Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Jim S., Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Jim started out his program on Microsoft Outlook Express, but the University of Phoenix recently converted to an all-in-one eCampus that he found easy to navigate.
Name: Jim Stailey
Age: 35
Marital Status: Married
Children: 3 sons, (ages 15, 12, 2), and a daughter, 10.
Current Location: Spokane, Washington
Advice for Students: It's never too late to earn your degree.
School: University of Phoenix
Target: B.S. in Business Administration, February 2008
"About as fancy as it comes is PowerPoint," he says. All of his resources were online except for one book: the APA writing manual.
Online video presentations brought his lectures to life and he remembers one in particular: "You can read a text a million times, but with a good video presentation, you know what to emphasize in your learning by the way the instructor expresses the lesson." (And unlike a traditional lecture, these lessons can be downloaded for multiple viewings.)
Jim has now gotten all of his core requirements out of the way and has a projected graduation date of February 2008. He has vague plans to pursue an M.B.A. next, probably online.
"I'm confident now that I'm essentially done with the B.S.B.A., and at this point I've come far enough that I can write, in 45 minutes, a paper that used to take me five hours," he says.
And it's not the quality of his work that's changed, but the skills he's acquired, which he's quick to point out to the potential student.
"My advice would be not to stress at your level of ability with writing, math—any of the core competencies—you have to start somewhere."
Jim truly believes that it's not too late for anyone to advance their education, and that no one is incapable of getting back into the flow of schoolwork.
"I went into math class having to use all my fingers and toes," he says, "and came out helping my high school child with his homework."
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