She left high school abruptly in the fall of her junior year. And by age 31, Jessica Snow was already an associate director at The University of Alabama with over a decade of professional experience and two post-graduate degrees to her name. How did she accomplish this? By taking a nontraditional path to higher education through UA Online.
Some might have counted her out of academic success after she withdrew from high school. After all, as Jessica says, “I knew early in life I wanted to go to college and earn my bachelor’s since no one in my family had ever attended college, let alone graduated!” Within three months, she earned her GED and enrolled in college while most of her peers still had a year and a half of high school left.
Jessica completed an associate degree in Business Management and relocated to Tuscaloosa, where she landed an administrative position in the Capstone International Center at UA, working with study abroad programs while she earned her bachelor’s online from UA through UA Online. For three years, she balanced a full-time academic course load along with her family responsibilities as a mother to a young daughter, as well as receiving a promotion. Jessica graduated from The University of Alabama with her bachelor’s degree in Consumer Affairs in 2011, at the same time as many of her high school classmates but with the beginnings of a promising career already on her resume.
“The first goal for me was to get my bachelor’s degree. As a first-generation student, I was intimidated by a large college like UA and the thought of earning my bachelor’s was daunting. But UA Online showed me it didn’t have to be. It’s attainable and realistic. And as I completed my degree, I got a taste of higher ed as a career field and found my passion. I believe in distance learning and the opportunities it offers people. “
In the midst of her program, Jessica received a scholarship for distance students from UA’s Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education. “I remember attending the reception to receive the scholarship and meeting other distance students and their families. For the first time, I felt like there are others who are exactly like me and can relate to my journey. I was not an outsider!”
After graduating with her bachelor’s, Jessica went to work for the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education as a program coordinator with UA Online. She knew she’d need a master’s degree to continue advancing within higher education, so she began completing her master’s in General Studies with a certificate in Conflict Management, both 100% online. She continued to balance all of life’s responsibilities along with her school work, and she graduated in less than two years by taking two courses at a time.
“The master’s coursework focused on soft skills that are necessary for advancing into leadership roles. It helped me hone my abilities to communicate, mediate conflict and find solutions that help everyone while also meeting departmental and organizational strategic goals.”
Jessica remembers her grandfather being overwhelmed with pride at seeing her earn her master’s and walk at graduation. But the achievement of a master’s degree was not just an emotional one; it gave Jessica the credential required for her next promotion to program manager, still within UA Online. She took a year off from going to school, but the educational bug bit her again when she decided to pursue her Educational Specialist degree in Educational Leadership, a weekend-based program for professionals.
The degrees she has earned, along with her career experience and determined drive to succeed, equipped Jessica for her promotion to associate director for UA Online in 2018. In this role, she oversees all marketing and recruitment efforts for UA’s online degree programs.
“I manage a team of over 20 full-time staff, and the coursework I completed, paired with my professional experience, helped prepare me for the supervisory component. Strategy has been a natural strength of mine, but the master’s degree really strengthened my leadership and relationship management skills,” she said.
“In the 10 years it took me to earn the four degrees, my journey evolved but the flexibility of completing a degree online remained constant. From being a young single mom trying to climb the career ladder while balancing my daughter’s softball schedule, to married and managing a demanding career, it really reinforced that you can complete your education without disrupting your lifelong goals. In fact, earning your degree online can help propel you toward those goals.”
Jessica said time management is the key to balancing school with life’s other responsibilities. She said she would map out the entire semester on a calendar to stay on top of assignments and work ahead when she knew she had vacation or a big work project coming up. And she did it all without disrupting her role as mom. “I did a lot of reading at the ballpark during practice and worked on assignments after my daughter went to bed. It was important to me that I was fully engaged in her life, and UA Online allowed me to fit my education into our lives so that she doesn’t look back and see it as a burden on her childhood,” Jessica said.
“I earned these degrees not only to pave my career path but also to set an example for my daughter and show her that no matter how many barriers you encounter in life, you can always reach your goals. Now as a freshman in high school she is considering taking college courses online via UA Early College, so I guess online learning is becoming a family tradition!”
Jessica’s journey began with online education, and her career path points to a continued rewarding journey in online education. “My career helps motivate me to get out of bed every day because I know I am investing in work that helps other people not only reach the goals they have set for themselves, but also the ones they have not yet imagined.”
Published: August 30th, 2020