Siri K., 37
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, American Sentinel University
Sometimes a dream can start with one foot in one world and finish with one foot in another life you hardly recognize as your own - half a world away.
American Sentinel University student Siri K. found herself taking a winding journey to her bachelor's degree, one that spanned eight years, two children and three continents. Along the way, she managed to pursue her college degree while wearing the black abaya required for all women in public in Saudi Arabia – and then enduring constant electricity outages (that interrupted studies dependent on internet access) in a third world culture most of us have only heard about on the evening news.
A native of Norway, Siri will achieve her dream of a Bachelor’s in Computer Science in 2008 in Angola, the sub-Saharan African country devastated by a 27 year civil war with a faltering infrastructure to match (fewer than one fixed land line per 100 persons in a country three times the size of California) – just in time to move her family to Dubai.
Siri's husband, Austrian-born Peter, works for American-based Baker-Hughes, a petroleum services company with global operations. “I think Dubai will be a very "flashy" place to live after Angola,” Siri speculates. “We will find everything we can possibly desire.”
A drastic change from Angola, a country rich in resources like oil and diamonds, but “very poor and needing everything: schools, hospitals, proper food and housing – in a dreadful state for most of the population. For our kids it has been quite tough to see all the poverty everywhere. I can't say that they have enjoyed that part, but I think it is good for them to see many people live on this earth.”
It has been an eye-opening, globe-trotting adventure for her family that began in 2000. “I had my first baby and was on maternity leave from my job as a data processor when Peter got the job offer in Saudi Arabia.” Once settled in their new country, Siri, who held an associate IT degree from a Norwegian polytechnical school, decided to pursue her bachelor's in computer science.
“I was surfing the Internet to find a good distance learning program, since I couldn’t attend a 'normal' university in Saudi Arabia – where no women were allowed. I came across American Sentinel University and thought it sounded interesting. I started off slowly since my daughter Lisa was little and kindergarten lasted for only several hours each day.”
After several years in Saudi Arabia, Peter's job took them to Holland, where their second child, Daniel, was born. They lived just outside Amsterdam for just over four years and Siri completed eleven more courses. “I never really had a pause with my course work. I was just slowly working on it whenever I had time. So, when Daniel was a baby and had naps during the day I worked on my courses, as well as some evenings and at other times when there was a quiet time in the house.”
Ironically, it was in Angola, the country with the most technological obstacles for her, where she had the most time to devote to her coursework because the children were in school longer each day. “I finally had the time to get really efficient with my studies – but often had very, very slow or no Internet connections.”
Siri pushed through the challenges on this, the last leg of her undergraduate journey.
“My online education, as far as American Sentinel University is concerned, was seamless – and made it possible for me to travel the world, have children and a chance to stay home with them when they needed me, get to know people from all over the world, and still do something 'sensible' with my life. I feel that I have had the chance to do lots of things I wouldn’t have had time for if I stayed home in Norway in my old job.”
“The best part for me with American Sentinel is that courses were self-paced and I could study when I had time without pressure. I just liked the idea of being able to decide for myself when I wanted to study, without having as many deadlines hanging over my head. I have learned so much with distance education compared to the normal on-ground college experience. American Sentinel’s online university offered good value for my money!”
She tapped new resources within herself as she worked independently, consulting with her professors as needed.
“Actually, to write a problem down in an email solved a lot of problems for me. If you get it down on paper, you find yourself staring right at the solution. Some faculty members are very good at explaining difficult things in a way that makes you figure it out for yourself.”
After taking Lisa and Daniel home to Norway to see family over the summer, Siri and Peter will take their savvy little global travelers to their new home in the thriving Middle Eastern city of Dubai.
“Now that my children are older and in school for full days, I am ready to focus on my career. I never intended to be a full-time stay at home mum forever. Without my degree from American Sentinel, I know I would not be very attractive for today's job market.”
While taking Web Design I and II, Siri found she especially enjoyed developing web pages. But she is open to all the possibilities that her new degree offers as she moves back into the global marketplace, a much more confident woman than the one who left Norway eight years ago. Attributed, in part, to distance learning.
“I think this way of learning makes you very independent, very sure of yourself.”
Wise words from a woman who has discovered for herself, the greatest distance we have to discover still lies within us.