At Palmetto GBA, investing in our employees is a top priority. One of the ways that we promote this is by offering an Education Assistance Program benefit to help employees earn college or graduate degrees at regional or nationally accredited colleges or universities. The Palmetto GBA Education Assistance Program reimburses a portion of eligible expenses such as tuition, books, and most related fees.

A degree can be an important stepping stone in career development. To learn more about our associates’ experience with the Education Assistance Program, we spoke to Alexandria Delage, Application Development Director.

What degree did you pursue?
I did two degrees in the program. First, a Masters of Science in Public Health focused on Epidemiology, and second, a Ph.D. in Health Policy Services and Management, both from the University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health.

How did you hear about the Palmetto GBA Education Assistance Program?
When I started as an entry-level statistical analyst, my manager knew I was finishing my Masters program and told me about it, suggesting that I use the program. After that, I signed up right away.

Why did you decide to apply to the Palmetto GBA Education Assistance Program?
I knew I was planning to work here for a while, and it seemed like a no-brainer to get help paying for a degree I was already pursuing. When I decided to continue with my Ph.D., knowing I had that tuition help was one of the factors that made it possible to continue.

How did the Palmetto GBA Education Assistance Program help you obtain your degree?
Access to the education assistance program helped to make it financially possible to do my Ph.D. Without it, I would have had to take out loans, etc., to complete the degree, whereas with it I was able to complete it without taking on additional student loan debt.

Was this program a deciding factor in the decision to pursue higher education?
No, not a deciding factor, but it made it more feasible and achievable by removing part of the financial barrier.

What is a tip that you have for balancing work and school?
The most crucial thing is to find your motivation to finish. That may be advancing your career or a family member, but you must find that motivator. For me, it was being able to tell my kids that, even when it was hard, I had finished my schoolwork. There is no way Mommy could say you have to do it, but I wasn’t motivated enough to finish my own. My other motivator was Billy Osborne, asking me weekly how much I had accomplished towards finishing and realizing he was going to return to the office post-pandemic, and I was not any closer to finishing. I couldn’t disappoint Billy, and it gave me the push I needed to wrap it up.

Second, to that (but not by much), planning and time-blocking my activities was a must. I didn’t always do this very well, so it took me a while to finish my dissertation, but when I did it well, I was able to stay on task and hit milestones. I found the larger projects with self-created timelines to be the hardest (like my dissertation or thesis), as I would prioritize work or family before my deadlines. When it came to a class and those assignments, I never had a problem carving out an afternoon to complete them. Those larger efforts, like my thesis and dissertation, with months of work, were very challenging. I had to start committing to mini deliverables to my committee so that I wouldn’t deprioritize my schoolwork for other things in my life. I also had to recognize that I couldn’t do this journey alone. I needed family and friends to support me so I could spend Saturday mornings studying.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about taking advantage of the Education Assistance Program to advance their degree?
People ask me all the time whether they should pursue a degree. For each person, you must consider a few things:
1. Can I afford it? Thankfully, EAP is one way to make that possible. Your school's financial aid office can help you figure out additional ways. Where there is a desire, there is almost always away.
2. Will it help me advance my career to where I want to be?
3. Will I enjoy it and grow from the experience?

If you can answer "yes" to even 2 of these questions, then go for it. It's important, though, to ensure your village is there to support you. My village included family, friends, and co-workers. They helped with my kids, supported me at work to ensure my weekends and nights weren't spent catching up on office work and reminded me that some of the best things in life were hard first.

Take full advantage of that education, though, and get to know your classmates. Engage with your professors and find opportunities to get involved. It’s harder when you work full-time, but it’s possible and important to get the full experience from your education. Not to mention, you’re the one with real-world experience to bring to the conversation. Your perspectives and insights as someone returning to the classroom are valuable and insightful for everyone there. The network you build while getting a degree can support and influence your career for years to come if you take the time to invest in it.