When Alison Pradon moved to Odessa to be with her future husband, Denver, she easily scored
a sales job at a local radio station, thanks to her English BA. But sales wasn't her long-term
career plan—her true calling was in fundraising.
Alison got a job raising money for a local hospital. “I absolutely loved it,“ she says. And soon,
positions opened that provided opportunities to advance her career. Suddenly, she needed to improve certain skills and still work full time.
There’s no better way to stand out than to continue
your education. If you feel that you’re stuck at work, or your job has been cut, UTPB is so affordable. Neither of us had to take out student loans to earn our degrees.
Fortunately, the timing was perfect: We had just launched our fully online Masters in Public
Administration program at UT Permian Basin. When Alison discovered students can complete
the program in a year, she enrolled right away.
The economic uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic is leading workers in our
region to consider retooling their skill sets for careers with growth potential. Like Alison, many
workers look to UT Permian Basin for relevant training that builds on their experience and
previous education.
The decision to attend UTPB was easy for Alison; her husband, Denver Pradon, had earned his MBA at UTPB just a few years earlier.
Denver’s family business is a construction and trucking company that services the oil and gas industry. When he came back from college he went right to work with the business, but Denver said, “I needed to up my skills as far as management and marketing.” He found at UTPB he could do
more than that: he was able to add an oil and gas certificate to his MBA that solidified his
knowledge of the industry his company serves.
Those courses helped him better understand how the industry worked and taught him the
language of oil and gas. “It gives people more trust that we know what we’re doing,” Denver
says.
Whether you've always lived in West Texas or love brought you here, it's important to find a
fulfilling career that can take you places—and lets you stay close to home.
Earning a college degree can help. UTPB students can take courses on campus and online,
studying around full-time jobs and life responsibilities. “It took me 10 years to finish my
undergraduate degree, so I’m very sensitive to the needs of adult students,” says Sandy
Woodley, president of UT Permian Basin.
Your journey starts with pinpointing your professional passion. And UTPB's assistance begins
with keeping a thumb on the pulse of growing industries in the Permian Basin.
Grow your career in these hot West Texas industries:
“Our advisory council pays attention to the industries here to make sure what we offer is
relevant to their hiring needs," says Woodley. "We make sure we supply UTPB graduates with
the skills for which local industries are ready to hire.”
Looking for some examples? The Permian Basin has huge needs in education, healthcare,
geology, engineering, and accounting, to name a few.
If you’re ready to move up without moving away, check out these seven routes to a better
career.
1. If you are in mid-level management or human resources
Look into one of our general or specialized MBA programs.
You’ve hustled your way up, but now need an extra boost to take the next step. Our MBA
programs work for you, no matter where you are starting from.
Our MBAs can be taken in person, like Denver did, or 100% online. We offer many
concentrations too, including energy business and health systems management, public health,
finance and accounting. Students in our programs finish in as little as 12 months.
2. If you work retail or hospitality
Our business degrees can help you advance. Our traditional four-year business programs offer
on-campus and online BBA’s in management, marketing, and accounting.
These degrees can lead to dozens of careers including account or sales manager, business or
financial analyst, marketing or brand/product manager, event planner, advertising specialist,
market researcher, accountant, financial analyst, auditor and many more.
3. If you are a college graduate working in almost any field
Make a positive impact on a new generation. Use your life and professional experience to
become a teacher.
Our Falcon Fast Track helps you earn your alternative teaching credentials in 12 months or
less, while keeping your current full-time job. Options are also available to earn a master’s
degree.
4. If you work in the oil field
Consider our Petroleum Engineering or Geology-Petroleum bachelors degrees.
When you study Petroleum Engineering at UTPB, you’re literally studying on top of the largest
oil reserve in the world. In our program you’ll study technology, geology, logistics, and business
fundamentals. These skills can enhance your career supervising drilling, overseeing oil well
development, designing and implementing equipment, estimating reserves, or managing oil and gas
properties. Or explore our geology bachelors, with a concentration in petroleum. Alumni from this program also find success working in exploration, well site operations, field services, or other careers associated with petroleum and energy.
5. If you work in labor, trades, oil, or manufacturing
Ramp up your career by using your creativity and skills to improve productivity. UTPB’s new
Industrial Technology programs can get you there.
Graduates of our programs find career success in manufacturing, engineering, construction,
government, hospitals, and public utilities.
Our two degree programs meet you where you are: The B.S. in Industrial Technology is a
traditional four-year bachelor’s degree. The BA in Applied Arts and Sciences degree with the
Industrial Technology track is perfect for students who already have a two-year A.A.S. degree
and want to advance their education.
6. If you work in healthcare as a medical assistant, nurse, or coder
UTPB offers several degrees to help you grow in your healthcare career.
If you’ve already earned an associate's degree, our Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science
degree includes a healthcare track where you can hone your technical knowledge of the
healthcare industry, while developing decision-making and leadership skills.
Our BBA with a certificate in Healthcare Management is a great solution for you if you want to
grow in the business of healthcare—finance, accounting, marketing, and more.
Or, to grow as a practitioner, working nurses will find our online RN to BSN degree flexible,
tailored to their schedules, and possible to complete in only 8 to 9 months. For a more
immersive, traditional four-year college experience, check out our BS in Nursing.
7. If you teach or train others in any setting
Transition to a meaningful new career working with non-English speakers.
If you already have a bachelors degree and experience or interest in teaching, our online MA in
Bilingual-ESL Education can help you find career advancement working with students from nonEnglish speaking homes in a school setting, or in a global corporate setting with an international
workforce.
¿Hablas español? Our bilingual program specializes in preparing Spanish speakers for
successful careers teaching in bilingual environments. Or if you have a particular subject in mind that you would like to teach, you can earn your professional education master's degree from UT Permian Basin.
Should I go back to college now?
Denver Pradon is clear with his advice: “There’s no better way to stand out than to continue
your education. If you feel that you’re stuck at work, or your job has been cut, UTPB is so
affordable. Neither of us had to take out student loans to earn our degrees.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, first-time college students don’t need to take the SAT, ACT, or
GRE/GMAT tests to apply for fall 2020 enrollment. Plus, your high school GPA and class rank
may be self-reported with your application.
How else does UTPB help you grow from college to career? "We meet students where they are
and help them be successful. We offer daycare, variable hours, and a cadre of online programs
you can do at your own pace,” says Woodley.
Now is the perfect time to go back to college or attend for the first time. Use the next few years
to grow the skills you need to be prepared when economy cranks up again.
Join us in Odessa and Midland. Check out the full list of UTPB degrees and apply today.
