Q&A: “Is an MPA worth it?” A Sacramento-based alum in government and public administration thinks it is
Vance Jarrard is a legislative advocate for the North State Building Industry Association, representing more than 500 member companies in the home building industry in Northern California. In 2021, he graduated from the USC Price Master of Public Administration online, bringing with him a robust background in public policy from his tenure in the Legislature and at the local level with the Board of Supervisors. Vance explains why he believes an MPA is worth it; sharing the significant impact of the program on his career in legislative advocacy.
Q: What factors motivated you to further your education?
A: A sense of desire for something new. I had graduated with my bachelors in government from Sacramento State in 2012 and had been working in my chosen field since that point, but I had always known in the back of my mind that a Master’s degree was something I wanted to pursue. I was reaching a point in my career where everything had become familiar and manageable. I thought it was the perfect time to add a new challenge to life, and so I thought I would tackle that master’s degree.
Q: What drove you to pick the USC MPA online over other graduate programs?
A: I actually saw an advertisement for the Price program pop up online. I clicked on it and said, why not? I started applying right then and there. It wasn’t until I was kind of far along in the process, I realized I was applying to the online program and not the campus-based program. Why not go with the online option as opposed to committing myself to a physical presence? Work is already crazy and unpredictable. There may be nights where I can’t physically be where I need to be for school and work. So the online approach really just provided a balancing act that I was able to take on.
Q: What were your goals for the program? What impact did the program have on your work in government and public administration?
A: [My goal was] to increase my value as an employee, so that wherever my career went in the future I knew that I was bringing as much as I possibly could to any role that I may transition into. The Masters of Public Administration really appeared to add something new to my skill set that had been lacking, having come from a public policy background working in the Legislature and at the Board of Supervisors. I had never really gotten my hands on experience at the administrative level. The MPA was a great way of enhancing my overall, well rounded government background.
Q: How did you get accustomed to the online modality?
A: I had gone through undergraduate in the purely traditional on campus environment. Transitioning to online was a fairly big adjustment. The biggest challenge was learning to deal with the technology that we were being given. Once you get into that rhythm, maybe about halfway through the first semester – you figure out where all the buttons are – it really becomes a lot easier. You almost forget at some point that you’re dealing with an online environment because the faculty makes themselves so readily available to you and your classmates.
Q: A cornerstone of the program is the in-person residencies. Did this stand out to you when you were researching the program? What was your experience with the residencies?
A: The in-person residencies add a lot of value to the program overall, because nothing beats getting that in-person opportunity to get to know each other and interact in the most authentic way possible. My program started with an in-person residency, we got to meet people from other cohorts. We got to meet the faculty. We got to meet alumni and take part in the Trojan network. We got to tour the campus, you know, really make us feel like we’re part of this USC network. The on campus residencies were something I honestly didn’t expect to value so much. I’m very thankful that I got to participate in a couple of them.
Q: Is there a project you’ve done in the program that you are particularly proud of? How do you think it has helped prepare you for the future?
A: The case challenge is a really exciting opportunity to get thrown a major issue, that all of your classmates are also getting thrown at them, and see how you all come at it differently. Putting together a product that was realistic and would be expected for any type of federal proposal was a phenomenal challenge. What our team came up with we were extremely proud of. We won the case challenge and not long after we finished the program, we actually started to see a similar project being proposed in federal legislation and have since seen it pop up a couple of more times. That’s how we knew we came up with something that was of value.
Q: Is there something you’ve learned that you think will be the most impactful in your career?
A: You learn a lot that is going to be impactful to your career. I was still working for the county while going through the program. I [essentially] got to do little mini case studies with different county departments by looking at the material that we were studying and apply it to what I was doing at work.
Now I’m working outside of the government. I’m working with local governments on a regular basis, and I can constantly refer back to even just the smallest thing in our textbooks. I understand why the people that I’m working with are working in a certain way and I can help them navigate because I know the different restrictions and expectations they’re working with.
Q: How did you balance the demands of study with your life, both personal and professional?
A: Balancing the demands of studying with work and personal life was definitely a challenge. We got phenomenal advice from our Peer Mentor. She basically said, pick the one thing that you’re gonna do throughout the week that gets you away from a desk and computer. Make sure you take the time to reset your brain, and I think everyone in my cohort really took that to heart, and we made sure to apply it. Know when you need to rest, recover and reset your brain, and make time for that.
Q: How was your interaction and experience with your professors?
A: My interaction and experience with my professors was so much better than I ever thought it would be. The faculty are not all concentrated in one particular location. I was very fortunate to have someone living here in Sacramento with me, so their availability and their patience with making themselves available was fantastic. I didn’t expect to have direct phone numbers, [but I did]. Our professors made themselves incredibly accessible. They really wanted us to succeed, and that came through how they interacted with us.
Q: How was your interaction and experience with your fellow students?
A: We had really great interactions, we would stay online after class had ended or after project time had ended, and just chat and check in and see how everyone’s doing. There are several folks from the program that I still keep in touch with. There’s a particular group that got very close with each other throughout the program. Now we try to make time to see each other in person as much as possible. When we’re in each other’s cities, we try to stop by and say, “hi,” or try to plan a trip to get together. The group text is still going!
Q: How has the MPA program and the USC Trojan Network been impactful in your career?
A: The MPA online has added value in multiple ways. Number one it is an extremely impressive line on a resume to say ‘I got my Master’s degree through the University of Southern California’. On top of that, it’s not just a piece of paper. That degree comes with skills, knowledge, and a network. I think everyone knows when they see that degree on a resume, hanging on a wall, or on a Linkedin profile. They know its value, and it helps you open all the doors.
Q: So, is an MPA worth it? Would you recommend the USC Price MPA online to a prospective student?
A: I would absolutely recommend the MPA Online degree to a prospective student. Even if you’re on the fence, start a conversation with the program directly. If you know someone that has done the program, discuss it with them. Just start filling out that application, because when you do that’s when you also know that people from the program are gonna start talking back to you. They’re going to want to make sure that you come in prepared. The program is designed to be challenging, but it’s designed to make sure that you succeed.
Learn more about the Master of Public Administration Online today.