James Price, core lead in service engineering at Whirlpool, is a proud Hoosier. He was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana and describes himself as a Midwesterner through and through. Like many Hoosiers, he grew up hearing about Purdue University and its legacy in sports and academics, particularly engineering and technology. After he began a career in the engineering field, he found himself connecting with other engineers who had gotten their start at Purdue, and it inspired him to start thinking about what he could do with a Purdue degree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know many people in the South Bend and Indianapolis areas who have graduated from Purdue and started these great careers,\u201d Price said. \u201cSo [going to Purdue] just became one of those home state dreams.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Price\u2019s dream of going to Purdue materialized in the university\u2019s online Master of Science in Engineering Technology<\/a> program. Price found the program at a pivotal moment in his career when he felt unsure of where to go next. The director of his department at Whirlpool suggested that he go back to school for a master\u2019s because it could expand his career horizons and give him more advanced technical training. When he learned that Purdue had an online master\u2019s in engineering technology, the field Price worked in, he jumped at the opportunity to apply and enroll.<\/p>\n\n\n Learn more about the Master of Science in Engineering Technology<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c[Getting into Purdue\u2019s program] was an accomplishment I was so excited to share with my family, friends and peers,\u201d Price said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Price picked an online program from Purdue because he needed something that would fit into his busy schedule as a working engineer and dad. He commutes an hour a day to get to work, and he also tries to make it to his kids\u2019 games and practices after the workday ends. Purdue\u2019s online program gave him the flexibility he needed to do both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith studying online, I could concentrate and dive deep into the courses when it was convenient for me,\u201d Price said. \u201cThe online learning experience is what you make it, so I tried to make it the best it could be.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Through earning his master\u2019s in engineering technology, Price had the opportunity to look at the tech industry from a new, deeper perspective. He has always considered himself a tech-savvy person, but Purdue\u2019s program pushed him to consider more deeply how technology is shaping the future, and how he can better understand the changes to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe future of technology is constantly changing,\u201d Price said. \u201cGoing through Purdue\u2019s program was the best thing I could do to better understand technology. It opened my eyes wider than I thought they could be.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Price, getting an advanced degree as a working professional can be challenging \u2014 it’s a lot of work, and it can feel like a sharp learning curve. His advice to other professionals who want to continue their education is to start slow and embrace new challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s difficult at first, but the more you read, the more you get the experiences that your classes offer, the more you work with your instructors and teammates, the more you\u2019ll start to understand,\u201d Price said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking back on his time in the program, Price is amazed by how much he\u2019s learned, and how applicable it is to his career. He still uses some of his textbooks and readings when he\u2019s at work, and he also finds himself referencing them in his personal life. They\u2019ve imparted valuable lessons that Price is taking with him as he moves forward in his career. But, more than anything, his time with Purdue has helped him feel more connected to Indiana. Even though he\u2019s completing his degree online, he\u2019s still a Boilermaker \u2014 in many ways, it\u2019s a life-long dream come true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPurdue makes me proud that Indiana is my home,\u201d Price said. \u201cIt\u2019s really a big thing for my family to see me go through this experience and walk in the footsteps of all the prestige and talent that came before me. It overwhelms me with pride and joy.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n To learn more about Purdue\u2019s online Master of Science in Engineering Technology, please visit the program\u2019s webpage.<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" James Price, core lead in service engineering at Whirlpool, is a proud Hoosier. He was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana and describes himself as a Midwesterner through and through. Like many Hoosiers, he grew up hearing about Purdue University and its legacy in sports and academics, particularly engineering and technology. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":6367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[],"area-of-study":[11],"person":[74],"class_list":["post-6364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-success","area-of-study-engineering","person-students"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Price.jpg",1800,1350,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Price.jpg",1800,1350,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Price.jpg",1800,1350,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Price-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Price-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Price-1024x768.jpg",1024,768,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Price-1536x1152.jpg",1536,1152,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Price.jpg",1800,1350,false],"rt_custom":["https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Price.jpg",1800,1350,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"RM Barton","author_link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/online\/author\/barton53\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Student Success<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"James Price, core lead in service engineering at Whirlpool, is a proud Hoosier. He was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana and describes himself as a Midwesterner through and through. 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