My family has been extremely supportive of my choice to continue my education. Based on that support it helped to ease some of my personal and academic anxieties. Age should never be a factor when you are motivated to advance in your career or education. My family has reminded me of that so many times and for that I am grateful.
Now Is the Time
My Peirce story began the day I received a flyer with my paycheck offering City of Philadelphia employees a 25-percent tuition discount to consider attending Peirce College. I had graduated high school almost 30 years prior with some random classes taken throughout the years. Earning a degree was tattooed onto my heart. I’ve wanted a college degree for so many years but elected to work instead. Jobs that I had the experience for required two and four-year degrees. I knew I had to make a decision to either maintain my current work status or to advance by way of completing my education. It’s decisions like this that make you choose to stop looking through the rearview mirror and drive forward. And that’s what I did. I enrolled at Peirce and started my first on campus courses in September 2011.
“ Returning to school has been the best decision of my life. ”
Balancing working full-time, family and attending school proved to be hard at times. As a water treatment plant operator for the Philadelphia Water Department I am required to work what is considered mandatory overtime. This happens frequently, with little notice, which is why I made the transition from campus to online courses.
Upon completion of my degree I hope to engage in a career that is more suited to my new talents. With the greatest confidence I will be able to apply for positions that are beyond the high school requirements (and salaries where the decimal point follows a few more zeroes).
Returning to school has been the best decision of my life. It gave me a renewed sense of responsibility after dragging my feet for so many years. I have found academic success and new friends. My advisors, staff and classmates have been so very helpful and an absolute joy to interact with, which makes praising Peirce simplistic. Whenever anyone asks me about Peirce I get really excited because it’s an opportunity to tell someone what a Peirce education has done for me.