by Dawn Papandrea
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How to close the gap, you ask? There are ways to fit learning into your lifestyle and reap big rewards. Take a lesson.
* Education can help you stand out on the job, and make you proud of what you do.
"I didn't really have the motivation to obtain my bachelor's degree until about three years ago," admits 45-year-old Sandra Hudson. That was about the time she began serving on a strategic planning team at the Clerk and Comptroller's Office for Palm Beach County, Florida, where she's currently the Web communication coordinator.
"I was so interested, I started researching the concept of knowledge management. One of our weaknesses was that we weren't capitalizing on knowledge. The idea is that teaching people to communicate and collaborate together will produce better results in the organization," she explains.
What she learned on the job motivated Hudson to see if there were any online bachelor's degree programs that would further empower her in the office. She enrolled in Walden University's business degree program with a concentration in knowledge management. Little did she know that attaining that bachelor's degree would be a requirement for the position she currently holds.
"When the communications department was formed, and I read the job description [for Web communication coordinator], I said 'this was for me,'" says Hudson. "My selling point was that I would have my bachelor's degree in six weeks."
While the degree took her three years to complete, Hudson says she reaped rewards from day one. "It helped me tremendously, and tied into what our committee was working on."
After transitioning to her new position after graduation, Hudson is happy to report that her salary has gone up "a few pay grade levels." She's currently working toward her MBA from Walden.
* It's never too late to learn and strive for more.
Whether it's career advancement or filling a void in your life, there are many different reasons why adults enroll in online degree programs. For Brenda McGreevy, her attainment of an associate degree in criminal justice from Hudson Valley Community College's (HVCC, Troy, NY) online program served both goals.
"I decided to get a degree after both my daughters graduated from college and moved away from home," says the 49-year-old mom. "It was filling a void of the 'empty nest syndrome' and not wanting to be the only one in my family without a college education."
Brenda also chose online education to springboard from her position as a secretary for the New York State Division of Criminal Justice (SDCJ).
Besides her day job, McGreevy also volunteers as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with Western Turnpike Rescue Squad. That's why she knew if she ever got her degree, it would have to be done within the confines of her intense schedule. Hudson Valley's program fit her needs, so in September 2000, McGreevy enrolled.
Going back to school after such a long time, however, was a challenge, she says. Like many women who graduated high school in the mid 1970s, college wasn't exactly a priority.
"I immediately went to work. At that time, the majority of my classmates did the same," she recalls. "Several months after graduating I got married, and had my first daughter in 1975, after which I stayed home to care for her. I didn't return to work until [my youngest daughter, born in 1978] was around four years old."
McGreevy joined the Rescue Squad in 1996, an activity she loves, and one that sparked her interest in continuing her education.
"We are required to recertify as an EMT every three years in New York State. This requires taking continuing education classes on a regular basis and testing our practical skills," she says.
Juggling daily tasks with schoolwork wasn't easy for the self-proclaimed perfectionist. Luckily, McGreevy benefited from a strong support system.
"My office is filled with former police officers, probation officers, attorneys, and other criminal justice-related personnel. We also have a full library of criminal justice-related articles and materials."
Even nicer, adds McGreevy, her colleagues at work took the time to supplement her studies with hands-on instruction. "The deputy commissioner asked one of his staff to show me how to interpret fingerprints, and the employee spent several hours teaching me what he knew about them. I was also given demonstrations on some of the new criminal justice tools that made me more knowledgeable about the equipment than some of the professors who hadn't even seen it in use."
By May 2004, her hard work paid off. She graduated with a 4.0 GPA, and is currently on a list for a police trainer position. Her degree has opened up more opportunities to take state exams in order to climb the criminal justice ladder, and she's looking forward to continuing on for her bachelor's degree in the future.
* Sail toward your career goals, without sacrificing what's important to you.
For 48-year-old Benjamin von Harz, online learning gave him the opportunity to fulfill two big dreams at once - completing his bachelor's degree in respiratory therapy from the University of Missouri-Columbia (UMC), and taking time off from work to do some serious sailing.
Despite his experience in the respiratory therapy field since 1978, in order to achieve the position of clinical research associate - what von Harz calls his dream job - he needed a bachelor's degree.
"Your job is to assure that a sponsor's research is performed according to the study protocol and federal regulations," he explains. "This became the motivation to fill in the hole in my employment history by returning to school to complete the education I needed."
Of course, it took plenty of sacrifice and effort on Benjamin's part to be able to combine his lifelong affinity for sailing - which began when he was an Eagle Scout and joined a Sea Scout Ship in high school - with his studies. "I had gradually saved and changed my lifestyle since about 1994 to be able to take a year off of work and travel on my boat," he says.
He began researching online school options, and heard about UMC's program through word of mouth. The journey toward his degree was actually finishing up what he had started back in 1974. "I initially attended UMC as a chemistry major, but had only completed two years," he explains. The unique nature of the program enabled his prior credits to be applied, and allotted equivalency credits for his professional experience.
It took von Harz four semesters of schooling and sailing to finish up.
His journey took him all over the country, with a one-semester stop in Mobile Bay, AL. "I needed to find a spot on the coast to spend a semester and take microbiology on ground. It was the one course UMC would not allow me to get online," he explains.
Von Harz finished up his degree this past December, and is considering various employment opportunities.
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