James Santoro can still picture the conversation. He was in his car, anxious, on the phone with his Capella academic advisor. “I'm not sure I can do this. I'm getting behind,” he told her.
In his mid-50s, 35 years into his HR career, his last school experience decades behind him, Santoro felt out of step. But his advisor assured him he could figure it out. “It was a godsend,” Santoro now says. “I stuck in there. Once I finished my first course, it was a breeze.”
In retrospect, it's hard for Santoro to imagine any other way of earning his master's degree. He works about 50 hours a week at a college preparatory school in Coral Gables, FL, and spends two hours a day commuting. Learning online with Capella, he had the flexibility to complete assignments while he was at home with his family.
Although Santoro's many years out of the classroom made him feel out of touch at first, his work experience proved to be one of his strongest assets in Capella's program. He sensed appreciation for helping other learners understand his experiences in the work environment. He chose course projects that directly benefitted his own organization: a five-year strategic plan for his school (“I showed it to my bosses and they couldn't believe it”) and an analysis of its performance appraisal process.
Santoro did more than just survive his shaky start. As he progressed toward graduation, he was able to report to his advisor that he earned
an A in that first class and nearly all the rest. When he graduated, he called her one last time.
“She was blown away,” Santoro remembers. His reply: “It's all because you encouraged me.”