Dr. Randall Cuthbert
Associate Professor, Emergency & Disaster Management at American Public University
Going back to school in any given life stage or circumstance can be the best decision you can make. There’s a world of opportunity out there and getting a degree might just be the key to finding what’s out there for you.
My Story
First, an autobiography–backwards.
June 2006: Achieved the Doctorate of Philosophy degree, which opened up the opportunity to be a professor for American Public University (APU).
January 1991: Achieved the Master of Science degree, which enabled promotion within the career of military officer.
June 1982: Achieved the Bachelor of Science degree, which enabled access to the career of military officer.
August 1978: I had worked four years for the State Forestry Department as a laborer, bouncing from federal employment program to program, always in search of that elusive permanent position.
I recall one day in particular that I spent marking out a future timber sale, crawling through the woods marking boundaries and trees, sweating enough to attract every mosquito for hundreds of yards, and becoming intimately familiar with the miserable itch factory that is poison oak.
My day got worse. Upon return to the office, I was notified that the most recent permanent job that I had applied for (basically doing the same thing) was going to a lesser-experienced individual who had his associate’s degree in forestry from the local community college. The supervisor told me: “We really value book learning, so that’s what we’re going to choose every time.”
That day, I began my college career and never looked back.
The rest, as they say, is history. My bachelor’s led to the career as a military officer; the master’s led to promotion; the Ph.D. led to the career as a professor. I had to take four years off from the working world and endure some significant financial hardship to achieve the bachelor’s; I took night classes while working for the master’s; and I took the Ph.D. online, which was just beginning to come of age. It was all worth it.
[Related: Tales of a Recovering College Dropout]
Things to Consider for Your Story
Online learning has really transformed what it means to go to school as an adult. You no longer have to quit work, uproot your family, move to where the campus is, and struggle with additional financial hardship to attain a degree.
Once you start, it is important to not quit too soon. If I had continued to avoid education rather than embracing the opportunities provided, my life would have been much different. I didn’t know back then that I had the potential of being a Ph.D. professor, because I’d never bothered to find out. Knowing what I know now, I think that non-attainment of my education would have been a cause for deep regret.
I recently learned that the gentleman who beat me out for the forestry job retired in essentially the same position; he leveraged his associate’s degree to attain an honorable career of labor that lasted a lifetime. He apparently was in exactly the place he was supposed to be doing exactly what he was supposed to do.
[Related: From Being a Simple Fisherman]
Are you? Are you sure? If you’re not, then shed your complacency and find out where you’re supposed to be next! Don’t set yourself up for your senior years to be full of regret. There’s a world of online opportunity out there that wasn’t available just a few short years ago. Go do!
Onward and upward!
About the Author: Dr. Randall Cuthbert is an Associate Professor of Emergency & Disaster Management. He welcomes comments and suggestions for topics to explore in this forum. He can be reached at randall.cuthbert@mycampus.apus.edu
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