Life-Long Learners Will Stand Out From Other Competitors In The Dallas Job Market
Anthony Reed travels around the world speaking about leadership and project management and shares his insight on the connection between education and success. Reed taught courses part-time at several colleges in the Dallas/Fort Worth area while working full-time. Reed has also served as project manager at the Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory; as an IT manager at Ernst & Young, and Texas Instruments, and as a development manager at the DFW International Airport Board. He is an avid runner and has written several books, including "Running to Leadership: What Finishing 100+ Marathons on All Seven Continents Teaches Us About Success."
Tell me about your education.
"I wrote my first computer program in high school. During the summers, I worked as a camp counselor and would organize kids into teams. I realized I had a knack for organizing people and projects. I double-majored in mathematics and management at Webster University. In college, I was interested in operations research, which is now called supply chain management. It is the ability to take a look at business processes with the goal to improve and automate them – basically logistics."
Why did you pursue two master's degrees?
"A sign on my desk reads, 'When you're through learning, you're through.' I consider myself a life-long learner. I understood that in order for me to stand out from the crowd of my competitors, what some people thought was optional, for me I thought it was mandatory. I earned my first master's degree at night in business management at Abilene Christian University, and that helped me move into management. As I steadily climbed the corporate ladder, companies sought people who had good verbal communication, writing and financial management skills. In order to demonstrate competency in those areas, I started writing articles and speaking at seminars. In order to prove my financial aptitude, I returned to school, again at night, and earned a master's degree in accounting at the University of Texas at Dallas. I was in the college National Accounting Honor Society and passed the CPA exam."
How have you utilized your advanced degrees?
"I used the knowledge from my degrees and the experience I gained working with experts in other fields to run my own business Anthony Reed CPA, PC. Most business owners are knowledgeable of one area in business; however, my degrees gave me the knowledge of multiple areas in business, such as sales and marketing, technology, accounting, writing and speaking."
Robin D. Everson is a native Chicagoan who resides in Dallas, Texas. Her appreciation for art, food, wine, people and places has helped her become a well-respected journalist. A life-long lover of education, Robin seeks to learn and enlighten others about culture. You can find her work at Examiner.com