Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Jim S., Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Many distance learners know how tricky it is to balance schoolwork with family and a full-time job, and it seems everyone has a different strategy for time management. To wit: Jim S. has been known to sacrifice credit for a five-point paper in order to take his kids to Chuck E. Cheese®.
"Maybe I shouldn't have told you that," he says with a hint of mischief.
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
Although he's never neglected his work in any way that "affects the bottomline", Jim says that like anything else, getting your degree online is all about what you put into it.
"I've never sacrificed a class, but I'll take a lower grade if it means my wife and kids are happy… last time I checked, my diploma's going to read 'B. S. B. M.,' not 'Bachelor of Science in Business Management With a Low Grade Point Average'."
Jim had about a month's experience in junior college before joining the marine corps, with which he would serve twelve and half years.
During his time in the military, Jim trained young local area marine reservists; he fulfilled collateral service requirements with event planning and coordinating charitable drives like the Toys for Tots program.
Because of his experience in philanthropy and helping young people, Jim was approached by a fellow Marine's wife to work for a social service youth program after leaving the military.
Through the program, young men aged 17 to 21 were provided mentorship and encouragement to pick up skills for self-sufficiency. Jim worked to break down barriers to the boys' future employment opportunities, including secondary education.
One such opportunity came in the form of a rep from the University of Phoenix whom Jim invited to come talk to the boys about how secondary education leads to wider career choices.
Although Jim had scheduled the info session with the boys' interest in mind, he ended up being the one most intrigued by it.
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