Current occupation:
IT Associate
What made you decide to pursue your degree as an adult?
The realm of Information Technology is constantly growing and adapting. I love new technologies and I found a passion early on using technology.
Why did you choose to study at Tiffin University?
I originally chose Tiffin University because of our Track and Field team. To be honest, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I first started as a freshman, but I knew I wanted to run in college.
Describe your experience with the program so far.
The program until this point has been nothing but hands on, and practical for helping reinforce topics. The beauty of this program are the various labs and projects that provide students a way to apply what we learn. I was anxious about taking this program online as I wondered if I would be missing out on important knowledge. As it turns out, with the way the accelerated classes are set up, you still get a great knowledge base from each class.
The technology was super easy to use, as Moodle was easily the backbone of everything. As far as setting up environments for labs and coding projects the classes you take explain the technology in great detail. If you don’t understand something with the technology at first, you will by the end of everything.
Interactions with everyone on campus have been amazing. I have wonderful interactions with all of my professors and they have all been very helpful. Show your professors you want to be in their classes, learn from them, and ask questions and they will give you all of the support they possibly can. As far as fellow students and other faculty I have had nothing but amazing interactions and have built great relationships all around.
How are you juggling work, life and going back to school? Any tips?
Juggling work, family and school are no easy tasks. It truly does take a great deal of dedication and time management, but it is achievable. A tip I would suggest is make sure you plan enough time for everything in your life. It will take some time to master, but ensuring you give yourself that time to do the assignment before the due date, get through your work shift and still have time to spend with family. You have to find the healthy balance of all three and you can’t neglect one. Give it time, try different methods, and pick the one that fits you best.
What keeps you motivated to stay in the program?
Thinking about my future lifestyle I want to achieve is what keeps me motivated. You have to have that end goal in sight in order to feel that motivation I believe. I remember my freshman year I did not have that end goal and it was truly making me question everything. Now that I have my end goal, I am more dedicated to my studies now.
What advice would you give to a prospective student who is thinking about going back to school?
As far as advice goes, I would truly tell them to think about their end profession, or even the field they want to get into. Look into your past, your hobbies, your interests, and research internally what you love. Then research how people have gotten into these fields or professions. Whether that be through getting a degree, taking a certification, or just starting out with an entry level job. In the end to sum things up, I believe that everybody has to have their own reasons for coming to college, for me it made sense because I wanted to get that IT education. If you want to go to college or if your end career needs a degree, go back to school. You will learn so much about yourself, how you learn, and provide you with time to grow.
TU’s motto is: Without risk there is no gain. Can you tell us about a time when you took a risk and what you gained from it?
I came to Tiffin University for the Track and Field program. I had little to no knowledge of what I wanted to achieve academically while attending, but I knew I wanted to run. Sophomore year, a switch flipped in my head and I started to think about my future after college. I had little to no passion for the degree I was pursuing, it was limited to what careers I could do based off my interests, and I knew there was a better path for me. I took a risk of switching my degree that would cause me to graduate later than intended, and I quit track to pursue gaining real experience with IT. With this risk, and dedication, I caught up with my classes which is allowing me to graduate on time, and I have one years worth of experience in my field already. I also just accepted a full time position that is truly turning out to be one of the best jobs I have ever had. To this day, even though I left a lot of things behind Sophomore year, I have gained so much.