How I Did It
Gary A Danforth II
Gary Danforth
Graduation Date: June 4th, 2011, and the next graduation date for my BSBA, Concentration Accounting, is set for June of 2013.
Degree Earned: Associate of Science in Business Administration, Concentration Banking, Summa Cum Laude
How I Paid For It: My employer partially funded some of the tuition and the rest I had to pay for out-of-pocket. I wouldn't have been able to afford the tuition if NECB wasn't so affordable. I've had friends who graduate with tens of thousands of dollars in student debt and I never wanted to end up in that situation. I'm very fortunate because NECB, and my employer who partnered with NECB, have helped me keep it that way.
How Long It Took: I started in September of 2009 and finished my ASBA, Concentration Banking, in March of 2011. It was a total of 18 months. My bachelor's should take the same amount of time.
What Else I Was Doing At The Same Time: I was doing everything.
- Not including NECB, I was attending two other schools and doing continuing education for another:
- The first school was Connecticut School of Finance and Management through the Connecticut Bankers Association, which is a two-year exclusive banking school. My employer sponsored me in order for me to attend. I graduated with Honors in April of 2011 and was second in my class.
- The second school was Center for Financial Training, from which I graduated in June of 2011 with a Diploma in General Financial Services.
- I had previously graduated from the College for Financial Planning with a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation. During this time, I was also completing required continuing education online.
- I was working full time
- I moved three times
- I bought a house (and painted the entire inside)
- I quit smoking
- I hired a running coach and started to improve my health
- 5k PR time 18:00
- And yes, I'm still running and am now training to be a triathlete.
- I drank coffee
When I Studied: Before work, at lunch and on the weekends. There were many times I missed outings with friends and had to leave family events early, but I did what had to be done. I even went on a cruise and used the ship library to get my course work done!
Where I Studied: You might laugh, but my kitchen table. My laptop has been affixed to the table for three years and counting. I finally got a desk for my office, which I use every once in a while, but my little four-chaired dinette set is where I accomplished 90% of this. The other 10% was in the break room at work, my car and various other public places.
Most Challenging Part: Balancing work, life and relationship. I had to take each day, each week, one at a time. I literally didn't think about anything two weeks out and just stayed focused. It was very difficult and I'll admit, I cried a few times, but the ending goal in sight was too great. Honestly, sometimes I missed people. I didn't know what was on TV (I didn't have cable because I never had time to watch it). Sometimes, I even missed the sun because I would be studying all day.
Best Thing My Family Did To Help Me: They were understanding and realized the goals I was working towards. They would always ask me, "How's school going? How much do you have left?" They always told me how proud they were.
What Kept Me Motivated: Motivation is a drive that comes deep within and honestly, you either have it or you don't. Inspiration is what kept me going. I remember I was talking to our employment manager in HR and told her I really wanted to go to college, but it would take forever. When she asked what "forever" was, I said "probably five years." I was 20 at the time. She said, "Well, you could either be 25 with a degree, or 25 without one. Either way, you'll be 25 one day." Well, I'm 25 now and guess what, I have a degree. Well actually I have degrees. That is honestly what inspired me. Not tricks, no treats, just words and an inspiration.
I didn't start college for about two more years, but I always remembered what she said. We have one life, one chance to live, why not just do it? Why not just do it all? If you say to yourself, I can, I will, you will. If you say maybe, or don't have the inspiration, you won't. So in the end, you have to find your inspiration. It might be words, family, money or hope. I wanted to be a better person, an educated person. A person that had opportunity, a person that had a vision and accomplished that vision. I now can say I am that person.
Highest Point: Graduating three schools in a matter of three months. Every time I walked across that stage, I realized I had accomplished something, that I did it. Nobody did the work for me, nobody stopped me. It was me. I realized I could do anything, and each stage I cross will always reaffirm that inspiration. When I walked across that graduation stage, I hit a high. It was an ecstasy like I've never felt. I'm looking forward to that stage in 2013.
Biggest Change In My Life Since Getting a Degree: I received a big promotion at work and I truly believe that my education was the thing that got me the job. It wasn't just the paper, but the knowledge acquired and required for the job. The biggest change was opportunity.
My Next Big Challenge: I will graduate with my BSBA in 2013. Like most of my challenges, one just isn't enough, so in 2012 I'll be running my first marathon, and in 2014, I'll be doing my first Iron Man.
Just do it. You will, you can. In five years or less, you could be there.
