Past, Present, and Future with University of Phoenix(tm)

For every journey there is a beginning, this is the story of my evolution through University of Phoenix. In this recitation of events I will be addressing where I was personally and professionally when I first started this program. I will also be addressing the growth I experienced over the course of study and lastly will be addressing the affect completing this has had on my personal and professional abilities. At the end of this paper you (the reader) will better understand who I am and how my educational experience with the University of Phoenix has helped me.

Reflections of growth, the beginning of the journey:

In February of 2007 I was employed with Citi Bank as an account retention specialist. At this time I had already been given the Citi Star of Excellence which is the highest award Citi Bank awards to employees less than five years and I had only been employed for a little less than one year. In this time however, I had gone from a simple account specialist to being chosen out of over 1400 employees locally to assist in a special start up team of 22 individuals. Our job was to ensure that our loyal customers were kept as such, when they called in or wrote in expressing problems or a desire to close our role was to save them as customers and assess and fix whatever problem they may have been having. During this time I was among the top 5% in the nation in retention numbers and received on average 4 calls weekly from satisfied customers who in some cases desired to speak only with myself when and if they had additional problems. These abilities and accomplishments provided me with additional avenues of growth and training within the company and I began to assist in areas like, fraud prevention and even collections occasionally.

Unfortunately, it was also at this time that my left leg began to go numb and my right leg soon followed. After falling at work several times due to not being able to feel where my legs were my supervisors and managers decided that regardless of what I told them they were not going to let me work unless I saw a physician. Directly following my first appointment I noticed a University of Phoenix branch next to the office and decided to check it out. Ringing in my ears was the fresh warning from my immediate supervisor that to move above a floor supervisor I would need a Bachelor's degree in something. She did make the point to say that this degree could have been in basket weaving, however I need this degree. Within a month I had enrolled and began my studies in March of 2007.

My first class was interesting and for someone who had not been in school in almost two decades was a relatively new experience. At the same time I was taking classes I was working full time, and had weekly doctors' visits as they attempted to discern why my legs were not functioning. Unfortunately within a month as a result of negative test results I was in surgery. I was surprised to find out that a condition I had when I was a child (spondylolisthesis grade IV) had degenerated and my spine was now effectively completely separated, obviously causing paralysis in one side and partially in the other. The term for this particular "ailment" is degenerative Spondyloptosis which means I have a 100% separation in my L5 and S1, unfortunately this also means I was forced to "retire" on disability until it is healed to the point I can function again properly. The problem is that it is degenerative which means that it could potentially continue to get worse and unfortunately has.

The affect this had on my initial classes was unfortunate, and I even ended up with one class at an F, and had to re-take it. However, I realized immediately that my desire to learn had increased with my ability to work doing what I had done before having decreased substantially. Overall, prior to surgeries and my initial classes my competence was extremely good, in fact I can say without additional "bragging" that my abilities far surpassed my surroundings and I would likely be upper management at this time had I not had the hiccup with my spine. I was extremely good at problem solving and with written and oral communication skills. So much so, that, within three months of my having started I was being called upon to assist with new hires and their training. My goals at that time were to continue to work with Citi Bank. Unfortunately, this did not occur as a result of the physical issues.

Evaluating my growth, during the journey:

Every course has been different, and each has had its share of education and learning that I was able to garner from them. Early on one of the courses that affected my approach was the philosophy course, PHI/105 Introduction to Philosophy. In this course I was immediately as an atheist put at odds as the instructor was a charismatic Christian and did not hesitate to make that clear. My use of irregular philosophers was immediately frowned upon though through several very solid conversations we were able to come to an agreement and I did pass the class with an A- which was good. The second most influential class personally and as a result professionally was CJA/353 with Mr. Manning as the instructor. It was in this class that I faced the first very detrimental approach to my life path, as a result I was forced to get administration involved and again it was worked out to the benefit of all involved parties. Interestingly I had this instructor again in a later class and we laughed about the prior issues understanding that both of us had grown and learned as a result. As a result of these two classes I am now much more careful regarding how I speak regarding my personal life path and others belief systems. While I generally am a very blunt individual these classes helped me understand that this approach was not always the most beneficial and it is at times better for all parties to avoid certain topics regardless of potential desire or need.

If I were able to assist other student in their journey's the most important lesson I have learned that I would pass on is, it is an online class. Sometimes it is beneficial to set everything down and take the late hit for the sake of completing the assignment properly. I do not recommend this at all times however, it is beneficial to approach in this manner. Time management is also a large factor in properly completing ones work. Schedule your time at the computer when working on class room issues and individual papers as well. When I sit down to complete my assignments I attempt to ensure that I will have at least one hour a day of uninterrupted work time. This allows me to be able to spend that valuable time with my family and still complete the tasks as they are given to me.

Analyze the journey, completion at last:

Over the last three classes I have been evaluating my journey and attempting to understand my current nervousness, most of it is largely the loss of a regularly scheduled event in my day. However, I am also quite nervous in that I plan on attending advanced education for my Masters/Ph.D. in Sociology, specifically juvenile criminal deviance with a minor in drug related crime. This next step is far more in depth than my current education and will require that I attend a school in person which I have not done in many years. I am planning on attending one of the following schools due to their exemplary programs in this area. University of Texas, Austin campus; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of Nevada Las Vegas or Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff Arizona. I have completed three separate articles for various journals and hope to see them printed within the next several months.

My additional educational experiences have been occurring as my classes here permit and I have graduated from Massad Ayoobs MAG-40 which specifically teaches Armed Citizens Rules of Engagement, along with this I have received several certifications from other agencies including but not limited to the National Rifle Association. Additional educational opportunities include my volunteerism with local organizations including but not limited to the United States Army, and local law enforcement agencies. I am also pursuing an opportunity as a local volunteer juvenile advocate working directly within the system to assist in innovating juvenile rehabilitative approaches for non-violent, non-repeat offenders. The specific goal is to offer a program that allows them to give back to the community without becoming yet another adult criminal in training.

In conclusion I would recommend The University of Phoenix to any potential student who is unable to attend a standard "brick and mortar" institution as I believe that it has allowed me the time and the education to pursue my additional goals. With the education I have personally received I hope to give back to my community and to the society in which I currently or will in the future live.