Student Story: Pursuing Work, Family, and College
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Kaylan is a married, working mom of a 3-year-old holding down two jobs. I think it’s fair to say she’s pretty busy. However, despite her hectic schedule, Kaylan has managed to squeeze one more priority into her life: college. Kaylan is pursuing her college degree through Pearson Accelerated Pathways.Â
Kaylan qualified for tuition assistance from her employer, a Fortune 500 transportation company, so she started taking classes through Accelerated Pathways several years ago.
“When I first started taking classes, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so I began getting most of my prerequisites out of the way,” says Kaylan.
It wasn’t easy. “It was hard at first because when peak season would roll around at my work, I would have to take off because I never really had the energy or time to work on school. Later, when I had my daughter, that set me back as well. Once I was healed and I got the hang of mom life I went back to my studies at full force.”
Kaylan offers some advice to students struggling with other responsibilities, “Never give up! There will be times when life throws obstacles in your way for you to get around, go through those obstacles headstrong and aim for your goals. In the end it’s worth it!”
Her husband helps support her by watching her daughter when she works on school, and he’s a huge motivator. She’s also uses her daughter as her motivation to continue school. “I think about my daughter a lot when I am struggling. I know finishing my degree will impact her life in a positive way.”
Never giving up is kind of a recurring theme with Kaylan. She was recently promoted to work in her chosen field, HR, has been driving towards her goals in that area of her life as well.
“I started in HR around March of 2020, about a week before COVID became a huge deal. During that time, I never let anything stop me from my goals. I kept my head up and a positive attitude during it all,” says Kaylan. Positivity helped Kaylan weather many changes due to COVID in her roles in HR.
“I love it! I love the people I work with and all the new things I’ve been able to learn about. I will say working in the HR field has definitely helped me through my schooling as well.”
Kaylan’s positive attitude has been instrumental in her success. She reiterates, “Don’t let anything get in the way of achieving your goals. Think positive and positive things will come your way.”
Kaylan has been able to make progress towards her degree through Accelerated Pathways, and you can too! Learn more about our degree programs and get started.