Personal Narrative: Gaining A College Degree

Most people only consider the direct impact of a college degree on their own lives-but a college degree has a tremendous impact on the well-being of our own families as well, especially our children. Not only are children of parents with a college degree education better off socially and economically, but studies have shown that children in households where one or both parents have a college degree are themselves more likely to earn a college degree. “According to an estimate in 2028 there will be 19 million more jobs for educated population that there are qualified people to fill them”.

I went back to Nevada to clear my head and my wife stayed behind in Florida, while there, I realized that I was a couple credits from receiving my high school diploma and was really upset, because I had always thought I graduated. My wife thought I should stay and finish my credits to get my diploma and she moved back with me while I struggled with the school work. I hadnt been in school for so long and it seemed so much harder facing the curriculum at my age then. I struggled and failed, but I kept getting back up and trying again and I did pass and received my high school diploma. This was very important to me because I didnt want to be just another bum on the street that didnt do anything with my life. I had big dreams and all though I had left them on the back burner for a while, they were still there inside me, just waiting for a chance to make them happen.

completing step #1 – an associates degree. In the grand scheme of life, it is my whole hearted desire to

Coming back to school after being away for 17 years has been one of the most emotionally taxing endeavors I've experienced. My career experience was working in the quality control field. Being apart of the industry was very satisfying until the point in which the 2008 recession hit. Having to go through the uncertainty of being laid off and the frustration of trying to reenter the work force with only a high school diploma brought into focus that I needed to finish the bachelor degree I had started. While attempting to find gainful employment I took the opportunity to begin the process of transferring to a school here in California. I had originally started my degree in Lincoln, Nebraska, but moved out to California with my significant other.

Through many life obstacles I was not very fortunate or goal driven to attempt to go to college after high school. Grew up in a military family so my family was stricter about keeping their children

One was the aforementioned reason that I didn't want to make any big changes in my life at that time. The second reason was that I didn't really have any idea what I wanted to do career-wise at that time, and for about a year and a half that stayed true. Because of this indecision in my life, i "slacked off" by my standards in some classes my freshman year of college. I severely regret this decision, but i have tried to make up for it by picking up my game once again in the first semester of my sophomore year, getting a 3.8 on a four point scale. I plan to take 20 credits my final semester at GCC, which will allow me to get my degree in the spring semester of 2010. I consider this the top of my game academically.

to college but I am the only one of my siblings to not graduate from college with a bachelor’s

gone back to school to get a degree. (15) With each act of kindness, we told the

I had a baby after shortly after I graduated high school. I attended a university-- before I withdrew to focus

Continuing my education has been a goal of mine for some time, but I haven’t made the commitment until now. There are several reason why I chose to return to school after so long, the primary reason being advancement opportunities in my career. My other motivating factor is my daughter. I am looking forward to the knowledge I will gain and the ability to implement that knowledge into my everyday life.

I always believed that things would just work out in the end. That I did not need to be wrapped up in over complicated situations because they would unravel themselves. I had this idea that I would grow up, go to college, and then get a job. My older brother Joseph had a similar idea. He started at the University of Dayton in August of 2015, but decided to come back home to our house in Bucks County at the end of October in 2015. His simple decision of “college wasn’t for me” had single handedly ripped me from my cozy reality that “everything works out” and had pitted my family against one another.

decision to return back to school and complete my degree at first was an overwhelming course of

I graduated from high school on 2002 and I never stop thinking about going back to

The journey began with me in my final months of my senior year in high school. I

My decision to return to school has proven to be a very good choice. I have been successful in banking for 21 years; however, I am in the highest position I can obtain without having a college degree. The goals I have for myself and my future exceed where I am right now in my professional career. By obtaining my degree and utilizing the skills I gain from my higher education journey, I plan to advance my career. I am currently manager of the loan department at a credit union, but I would like my career to develop into branch management roles. Additionally, my daughter is beginning college in the fall and I believe I have set a good example for her, as well as demonstrated how difficult going to college