honestly, my favorite aspect of the program was that it felt just like being in the classroom. The classes are the same, and the professors are just as attentive and helpful. I don’t think I could have been any more prepared for the business world by having taken my classes on campus as opposed to online.
UAO: Do you have any advice for current UA Online students?
JB: Pay more attention and invest yourself more in the learning process. If you do that, there will be fewer “hard lessons” in your first few years in the corporate world!
UAO: Any tips for people who may be considering UA Online?
JB: Do it. You won’t regret it. You’ll get way more out of it than you think. Everyone with UA Online is amazing. The experience they provide is the same as being in the classroom. Everyone is helpful, and they want to see you succeed. They understand most people enrolling in a distance program have career and family responsibilities, and they’re experienced in helping you navigate those obstacles. So don’t hesitate to enroll — they support you through to success.
Published: August 29th, 2020