IT specialist

Long hours at the office have never bothered Jim Gladden. By now, that’s par for the course for the 28-year-old IT specialist. He was determined to upgrade his education while maintaining a full time career.

Not wanting to give up his day job or leave Edmonton, Jim got creative and found the solution to his problem on-line. Through distance learning, he was able to hold down a job, and achieve his academic goals—all without taking out a single student loan or dollar in credit.

Nonetheless, his efforts did come at a price.

“On a typical day I would go the office at 8, work until 5, and then stay at my desk studying until midnight. Then I would go home, sleep for a few hours, come back and do it all again.”

Despite the long hours and a chronic lack of sleep, his dedication and hard work paid off, earning Jim his Bachelors and Masters degrees in business administration. As someone who thirsts for knowledge, he also has attained several IT specialist designations: Project Management Professional, Information Systems Professional and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. To top it off—so far, anyway—he has taken graduate certificates in leadership and management from the Harvard School of Business and Cornell University.

Jim has worked for a number of major firms, and recently became the senior manager of information planning at Alberta Health & Wellness. Married for just over a year, he can finally enjoy more time with his wife Dana, going on bike rides as well as spending time outdoors at the family summer cottage near Wabamun. Jim also volunteers for the Canadian Blood Services as part of their Donor Phoner campaign which encourages previous donors to give blood again.

And twice per week he teaches at the NAIT School of Business, where his combination of age and youthful looks often leaves him in strange situations.

“It’s happened more than once… on the first day of class, my students think I’m one of them rather than their instructor,” laughs Jim. √

Photo by Terry Bourque