Online Learner Profiles: Barry T.
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Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Barry T., Bachelor of Business Administration
Meet Barry
Name: J. Barry Turner
Age: 47
Title: Executive Director of Public Relations
Employer: Ogeechee Technical College
School: American InterContinental University
Target: B.B.A. in Management, 2006
"If you took a look at my resume before I got my degree, you might think I had to be 120 years old!" jokes Barry Turner, 47.
And indeed, Barry kept busy in the 29 years between starting his degree immediately after high school and finally earning his full B.B.A. in 2006 at the age of 46.
He advanced in the funeral service industry, became a licensed EMT, raised a family, started new businesses, wrote for a local paper, and opened a bakery and retail store in his hometown, where he also serves as Chairman for the Downtown Development Authority.
While simultaneously starting coursework at the local university and getting into a career in the funeral service industry, Barry found himself more interested in his job than in getting his bachelor's degree in the traditional timeline. He advanced in his business, built it up, and eventually sold it to a larger corporation.
But when that corporation was forced to file for bankruptcy years later, Barry lost his job to cost-cutting measures. Not one to feel defeated, however, Barry seized upon the opportunity to start a program in Funeral Services Education at the local technical college.
"They hired me part-time first," he explains, "just to investigate the program's potential, since the closest of its kind was one I'd attended in Atlanta, which was expensive because it was a private school."
It quickly became apparent that Barry's program would be very popular at the technical college, so he was hired at the school full-time.
He soon found, however, that not having his full degree was a frustrating limitation. Although Barry was hired in the capacity of a Program Director, he could not hold that title because he did not have a bachelor's degree.
It was ironic that even though he was working full time to get this new program accredited, he could not receive formal recognition for that (not to mention a higher salary), simply because he did not hold a degree from an accredited institution in his own right.
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