It's Never Too Late to Learn

How one woman bet on herself, honored her late mother, and served as an example for her daughter.

Thirty years ago Kat Parker was a freshman studying at Ball State University. Struggling with poor time management skills and study habits, plus an overly active social life, she dropped out. Since then, she started a family and got a job she enjoys.

However, when her mother passed away and her oldest daughter prepared to leave for college, Parker reflected on her life and decided it was time to finish what she started and earn her degree – this time online.

“It hit me just how quickly time passes. I wanted to prove to myself that I could go back to college, show my daughters that it is never to late to learn, and honor my mother’s desire for me to earn a college degree.”

With these goals in mind, Parker enrolled in courses with Ball State Online, under the bachelor of general studies degree completion program all while working full-time and being a mom. The work, life, school balance proved even more challenging for Parker than it did 30 years ago, but this time she was determined to succeed.

“It really comes down to finding and using a good time management system that works for you. I try to list everything that I need to do for school, work, and home into one calendar to help me keep track of what I need to be doing each day, week, and month. Once I do that, then I can find pockets of time for fun things like spending time with extended family and friends.” Now three years into her degree, Parker has already gained valuable skills she can directly apply to her current position.

Good writing skills are just as important as having good problem solving skills and being able to work within a team.

“I recently was able to use what I have learned about business writing to carefully compose an email to administrators about some issues that needed attention. Good writing skills are just as important as having good problem solving skills and being able to work within a team.”

With these new skills and experiences, Parker will be prepared and qualified to earn a promotion, find a new position, or make a complete career change; however, at the moment, she is content with where she is.

“I currently work as a guidance secretary for a middle school, and I can see myself retiring from this job. However, if something were to happen and I would have some major life change, I know that having a degree will give me more options for new career opportunities.”

Along with having more career opportunities, professional skills, and job security, Parker’s degree will also provide her with the selfsatisfaction of completing a goal she set not only for herself but for her late mother. It will also prove to her daughter that it truly is never to late to learn.

The B.S in general studies offered through Ball State Online is designed for adult students who want to finish a degree for a career move. The program allows students to customize a degree to a specified career by taking two of nine possible minors.

The BGS degree is just one of more than 70 online undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates, and licenses available at Ball State. To learn more about our online programs, visit bsu.edu/online.