Schooling and I have a... complicated relationship.
I have an odd relationship with schooling. More than once, I've started at school only to realize that I wasn't ready for those struggles overall and ended up withdrawing. It's always been a thorn in my side. Honestly, I feel like I've disappointed friends and family by not completing school. That's probably my anxiety talking, but it's always been a nagging thought in the back of my brain.
Why Bother?
I'm a skeptic when it comes to our current education system. The narrative of "if you want to amount to anything, you have to go to college" was rampant during my time in high school. Other options were either passed off as failures or never discussed. It's an incredibly unfair practice and is just one of the many factors that have lead to the national student loan crisis that impacts my generation. The reality is: Our world needs plenty of people with practical skills (like electricians, plumbers, mechanics, EMTs, and tons more) that don't require in-depth education. Trade schools and apprenticeships are fantastic tools for getting the skills you need to become relevant in the workforce.
In the world of IT, certifications are the way that you prove your mettle. Degrees typically aren't necessary to get a good job. However, Western Governors University gives you the best of both worlds: you get a college degree, along with several industry-standard certifications that end up looking nice on your résumé. This hybrid approach gives me a better reason to go back to school. I'll likely need these certifications anyway, so I might as well try to get a bachelor's degree while I'm at it.
Hindsight is 20/20
I was enrolled in the WGU B.S. of Computer Science program in the past and liked how the degree programs were structured. Due to a multitude of issues, I wasn't able to complete my studies and decided to withdraw. Thinking back on that time in my life, I wasn't ready to commit myself to my studies. Medical and financial issues plagued me during this time and never left me an opportunity to truly focus on my studies.
My time working in IT has also granted me insight that has allowed me to reflect on program choice. My first college had only offered Computer Science as a relevant program, so I stuck with that when enrolling in school going forward. That carried through until my last enrollment at WGU, where I started questioning how much I would thrive in that position and how practical it would be for me to find employment with that degree. I considered that an IT degree would be a better fit; I can always find businesses that need a "computer guy", and will always have opportunities to play around with new toys. However, the admissions counselor had convinced me that Computer Science would either open a similar amount of doors or more, so I enrolled in Computer Science once more.
Getting The Buy-In
Being that I think a little too logically sometimes, I decided to send some messages to my "stakeholders" (thanks, project management brain) that would ultimately decide how I'm going to move forward with this.
About a month ago, I had a meeting with my direct manager regarding how I wanted to move forward in my career path. This meeting had little warning, so I felt unprepared to discuss (or reflect on) where I want to go with my career. We spoke about me taking on new responsibilities at work, and the meeting was over. However, the more I thought about where I was and where I wanted to go, the more Cybersecurity stood out to me. Finding ways to safeguard assets from attack is a constantly evolving field, with methodologies changing every day.
I requested an in-person meeting with my direct manager to discuss further education options. After some chat about the new responsibilities I took on, I gave my "sales pitch" of re-enrolling in school but changing my program to Cybersecurity. The meeting went well, agreeing that would be a great direction to move in and supporting my plans. Getting my employer to assist with education benefits will be up to further approval from higher-up, but I feel confident that I can begin moving forward with this plan. There's just one other party that I have to make nice with...
Making Amends
I also contacted the school itself. Because of my previous history with them, they required that I complete a readmission process. That didn't shock me; they want to see that I've taken steps to make sure that I wasn't going to mess up again and can fully follow through on completing the degree program this time. This process includes writing an appeal letter explaining what went wrong last time, how you're going to ensure it doesn't happen this time, and why WGU is a fit for you. That left me a bit anxious, as I've never been much of a writer. Wanting to put my best foot forward, I decided to try Grammarly to revise and adjust my readmission letter. It worked better than I expected, giving me feedback on making my writing feel concise and stronger overall. I might also end up using it for my blog, to help form better writing habits. Maybe I'll end up writing a more in-depth review of it at some point.
My Finalized Readmission Letter
A brief history is needed to explain what happened with my previous attempt at a WGU degree program. Starting in 2014, I developed financial troubles that began with buying my current home. These problems only grew with periods of medical issues and unemployment. In an attempt to compensate for these slumps, I picked up additional jobs when able. These often cut into the time I was able to commit to school work. I was left without health insurance, making me unable to receive medical care and treatment for my long-term mental and emotional issues, which caused problems with my ability to focus. To put it bluntly, I was not ready to dedicate myself to my studies.
During my time at WGU, I saw much of how the school operated and how it would fit my learning style. It was liberating to pick up the classes I wanted to focus on at that exact moment. If I was burning out on a communications class, I could easily switch gears and throw myself at a math class without problems. I also felt freedom with the degree plans themselves. I'm prone to get frustrated with taking too many courses at once that I believe aren't "related" to the degree. If I front-load general education courses (like most traditional schools require), I tend to get discouraged quickly and lose interest. WGU's flexibility allows me to mix in some more major-focused classes in each term to feel like I'm making progress on my degree path.
I did have a significant problem before my classes even started. I started with the B.S. in Computer Science program, as it was the same program I was in during my previous rounds in college. I was thinking about the Information Technology program, but on the advice of the admissions counselor, I enrolled in the Computer Science program instead. Frankly, I believe this was a mistake. I'm unsure if that mistake was on the end of that admissions counselor for not addressing that concern or on me for not insisting on a better evaluation of my degree path. While I appreciate the need for Computer Science majors and application developers, that program doesn't fit my sense of practicality or how I want to form my career. The last two years with my current employer, a billion-dollar community bank in central Pennsylvania, have shown me that I want to aim at cybersecurity. With this, you'll notice that I'm not seeking readmission into Computer Science but have instead changed to the Cybersecurity and Information Assurance program.
2020 was a rough year for much of the world, but it ended up being one of the best years I've had for development. As WGU is aware, I went through bankruptcy at the start of 2020 to get a fresh start on my financial future. Since then, I've grown with my current employer and cultivated the best working relationship I've ever had. This employer values my skills and invests in my professional development. I've also gained access to regular medical care. I was diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and started receiving treatment for it. If there were no global pandemic last year, I would venture to say that 2020 ended up being one of the best years of my life. These improvements have continued to gather steam and are also making 2021 a strong year for me.
There's just one final question that needs answering: how does this mean I will succeed with WGU this time around? It boils down to this: I'm now in the best situation I've ever been in to buckle down and concentrate on this school work. I'm financially stable to the point that I don't have to work overtime or secondary jobs. I'm now medicated and can better organize and focus on the tasks that are ahead of me. I know how I want to approach my career path and degree program. I've continued to educate myself in the meantime and earned IT certifications that I would have received through WGU. There's never been a better chance for me to shoot my shot.
I appreciate the time you've taken to read my letter and consider my request for readmission to Western Governors University. I hope you can see the improvements that I've made over the last couple of years and how they'll set me up for success this time. With that, I hope that you agree to readmit me into WGU's B.S. in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance program at the start of 2022.
To be continued...
With that letter, I'm leaving the decision in the hands of the school now. The approval process for readmission can take several weeks, so I'm waiting (im)patiently to hear back from them. I'll give updates on how this progresses once I have them.