- Posted by philene on February 7, 2008
When I was graduated from college, I vowed to myself that I was through with school! I went in to the “real world,” got a job, left my job, found another job, decided to move to another state…found another job, stayed there a few years, decided to move again, (this time to live near my fiancé) and got another job! Whew!! It seemed that every 2-3 years, I was in another job, with no room for upward mobility because each time I considered applying for what would be considered a promotion, I was told that a Bachelors Degree wasn’t enough to separate me from the rest of the applicants and that I would need at least, a Masters Degree. And so my search for the perfect school for me began.
By this point, I had been out of school for over 5 years and I was a little bit scared to sit in a classroom with students much younger than myself. Not to mention, I was working full time and needed a flexible school schedule. About this time, I found an online school that had just started a Masters program in Teaching and Learning. Having a great interest in teaching, a BA in Sociology and a desire to work as a training coach for a large organization, I felt this would be right up my alley. But how was I going to manage being a student, an employee and a wife? I spoke with the counselors at the school and they assured me that an online program would allow me the flexibility I needed to be successful. They were right! I was not intimidated by the age difference between my peers and myself because I did not know if one even existed! We were all working full time, spouses, parents, students and trying to pursue a higher education level to improve our chances of future promotion.
A little over a year later, I graduated with a Masters Degree and a received the promotion I had been waiting for! Going back to school after 5 years was not only rewarding but it was really great for my family to see. I became a role model for younger members of my family. I enjoyed being an online student so much that I decided to go on to the next level. I am now in the dissertation and comprehensive examphase of my online PhD!