My educational journey: It's the fact that you finish Published April 18, 2013 By James Hopple 66ABG/SCXP HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. -- "What's the difference between people who have a college degree and people who don't?" That was the question I asked my cousin who had just graduated from Kansas State University. He was a long distance runner on the Wildcat's cross country team and had gone through college on an athletic scholarship. I was a senior airman in the Air Force at the time stationed at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas. "There really is no difference intellectually or intelligence-wise; the real differentiator is the fact that someone with a degree has proven that they can finish what they set out to do. It doesn't matter how long it takes or the route you take to get to the end, it's the fact that you finished. That's what employers are looking for. That's the key." My journey began after I graduated from Fitchburg High School in Fitchburg, Mass., in 1978. I had a soccer scholarship to Clark University in Worcester, Mass., and began my higher education journey in the fall of 1978. Suffice to say, I only lasted half a year at Clark. I loved playing soccer, but I lost my focus on the academic aspect of my college experience. I dropped out and went back to Fitchburg. I went back into the work force but quickly realized there had to be something better than working the grill at the local Bonanza restaurant. The Air Force beckoned and in February of 1980 I headed off to basic training. My first duty station was Laughlin AFB. Now if anyone has ever been to Del Rio, Texas, you'll understand when I say that it really was the middle of nowhere. But, like every city in this country, they had institutions of higher learning. So I signed up for a couple of classes at Southwest Texas Junior College. At first, it was challenging juggling my Air Force job and going to class at night, but once I got into a studying rhythm it wasn't too bad. Then everything changed. In 1984 my son was born and in 1986 my daughter was born. My education journey was now officially on hold. As it stood then, I had one year at Clark University, two classes at Southwest Texas, an assignment to Alaska, and my college career on a temporary hiatus. Fast forward to 1995. After spending eight years at Eielson AFB in Fairbanks, Alaska, I found myself stationed at what could only be considered the polar opposite of Alaska: Maxwell AFB - Gunter Annex in Montgomery, Alabama. Education-wise, I had nothing to show for my time in Alaska. It wasn't because my Air Force supervisors weren't advocating continuing education. They were. I just didn't have the time. At least that's what I kept telling myself. So I settled into my job at Gunter, working primarily on the software support help desk and in software development. Life was good. Then one day I got one of those automated computer printouts that said I only needed a couple more credits and I could get my associate degree from the Community College of the Air Force. I kind of thought that was strange, considering I hadn't taken a college class since I was stationed in Texas back in the 80s. I was intrigued. So I made an appointment to see the guidance counselor at Gunter. Turns out, I actually was a lot closer to my CCAF degree than I thought. Over the years, I had taken several technical classes as part of my career field training and when they factored in Air Force basic training and technical school, I only needed a speech, a biology, a humanities, and a math credit to earn my CCAF. The counselor told me that I could try some CLEP tests and if I passed them then the credits would apply to my degree. So over to the library I went to check out some of the CLEP study material. After that, it was simply a matter of scheduling the tests. I did pretty well on the biology test, and the speech CLEP was no problem. I decided to take an algebra CLEP for the math credit since I had taken algebra in high school and at Southwest Texas. I breathed a sigh of relief when I opened the test results; I had scored the minimum passing score. So that only left the humanities CLEP. Now, I've always been an avid reader and didn't think that the literature section was going to be a problem. No, I was more worried about the art, music, and architecture sections. But, as it turned out, I actually scored way above the minimum required and I crossed off the last credit that I needed for my CCAF. In the overall scheme of things, getting your CCAF degree probably doesn't rate very high, but for me it signified an education milestone. I had finished a degree program. My cousin had been right all those years ago; it didn't matter how long or what route I had taken -- I just had to finish. My bachelor's degree came as a direct result of my CCAF degree. Several of my friends at Gunter had enrolled in an accelerated degree program at a small college in Montgomery called Faulkner University. It was one of those programs where you combine your last two years of your bachelor's degree into one year. But, that also meant going to school full-time for roughly 12 months and carrying a full course load. Plus, I found out that the final graduation requirement included a research paper, which essentially was a mini-thesis project. I was excited about taking on this challenge, but in the back of my mind I had some serious doubts that I was biting off more than I could chew. The one saving grace about being an adult student going back to school was that all the instructors were very understanding about all the life factors that stood in the way of finishing. We were full-time students, but we also had full-time jobs, families, and other commitments that were going to zap our time and energy. Time management was going to be crucial. All things considered, the first few classes were extremely challenging (but enjoyable) and once I got into my studying rhythm, I found that I could balance all those factors that were competing for my time and attention. The way the program was set up, we took four classes at a time and at the end of the 8-week session we had a comprehensive exam that we had to pass before we could move on to the next 8-week session. Once that first academic session and that first comprehensive exam was in my rear-view mirror, everything else just seemed to fall into place. Before I knew it, I was receiving my bachelor's degree. Another education milestone finished. It was a lot of hard work, but the day I walked across that stage at the Faulkner University commencement ceremony and received my bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management, I had never felt so proud in all my life. Then another milestone hit: retirement. I had served my country for 22 years in the Air Force and had decided to retire. The Veteran's Administration had assigned me 50 percent disability when I retired, and as a disabled veteran I was able to utilize the Vocational Rehabilitation benefit to continue my education. I enrolled in the Computer and Information Science master's program at Troy University in Montgomery. Several obstacles now stood in my way. Since my bachelor's degree was in HRM, I needed to take several bridge classes just to be able to start the master's degree program. Having worked in the Information Technology field my entire career, I had the practical experience but I didn't have the coursework to go along with it. So, after going over my credits from Faulkner, the guidance counselor at Troy worked out what bridge classes I would have to take to get accepted into the CIS master's program: Discrete mathematics, Computer Science I and II (Java programming), Data Structures, Logical Structures and Computer Design, and Foundations in Computer Science. In addition to the bridge classes, I also learned about another prerequisite: a little test called the GRE that I would need to take (and score high enough on) before I could apply. My educational stress levels just increased exponentially. How was I going to manage all that? Having had two successful finishes to my previous educational experiences, I knew I was ready for this next challenge. All the lessons I had learned along the way in my education journey, I applied in every aspect of my life: my job, my family, and in my personal relationships with friends and co-workers. So I buckled down, knocked out the GRE (think of the SATs for graduate students), decided on whether I was going to take the thesis option or the comprehensive exam option (I went the thesis route), and started my course work. As it was with my bachelor's degree program, once I got into a rhythm, things seemed to just fall into place. Of course, in a master's program you have to maintain a 'B' average, which means you have to be 100 percent prepared for all assignments, tests, and projects. There was very little room for missteps. But as time passed, I found that I could still enjoy all the things in my life that I thought I would have to sacrifice while pursuing my degree. It really all came down to time management and staying organized. My education journey lasted a little over 25 years and spanned several colleges and universities in states all across the U.S.: from Massachusetts to Texas, from Texas to Alaska, from Alaska to Alabama. But in the end it all came down to one very important thing: I finished. And when I walked across the stage of the Davis Theater in Montgomery, Alabama, and received my master's degree in CIS from Troy University, my journey ended at least temporarily. Because if you stop and think about it, a person's educational journey never really ends. Even today, I'm still taking classes of some type to maintain job proficiency, complete various certifications, and stay current in the IT world. Even though I didn't take the traditional route on my journey and I didn't get my master's degree until I was 45 years old, I stuck with it and was able to finish. Sometimes I think back to that conversation with my cousin and the question I asked him all those years ago. And his answer still rings true today: "It's the fact that you finished. That's the key."