Cookie is no fool. She knows that the employment of qualified accounting and finance
professionals is expected to grow faster than average for all occupations
through the year 2014. She also knows that most accountant and auditor positions
require at least a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field. That's
why she is pursuing a B.B.A. in Accounting at
University of Phoenix
Online.
Read more from this 40-year-old college student below ...
Tell me about your current situation: work, school, love life, family ...
I currently work for a property management company in San Diego, CA where I
have been a project accountant since 2000. I also am in the Navy Reserve and
have been enlisted for almost 8 years. I've been attending University of Phoenix
Online since July 2003 and I have 6 more classes to go until I get a bachelor's
degree in accounting. I take one class at a time and a class lasts for 5 weeks,
so I should be graduating in January 2007. Love life... I'm divorced. I'm not in
a serious relationship as I have no time for that, but I've been seeing someone
who also goes to college (on a traditional campus) so we're mutually busy and
it's been working out perfectly since we understand each other. I have 3
children: 17, 4, and 2 year olds. They currently live with me; I would say I'm a
single mother until their dad comes back from his deployment to Iraq.
Why did you decide to go back to school?
I never thought of going back to school until I felt like I reached the
glass ceiling. I had been lucky with jobs but now I feel stuck; I have no
room to grow at my current job and it's hard to move onto another job
without a degree. So I felt the urge to get a degree in order to advance in
my career.
Why did you select UOP Online?
I heard several colleagues in the Navy Reserve talking about attending the
University of Phoenix. So I thought to check the programs out. I was able to
utilize my
GI Bill and transfer credits I have earned in the Navy.
How are you paying for your education?
I have a student loan and I also get
GI Bill.
What is the best aspect of online learning?
The best thing is that I don't have to commute to school so I don't need a
baby-sitter, and I can study whenever I want. I can attend a class during a
lunch break at work, or at 2 a.m. when everyone is asleep and I am most
productive! I also travel at least once a year for the
Navy Reserve,
but I don't need to take a break from a class since I can take my laptop
and find a way to get connected to the Internet.
The hardest thing is that I have to do a lot of reading, from discussions to
lectures, besides text books. I'm not a fast reader and sometimes nothing
registers after spending hours reading the same pages over and over. Also
the length of the class is short and fast-paced, so I really have to focus
on what I am learning or I end up not gaining anything out of it.
How does online education compare to "traditional", on-campus
experience?
I have never attended a traditional college so I can't say which is better
or worse. But I really like the online campus. I don't know how else I could
pursue my degree while managing everything else I have to do.
What advice do you have for other people considering online
education?
I hear that some people get impressions that online schools are easier.Well,
it might be easier if you're only concerned about commuting, finding a
parking, time to attend classes and etc. But the classes are not easy!
I hear that it's actually more challenging than traditional school; I've
seen many people dropping out of lower division classes. So you really need
to be focused and determined to get a degree.
Anything else you want to talk about or share?
I've had both success and failure: I made a decision to go back to school
when I was pregnant with my son and I started attending a class 2 months
before he was born. I was in my third class in the lower division when I
went in labor but I still was able to meet the participation requirements
for that week, I turned in all assignments on time including a team
assignment, and I earned the letter grade A. I wasn't able to do this if I
were going to a traditional campus.
On the other hand, there was a time I couldn't focus on my study at all;
there were too many things going on in my personal life. But I refused to
take time off from school and instead I decided to do minimum just to pass.
I ended up failing anyway. At least I did my best with the team assignments
since my team mates shouldn't have suffered because of my personal problem.
And I have learned that it's not a bad idea to take a break once in a while.
I just had to organize my mess and get back to the class. I have retaken the
class a year later and received a letter grade A this time.
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About Cookie
Originally hailing from Atsugi, Japan, 40-year-old Cookie now lives and works in San Diego, CA.
By day, Cookie is an accountant, U.S. Navy
reservist, and a mother to three. By night, this driven, quirky,
opinionated Libra eschews TV for writing and listening to music (citing
industrial, experimental, and electronic among her favorites), and
playing keyboards.
She is currently working on an online Bachelor of Business
Administration in Accounting from the University of Phoenix.
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