Crystal Piercy

Position, company, location, and industry

Help Services Coordinator, University of Virginia, Keswick, VA
Industry: Education

What is your motivation for pursuing an M.S. in MIT?

I wanted to find a program that suited my personal and professional goals and was designed with mid-career in mind. MSMIT takes out components that many professionals learn along the way and focuses on the strengths needed for a career in management. The program gets straight into the nitty-gritty of the hard decisions that leaders are faced with daily. There is no busy work in the program, only the essentials.

What led you to UVA’s M.S. in MIT Program?

I have had the opportunity to work with several MSMIT alumni during my career. Each went through the program at different times. When asked about the program, they all had positive things to say about the experience, and all agreed that it was hard work, but very rewarding. Each of these alums have gone on to successfully grow their professional careers and become respected in their field. For people I respect to put this much faith in a program certainly caught my attention.

What is your favorite and/or the most valuable aspect(s) of the residencies?

After each residency, I come back to work with ideas that I want to put into practice. I see areas of opportunity for improvement, and I am excited to try out what I have learned. During meals and breaks, classmates compare stories about what we have seen in the workforce related to what we are learning, and we teach each other what went right and what not to do. This is invaluable! We also get to talk to our professors and guest speakers about real-life situations that take the knowledge from case study to current environment.

How has the M.S. in MIT Program complemented your work experience?

MSMIT takes knowledge from many areas and demonstrates how they work together in an organization. There is a beauty in seeing how organizational leaders process so much data to make the best decisions for their environment. My diverse experience in service support, coupled with my interactions with engineers, developers, and project managers, has developed into a broad spectrum of knowledge. I am learning how to use all this knowledge together in a leadership capacity.

What is the most practical concept or skill you have learned so far?

Learning my conflict resolution style was a game changer! I have been able to adjust my expectations and communication style to work better collaboratively in life! This lesson works in the classroom, the workplace and at home.

How have you been able to integrate the program into your professional responsibilities and personal commitments?

Being successful in this program requires expert-level time management. A piece of advice that I heard early on is to switch computers and if possible, workspaces to differentiate between work and school. It helps me to mentally flip the switch to get into learning mode. I regularly communicate with my work team about my current and upcoming workload. This helps everyone know when I need to be out for residency or have a heavy mental lift coming up for an assignment. I also try to balance my workload so that easier mental lift tasks fall on days that I have evening remote classes. My family gets a weekly update on my schedule so that we all know when I am available for family time. I try to carve out time for quality family time each week that involves fun. I use electronic calendaring to ensure that I keep track of obligations. Major events like residency or evening classes, I will send a calendar invite to my husband as well, so he can make plans that don’t involve me being present.

What is your best piece of advice for prospective students?

You get a return from the investment in the program that is quantifiable by what you put into the program. If you put serious effort into the program, your knowledge and network will grow exponentially. Come prepared to do a lot of reading and a lot of sharing. Learn from your classmates and your professors, and a let them into your lives, because after the first few months, they will start to feel like your family.

What are your interests and hobbies?

Where technology intersects with art is what brings me joy, so I am an avid film watcher, I love interactive art exhibits, as well as painting. I enjoy playing board games and going to Busch Gardens with my family. When I need some relaxation alone, I am either creating art or watching movies with my dog on my lap.