Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Britton, B.S. in Computer Science
Tell us about your current job.
I work for Packaging Corporation of America, a manufacturer of containerboard and corrugated packaging products.
Name: Britton Powell
Age: 26
Marital Status: Married
Children: One
Current Location: Birmingham, AL
Advice to Online Students: "Many companies offer some sort of [tuition] help, so it's a good step to investigate what your company provides."
School: American Sentinel University
Target: B.S. in Computer Science, early 2007
Fifty percent of my job is spent on software development, enhancing our current accounting and production reporting software. My other responsibilities include supervising our help desk employees, and providing second level desktop software/hardware support, as well as support for our Netware, Windows, and OS/400 server platforms.
What aspect of distance learning do you like the best?
The greatest thing about completing my degree online is the flexibility of the schedule. I have been able to finish some classes in just three to four weeks, but then I can also take longer with some of the more difficult classes.
The convenience of getting to the coursework when I get the time is a huge plus. I get to choose what times of the day that are best for me to do my assignments.
Spending half an hour here and there on assignments not only gives me about five to ten hours a week doing coursework, but leaves plenty of time in between sittings to think about the next question or problem I have to solve.
What is the hardest thing about distance learning?
The hardest thing for me is finding the time and then forcing myself to focus and just get the work done. It usually gets done on my lunch hour.
Have you had any trouble making deadlines?
No. I tend to push myself, maybe more than I should, by trying to cut imposed deadlines in half. If I have a month to do a project, I only give myself two weeks to leave some much-needed breathing room.
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