2009 Ecampus Graduates

Noel Jinings - Career mobility

B.S. Natural Resources
Sandy, OR

What does completing your degree mean to you? How do you feel it will improve your life and career?
Completing my degree means more freedom for me. I have been working in my chosen field the entire time I have been completing my degree through OSU's distance program. However, I have been stuck underneath a glass ceiling due to the lack of a degree. Now that I have completed my bachelor's I have mobility, not only within the agency I currently work for, but wherever I choose to go from here. That means a lot!

Why did you choose to complete your degree online through OSU Extended Campus? What did you like about this method of education?
I have been working on my bachelor's through OSU Extended Campus for about eight years. Among the reasons I have been working on my degree for so long was because I wanted to pay as I went so that I could graduate without debt. Also, I already had an agency job that would allow me to get valuable experience in the field with the opportunity for advancement on completion of my degree. OSU's Extended Campus allowed me the freedom to work on my degree at a pace that accommodated my work and home life. The level of instruction is top-rate and you get to interact with students all around the world. This has really been an enriching experience that just can't be offered in any other manner.

Did you have an instructor or advisor who was influential in helping you succeed as a distance student?
I have been in this program so long that I have had the opportunity to work with two wonderful advisors. I originally worked with Bob Ehrhart who got me started and pointed me in the right direction. He was great and went above and beyond to get as many of my previous college credits transferred as humanly possible. Then, I had the opportunity to work with Marge Victor during the second half of my journey to obtain my degree. She has been a wonderful cheerleader and gone out of her way to answer any and all of the myriad of questions I have thrown her way. I couldn't have done it without these two terrific people.

What will your Ecampus degree allow you to do that you were unable to do before?
I currently have an associate's degree in Natural Resources and I reached a level where I can no longer move ahead in this field. All of the career-type jobs in the field of natural resource management require a bachelor's degree to even be considered, regardless of your work history. This degree will allow me to be competitive in my chosen career field to an extent that I have not been.

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