Student Spotlight: Maggie Fechtel (MJ '18)
Although professionals working in human resources (HR) benefit greatly from the online Master of Jurisprudence in Labor & Employment Law (MJ-LEL) program at Tulane University Law School, it is not intended only for professionals currently working in or with backgrounds in HR.
In fact, many students use our program as a way to transition from their current roles, branching their knowledge out to this new area of expertise.
For current online MJ-LEL student Maggie Fechtel, once she took a job in her family's business, her master's degree in clinical psychology ceased to fit her future career trajectory—but there was an available role for an HR manager, which led her to Tulane University.
"With HR, it's really important to not only get the education but learn how to apply it," Maggie explained. "I just can't even tell you how much I've learned so far. Everything that I read, I can immediately apply it to what I did that day and then go in the next day and think how that can help to prepare us in the future for different things."
Although Maggie knew she needed an online program in order to stay employed, she entered the program slightly apprehensive about the virtual educational environment.
"I am horrible with technology and so I was a little nervous how that would work, but it has been user-friendly, so perfect. You just go into Canvas and all of your classes are there ready for you," Maggie clarified. "The assignments are so easy to navigate through, and then Zoom is so perfect. It's just like Skype except you can see each person in the classroom, and it's honestly like being in a live classroom."
Once she realized how simple the technology was to utilize, Maggie has made leaps and bounds in her development as an HR manager.
"I have learned so much valuable information to benefit my company and not only make me more marketable as an employee," she said, "but to really advocate for our employees and to give them the best working environment possible, and to really be an asset for the company."
To hear more about Maggie's time in the program so far, watch our video below.
Interested in learning more about our program and HR? Hear what another current online MJ-LEL student has to say about her time in the program, or read more about common issues in the HR field today.