2021 Graduating Employees - Tyler Lynn

A native of Troy, Illinois-a small town just outside of St. Louis-Tyler Lynn has made a career working in human resources (HR). After a year in the University of Southern Indiana Human Resources department, it made sense to Lynn to continue that path by earning a master's degree.

With associate degrees from Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville, Illinois, and a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in human resource management from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville, Illinois, (SIUE) he began working in various positions within the SIUE HR department. In 2018, Lynn and his wife moved to Evansville to be closer to her family in Vincennes, Indiana. It was at that time that Lynn joined the USI HR department as a senior employment assistant. Today, he is an HR coordinator.

"In this role, my duties revolve around compensation and classification," he explains. "I like to think the work I do truly makes an impact in providing a more sustainable and equitable workplace for everyone at USI."

Lynn adds the support and options from the University for employees to "learn, grow and make ourselves better people," played a role in his decision to enroll in USI's Master of Business Administration program, studying data analytics.

"The lifelong learning model has certainly played a role in my decision to obtain a master's degree," he says. "I knew all along that at some point I would get my master's, I just didn't know when it would pan out."

While the benefits to employees, such as tuition reimbursement, was a major plus for Lynn as he was deciding on this move, ultimately, he states his curiosity on the subject is what persuaded him to enroll.

"I am intrigued with how data analytics can not only come to a crossroads with the Human Resources function but truly be entwined, leading to sophisticated solutions for today's sophisticated complexities," he says. "I pursued this degree so I could learn to provide better data-driven insights and solutions in my HR career."

This knowledge provides something that excites Lynn-opportunity.

"I'm excited that this milestone acts as a launchpad for opportunities," he says. "Whether it's the opportunity to use the acquired skills and knowledge to build upon a career or to read something other than a textbook, the opportunities, big and small, that lie ahead are extremely exciting."

And though there were challenges to be had during his journey- balancing work, life and school as he trained and completed his first half marathon, bringing a new puppy home and all other events that come with daily life-Lynn is looking forward to pushing his career forward, not just in his chosen field of human resources but with USI as well.

"You should take the plunge if you're teetering on the decision (of getting a degree)," he advises. "Does it take a lot of work and determination? Yes. But is it worth it? Definitely yes."

"A degree is what you make of it. You can either do the bare minimum just to get the degree or you can see it was a wonderful opportunity, diving deep to learn something new and grow into a better person," Lynn adds. "From my perspective, it was always better to choose the latter."