Making it work: A day in the life of a CSU Global student

Alexis LaBerge has a lot going on. She works full-time in the marketing department at CSU Global, is earning her master’s degree in project management, and is raising two young daughters. And, because apparently she enjoys a challenge, she’s also training for a half-marathon, aiming to read 50 books this year, and even nurturing a sourdough starter.

Hello, impressive overachiever.

Somewhere between work meetings, school deadlines, pounding the pavement, and bedtime routines, Alexis is making school work in a way that fits her life. In this Q&A, she shares what a real day in the life looks like: how she manages competing priorities, why flexibility matters, and how she’s figuring it all out.

First things first—tell us about the sourdough. You named it?
Doughphelia! She comes from the great state of California. My sister started this whole sourdough journey for me when she started about a year ago. I figured if she could do it, then why not me? Typical little sister stuff. She brought me some starter over Thanksgiving, but I forgot it, and then my other sister almost killed Doughphelia. It’s a whole thing.

But she came back to Maryland, and I started the process, and it has been relaxing, stress-relieving, and something I look forward to doing. My love language is giving, and it has allowed me to make bread and give loaves to friends and family. Plus, my kids love watching me do the steps to make the loaves, and that has been something fun to explain to them.

Walk us through a typical weekday, from the moment your day starts to when it finally winds down.
My day starts around 5:15 a.m., when I get up and work out. Sometimes I will do some reading for my course (currently OPS510-Operations Management) to try to get ahead of the week. Then I get my girls’ lunches ready for the day, enjoy a nice cold brew, and get the kids off to their respective schools, and take the long commute to my home office, where I will listen to an audiobook or various artists while working on various email builds, website stuff, building out CSU Global blogs, whatever is on my list of to do for that week.

Then it’s pickup time from school, and after that I will sit down and do a little more work if I wasn’t able to get something completed, and get dinner ready. If I have some more reading to do for class, after dinner, while the girls play or cause chaos, I will work on my discussion post or paper for that week. Most nights wind down around 10:30 p.m., and I start the whole process over the next day.

Why project management? What drew you to the degree, and how are you finding the courses so far?
I’ll be honest, the thought of an MBA made my skin crawl. I wanted something that could go well with my current job as a marketing manager and allow me to grow professionally, that wasn’t marketing-specific. I’m only about three courses into the program, and I have found them interesting, and I am looking forward to being able to use what I am learning in my courses in my role here at CSU Global.

You work full-time at CSU Global, and you’re also a student here. What made this the right time to pursue your master’s degree?
I’ve been putting off getting a master’s degree since before I had my first kid. It’s always something I wanted but could never find what I thought was the right program, or the right fit for me.

I’ve worked at various universities that offer great tuition benefits like CSU Global, but I could just never really pull the trigger. It probably has to do with the fact that I am a working mom, and taking time out of seeing my kids to go to class just wasn’t for me. And it wasn’t until I started at CSU Global that I realized that I could make it work, because I wouldn’t have to get in the car and drive to a campus and sit in a classroom for hours on various nights of the week. To then come home, do bathtime, AND still have homework to do.

Instead, I sit at dance class or swimming lessons, doing my readings or discussion posts. I am able to make it fit into my schedule and work around my life because assignments are due on the same day every week, it doesn’t shift from course to course, and you know what to expect. It’s great for people who plan and want some control.

With so much competing for your attention, what’s your strategy for getting through courses and staying on track?
Coffee, a hope, a prayer, a good planner (hard copy and digital), and a supportive partner.

How are you seeing what you’re learning show up in your work—or in how you think about projects more broadly?
I’ve been able to use some theories I’ve learned in my Effective Organizations: Theory and Practice course. This course examined organizations and the theories that guide their decision-making, leadership, organizational culture, and management change. So that has better helped me to understand not only CSU Global but how to navigate being a PTA mom.

You’re doing all of this while raising two young daughters. What do you hope they take away from watching you go back to school?I want my daughters to know that it’s never too late to do something you want to do—and that higher education is important, and you should never want to stop learning.

I also want them to see what it means to have a supportive partner who helps them understand what I’m doing and why I need to close the door to my office so I can do that post or finish up that paper.

What would you tell someone who’s in a similar season of life and wondering if going back to school is really doable?
It’s going to be hard, I mean, it is hard. I’m only a couple of classes in, and I will be honest, I have said a couple of times, maybe I shouldn’t do this, maybe it’s too much right now.  But I know at the end of the day I will be so proud of myself for doing it, even with all the horrors and everything going on.