FlexPath: fitting education into busy lives

May 9, 2017

Many adults want to go back to school, but worry about how to fit it into their already busy lives.

More than 1,000 Capella University graduates have found that FlexPath, Capella University’s online self-paced learning format, gave them the flexibility they needed to earn their degrees. No matter what the challenge—juggling work, family, a career move, or just life, FlexPath fit their lives.

Here are just a few examples of how busy adults found success with FlexPath.

Single mother of two wanted a better career

As a single mother with two children, Andrea Phillip* found herself in a difficult position when she was between jobs. Although she had experience in her field, she was turned down for jobs because she hadn’t completed her bachelor’s degree. Phillip made the important decision to go back to school to improve her prospects.

FlexPath was especially appealing because she could work at her own speed and move as quickly as she could manage, while still being able to care for her children. “I was able to pack things in and go at my own pace,” she says."I wanted to get things done quickly, and FlexPath afforded me that.”

Now that she has her Bachelor’s in Business Administration, doors have opened for her that were previously closed, and life looks brighter—and Phillip is not ruling out a master’s degree in her future, especially if she could do it via FlexPath again.

*Andrea is an actual Capella graduate who agreed to be profiled for this story.

Corporate Executive didn’t think she had enough time

Coni Pasch

Coni Pasch attended a technical college after high school, and then began her IT career while raising a family. For many years, she didn’t consider getting a bachelor’s degree because she was able to advance in her career without it. But eventually the lack of a degree was a barrier.

At age 50, Pasch registered with another online school, but found the pace frustratingly slow. When she heard about Capella’s FlexPath learning format, she thought it had to be too good to be true—and she was thrilled to find she was wrong."All of the control of this program was in my hands,” she says. “I had the ability to go as fast or as slow as I wanted. I could take as long as I needed to take or I could finish the courses up as quickly as I could. It wasn’t regimented by a certain number of weeks, as long as I completed whatever course I started within 12 weeks.”*

Pasch now has her Bachelor’s in Business Administration and is currently pursuing her MBA via FlexPath. Follow along on her journey and tweet questions or support to #FlexPath.

*FlexPath students can finish as many courses as they want each 12-week session—taking up to two courses at a time—for one flat fee. Coni is an actual Capella graduate who agreed to be profiled for this story.

Project Manager needed to juggle family, career, volunteerism, and school

A husband and father of two, Bryan Agosto* works long hours in his job as a senior project manager at American Airlines and is also involved in several weekly volunteer commitments. He has a bachelor’s degree and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, but getting a master’s degree had always been a life goal for him. He needed a program that would allow him to move quickly and flex around his busy schedule.

FlexPath not only offered that flexibility, but Agosto was able to turn the knowledge he gained from the PMP into college credit. “Having flexibility and really knowing I was in control of when I’d finish drove me to do it as fast as possible with the least amount of expenses,” Agosto explains. “I understood that I was achieving this with the help of my family and everyone else who sacrificed time spent with me. But really I had control of how long it would take me to finish.”

*Bryan is an actual Capella graduate who agreed to be profiled for this story.

Married couple thought it was too late

Donald Dudley

Donald and Tracy Dudley* have been married for over 10 years, and both of them have been in the workforce for more than 30 years without bachelor’s degrees. This didn’t pose a problem in the earlier part of their careers, and later they felt they were probably too old to return to school.

Even so, when Tracy recently felt a drive to complete her degree, she enrolled at Capella without telling Donald, afraid she wouldn’t be able to finish. As she began to feel confident in how she was doing, she confessed to Donald, who enrolled too.

The ability to set their own speed with FlexPath while managing full-time jobs was beneficial to both of them. Tracy earned her Bachelor’s in Business Administration, and Donald earned his Bachelor’s in Information Technology. Donald was so motivated that he went straight into his Master’s in Information Systems and Technology Management program, and hasn’t ruled out a doctoral program in the future.

“I just want people to know that no matter how old you are, no matter what your circumstances are, you can obtain a college degree,” he says.“It’s not that it’s easy; there’s a tremendous amount of work involved. But if you have the initiative—the commitment, the drive, and energy—I definitely recommend FlexPath. It is the paramount of flexibility.”

*Donald and Tracy are actual Capella graduates who agreed to be profiled for this story.

Busy millennial valued education, but worried about time and money

Emily Luciano

The value of education was already clear to Emily Luciano. She landed a job at a large international food retailer right after getting her bachelor’s degree. Still, she felt that to further advance in her career, she’d need an advanced degree. The time commitment and cost concerned her; her job kept her busy, and she still had student loans to pay back.

When Luciano learned about FlexPath through an employer-related event, it intrigued her. When she discovered that her employer was offering scholarships, she applied and was selected. The financial issue was solved, but Luciano was still concerned about the time commitment. As it turns out, FlexPath was the solution.

“I don’t think I could have done my MBA without FlexPath,” she says.“It allowed me the ultimate flexibility. My education was on my own schedule, and there’s really no way I could have gone back to school without that flexibility.” Luciano completed her MBA in just a little over a year, and it has had a positive impact on her career. I’ve been able to use the knowledge I’ve gained, especially pertaining to leadership. People in upper management have taken notice and are encouraging me in my development.”

As different as these stories are, there’s one common thread among all of them: No matter what stage of life you’re at, no matter how many other commitments you have—if continuing your education is important to you, FlexPath can help make it a reality.