Jennifer Mann focused more on finding a job after high school than taking college classes, but that changed when she started working at Wells Fargo Financial and had the opportunity to have her education paid for.

“When I transferred to human resources, I realized that it was an area that I really enjoyed,” Mann said. “But I realized that I would need to get my degree to go further in the field.”

Mann’s supervisor at the time helped convince her that she was the ideal candidate to take advantage of Wells Fargo’s tuition reimbursement benefit. Mann knew that it would be challenging to take a full course load while working full time, but Upper Iowa University’s eight-week sessions seemed like a good option.

“I took two classes at a time, except for once in a while I only took one if I knew that something was going on at work or I would be traveling a lot,” Mann said. “I could take it slower and then jump in and take three classes the next session.”

Two classes per week added up to nine hours in the classroom, usually divided between two weeknights. Mann accepted the long days as a part of her life and didn’t skip a single class, since one class was the equivalent of a week of traditional classes.

“It was mentally very hard to wake up in the morning at 6 a.m. and know that you weren’t going to be home until 10:30 p.m.,” Mann said. “Once you got there, it wasn’t too bad. I just tried to look forward to the social aspect of it and not think about how many hours I was in the classroom.”

Mann said the interactive style of her classes kept her interested and also provided a good learning tool.

“Instead of listening to lectures for four hours, we did a lot of presentations and discussions, which were helpful for us to learn from each other’s experiences,” Mann said.

Mann said the presentations alone helped her become a better communicator, which is important because her job at Wells Fargo requires her to speak in front of groups of people on a regular basis.

“I feel 100 percent more confident in standing up in front of people,” Mann said. “That directly relates to my job because I have to help facilitate training and to speak in meetings about policy changes.”

Mann says what helped her pull through the hectic schedule, besides the support of her husband, was making a conscious effort to maintain a balance among work, school and her personal life.

“I made it a rule not to do anything school-related on Saturdays to give myself some personal time,” Mann said. “I’ve seen too many people get burned out and say that they couldn’t do it anymore, and I knew that if I stopped, it would be too hard to go back.”

Matthew Mouw, senior marketing manager for Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., is having a different experience with continuing his education. Setting aside Saturdays hasn’t been an option for him, since the executive masters of business administration program he’s taking through the University of Iowa alternates every other week between Fridays and Saturdays.

When he started the program in January 2003, his wife had just given birth to their first child. Now, their second is due in August, right before his last semester begins. He plans on it being a “truly interesting” one.

“The work, family and school triad is an incredible management opportunity/challenge,” Mouw said. “At the end of the day, my wife is going through incredible measures to keep things running smoothly on that front.”

Mouw said he averages about 20 to 30 hours of coursework per week. He said he’s learned new time-management tricks to help him keep up. If he has a few free minutes during the day, he’ll pick up a textbook instead of checking his e-mail.

“I opted to take the demanding route of getting the 16 courses done quickly as opposed to drawing it out longer,” Mouw said. “I wanted to learn more about business, but with a new baby on its way, it’s time that I finally get done with school.”

Mouw holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology and will have had 13 years of post-secondary education by the time he receives his M.B.A, but it was an opportunity he said he had to take.

“It’s always a function of the perceived payback at the end of the day, and I guess the other thing that’s a reinforcement is being able to directly apply the tools and skills that we learn back at the company on a daily basis,” Mouw said.

” I’m better at what I do for having gone through the classes,” Mouw said. “It’s a value-added investment for the company as well as a personal growth tool for individuals.”