Cassandra Cole

Bachelor's in Technical Management — Business Administration
DeVry University

Why My Degree Is So Important To Me

Cassandra K. Cole

There is not just one reason of why it is important that I receive my degree. In fact, I have what seems like a million reasons. But, there are three major reasons that keep me going.

One of them is my precious children. I am a mother of a rambunctious yet lovable four year old son and a smart and adorable three year old daughter. I knew that when I did become a mother, one of the ideas that I wanted to instill into my children was education.

Growing up, my father pounded the importance of receiving a higher education. His parents did not finish secondary school. My grandfather only went to the third grade while my grandmother only achieved an eighth grade education. My father and mother hold high school educations. I have witnessed firsthand how hard it is to raise a family of four on jobs that pay next to nothing because that is what having a high school degree only allows. I want to share the importance of furthering education with my children.

College was very important to me but after I had my second child, I was not in school; I only had a high school education with a few college credits. I worked minimum wage jobs that went nowhere. I did not want this for my children. As every parent, I want to give my children what I did not have. I want my children to do better than me. At that moment, I decided to stop putting college on the backburner and made it my number two priority.

I signed up for the local community colleges online courses and filed for financial aid. In January 2007, I was a college student again after a six year break from my previous college. I decided that I was going to go for my Associates then my Bachelors and at last my Masters. I want to set the education bar high for my kids. I want them to say Mommy has her Masters degree and so does daddy. I need to do better than that. That is my ultimate dream. Even though it is taking me almost ten years just to receive my associates, I want my children to see that no matter what happens in their lives, obtaining their degree can be accomplished as long as they put their heart and soul into it.

My second reason of why my degree is important is because of my husband. He is an active duty military member. As a military wife, I always have to be prepared for the unknown so thought of him deploying to Iraq crosses my mind as well as  the thought of him not coming back home. As hard as it may sound, I have to be prepared for that day may happen. I do not want to be a young mother with only a high school education struggling to care for two toddlers. I just cannot do that. Therefore, I cannot depend solely on my husband and his career. In one day, my comfortable military life can be taken from me. Honestly, this scared me into going back to college.

My last reason is my career. I am a Human Resources Assistant for the 95^th Force Support Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base. My job is to hire qualified individuals, prepare background investigations and assistant our current employees. After eight years of working dead end jobs, I have finally found a career that I enjoy immensely. I know that once I have my bachelor's degree, I can immediately progress and thrive in this career that I love so much.  My supervisor is the Human Resources Director and is two years older than I am and she holds a master's degree. She is such an inspiration to me. One day, I want to be in her position and the only thing that is holding me back is not having my bachelor's degree. Once I do receive my B.S. in Technical Management, I WILL be the Human Resources Director.

I would not be able to accomplish my goal if it were not for online courses. Since I am a working woman, a mother, and a wife, I do not have the time to attend classes on a college campus. Online classes perfectly fit my hectic life. I can sit in front of my computer and attend class while in my pajamas with bed head and no makeup. I can do my homework in my backyard while my kids are playing on the swing set and then submit it while they are taking their naps. Online classes allow me to spend quality time with my family yet achieve my educational goals at the same time. Also, online classes give me a piece of mine of being able to continue my school work even if my husband changes duty stations half way around the world.

Online classes not only teach the materials but also discipline and self confidence. A student, such as myself, has to be disciplined enough to read the lectures, do the research, and lab work and study for exams. That self discipline is carried over into other parts of my life such as my career. I also have the self confidence that I did not have before.

Growing up, school was a bit tough for me. I had a hard time in math and science. In fact, those subjects scared me. Because of that fear, I always felt that I was not solving a math problem correctly and if I did solve it, I always felt my answers were wrong or I did not do a chemistry or physics lab correctly. As of today, I am taking a Physical Science class, which is a mixture of Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy and Geology, with a Physical Science lab. I was scared of these classes when I signed up for them but I had to have them to obtain my Associate's Degree. The first several weeks were a struggle but as the semester progressed so did my self confidence. As of now, I have a B average in both classes which in itself is an accomplishment. On May 16^th, 2008, I will be walking across the stage to receive my Associates degree in General Studies and on July 7^th, 2008, I will be taking the first two classes towards my B.S. in Technical Management.

I want to dedicate my educational achievements not only to my family but to universities such as DeVry. Without institutions such as this, working mothers like myself would not be able to turn our educational dreams into prosperous realities.