Colorado Tech Online Students and Alumni
Meet Ensign Curtis White
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
With his 4-year commitment to the Marine Corps nearly complete, Sgt. Curtis White began to consider his options. Three years later, thanks to hard work, dedication and a bachelor's degree earned through Colorado Tech Online, Curtis is a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy and is training to be a naval aviator. Here's how he did it:
"I spoke with an education officer on base who gave me some information regarding universities and degree programs. He told me to look into some of them and get back to him. Since the nearest university was at least a 30 minute commute, I began to look into online degree programs. I contacted several institutions and Colorado Tech Online stood out for several reasons. The degree programs fit my interests, the Admissions Advisors were extremely knowledgeable and professional, but most importantly, I got the impression that Colorado Tech Online is extremely military-friendly. After evaluating my transcripts from a previous semester of college and the technical training courses I had taken in Marine Corps, the Admissions Advisors at Colorado Tech Online informed me I could complete a Bachelor's degree program in as little as 15 months*. That sank the competition, so I enrolled."
While still in the Marine Corps, Curtis completed a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration through Colorado Tech Online, which helped him get accepted into Officer Candidate School. Only in a very few cases are military men and women accepted to OCS without a Bachelor's degree. Even with a Bachelor's degree, an officer candidate must receive recommendations from superiors and demonstrate above-average abilities in leadership.
Curtis feels his courses through Colorado Tech Online have helped him develop leadership skills. "I chose to earn a degree in business administration because my duties in the Marine Corps were primarily administrative. I feel the concepts that I learned through my courses have complemented my military experience, enhanced my performance and have helped me improve my leadership skills. The theories I studied in my courses are relevant to what is taught in OCS. The course in organizational behavior gave me an overview of how organizations operate on a higher level, but also helped me understand how and why individuals within an organization react to certain scenarios in certain ways. As a leader, I feel that is very important in accomplishing a mission and maintaining credibility with the people I am managing."
Team-building is also an important part of leadership and Curtis feels the Virtual Campus with Colorado Tech Online facilitated that as well. "I consider myself part of the internet generation, so instant-messaging, live chats and e-mail is a mode of communication I am very comfortable with. The Virtual Campus takes that to the next level. Everything I need to make the educational process easier is a few clicks away, and that applies to financial aid, technical support, research using the electronic databases offered through the library, the bookstore - everything. But what impressed me most was the level of personal interaction with my peers and instructors that the Virtual Campus facilitated. I learned a lot about teamwork and even more about leadership from the group projects. I feel what I learned through my courses with Colorado Tech Online will help me work together with others and be a more effective team leader. It's hard to put a price tag on developing skills like that as a military officer, because they are essential and are not something one can learn from textbooks."
Ensign White plans to further continue his education, once he completes the rigorous requirements of naval flight training. "I like what I am doing and I am having fun doing it, but if or when the fun stops I am ready to pursue an even higher education and perhaps a work in the aerospace industry in a civilian capacity. My Bachelor's degree has given me a solid foundation to pursue a Master's degree in order to advance past an O-4 level in the military or pursue a second career in the private sector after government service. It's hard to predict the future and know exactly what I will want to do 10 or 20 years from now, but I feel my Bachelor's degree has prepared me for a lot of contingencies and given more options than I ever have had. For now, though, I'm perfectly content with the idea of flying with the Navy. When I first looked at Colorado Tech Online's website and read "take your career to new heights," I didn't think that would mean looking down from 35,000 feet in the air, but that's the reality of it for me now."
*The 15-month Bachelor's degree is a 2+2 program and assumes that all associate-level requirements have been met through an associate degree or the equivalent. CTU Online students with no previous college experience can complete this degree in about 2½ years.
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