Personal Goals

When I think of graduating from college, I see someone who is 22-years old. When I was 22 years old, I had seen more things than I care to remember. I had just left the Air Force where I was a medic in the first Gulf War. I spent most of my time in the Labor and Delivery unit of the base hospital. I loved assisting with the birth of a child. My time spent in the Labor and Delivery unit was the most wonderful and rewarding experience.

Before I left the Air Force, I started taking college courses working toward a bachelor's degree in Nursing. My dream was to obtain a Master of Nursing degree in Midwifery. As a Certified Nurse Midwife I could care for pregnant women and help them bring their babies into this world.

Complete My Degree

When I left the military and returned to Austin, I continued to pursue a Nursing degree, but got side-tracked in college life. That would be the party side of college life. I was not focused on my studies.

I began a rewarding career by chance. I sold long distance telephone service for MCI as a part-time job. Over a very short period of time I was being promoted again and again. Eventually, I gave up on college since it did not seem I needed a degree to get ahead. While I learned a great deal through on-the-job training, I never felt like I had a complete understanding of my field. I had stumbled into a career in Information Technology and despite my lack of formal training, I continued to prove myself and to grow my career.

I have since learned that I enjoy the Information Technology field very much and would like to complete my degree in Business/Information Systems rather than nursing.

Learn About Business and Information Technology

Despite my progression to a senior level in my field, there are still aspects of my field that I do not fully understand. I have excelled as a Business Systems Analyst for many years; however, I hope to learn more about business to help me better understand the needs of my business partners. I also hope to learn more about the many facets of Information Technology so I can begin to move toward strategic solutions development.

Feel Better About Myself

I have always felt terrible about leaving college. I believe it was the right thing to do at the time since I was not taking it seriously but I have always regretted quitting. I believe I would have a much higher level of self-esteem and confidence if I could complete a degree.

I competed with my younger brother for a time and even made a bet