Terry P.

Meet Terry P.

Name: Terry P.

Age: 44

School: Regis University

Target: Master's in Computer Information Systems, 2003

For Terry P., 44, Illinois, finishing his master's degree was top priority. Fortunately, he did not have to work full-time and go to school. He was able to work part-time and focus more on class work.

"I was between jobs when I started school. My intention was to take about one year off from work to concentrate full-time on school and then to work full-time and part-time study," says Terry.

"However, after one year, finding full-time work was difficult because of the economy, so I decided to continue full time with my studies until the degree was completed."

Terry received his master's degree online in 2003 from Regis University in Denver, Colorado.

"The freedom from full-time job responsibilities allowed me to put more time and effort into the coursework," he says.

He had already gotten his Bachelor's degree in computer information systems. Then he started a traditional graduate program in 1993 and was not able to complete it.

"I was interested in completing a graduate degree but wanted some flexibility since my work involves quite a bit of travel. I didn't go back to the original program, which was at a state university," he says.

Because engineering is a computer-intensive field, having his Bachelor's degree in the field was a huge plus for him. But getting the Master's degree 12 years later in computer information systems has allowed him to take advantage of better employment opportunities. He says he has gotten jobs with more responsibility and a pay increase of about 25 percent along the way. He is currently a systems engineer in the transportation industry, and his job involves high-level hardware and software design.

Although he is pleased with where he is education-wise, he says he would still like to still like to go into embedded SW programming.

We asked Terry about his experiences as a distance learning student, including some of the challenges and perks of learning online.

What was your biggest challenge as a distance learning student?

Getting used to the distance-learning environment was the biggest challenge for me. Although classmates and professors were available by email, IM, chat, board discussions, fax, online conferencing, and telephone, it's quite a change going from a physical classroom to an online environment.

What is the best thing about distance learning?

Distance learning has allowed me to concentrate on my academics with less distractions than there would be in a traditional classroom.

And the worst aspect of distance learning?

The worst part of distance learning, to me, is that there is no personal (i.e. live, face-to-face) interaction with other students and professors.

How did your employer (or prospective employer) view your online degree?

My employer had a positive reaction to me getting my master's degree. I had no issues or conflicts with work, because I worked only part-time.

It would have been more difficult to balance a full-time job, full-time study, and family responsibilities if I was getting my Master's and working at the same time. I was lucky to be able to work part-time while going to school.

How are you paying for your education?

I paid for my education through personal savings.

How much did it cost you?

My master's program has cost in the neighborhood of $17,000.00.

What advice do you have for people who have to work full-time and get their degree at the same time?

I would suggest they do it part-time like I did. This gave me more time to focus on my schoolwork and take on a larger course load so my time at school would not have to drag out. I know not everyone can do that, but it was less stressful not having so much professional work to do on top of school work hours and other personal obligations.

Would you have done it if you were working full-time?

If I had to work full-time while getting my master's degree, I would have still gone for the degree but lowered my class load. It would have taken longer to graduate that way, however.

Do you have any advice to share about distance learning?

Distance learning requires just as much, if not more work as a land-based degree program. Don't underestimate the work that will be involved when getting a distance learning degree. It can be just as much work, if not more than going through the traditional method of brick and mortar schools.

In the future, would you consider online education again or would you go back to traditional, on-campus experience?

I would consider going through the online education system again. I would do so because I can choose from a broad range of programs that may not be available from a local college or university. That's a huge plus to online learning—you can get programs from across the globe and not have to travel far to reap the benefits of online education.