Jerrica is fitting a degree around military family life

A study plan that can flex

When Jerrica began her studies, her husband was deployed overseas. She was caring for their two young daughters while pregnant and working full time. And yet still, she continued with her coursework through much of that demanding stretch.

After her son was born, Jerrica paused her studies for two terms to focus on her family and give herself time to rest. She returned to the ADBA program when she felt ready. During a later deployment, she took another break from university, and when life stabilized, she resumed her coursework again.

The option to pause her education as needed gave Jerrica the ability to reprioritize without giving up on her education. Online study means she does not have to travel to a campus, making it easier to care for children and manage the household, especially when her husband is away.

How she makes time for studying

Planning helps Jerrica make space for her schoolwork. At the start of each week, she reviews assignments and deadlines alongside the family’s schedule. She may study in the evening after the children are in bed, use part of her lunch break to read or research an assignment, or set aside time on the weekend.

When her children are at activities, she brings her laptop or course reading. Family members sometimes take the kids for an afternoon while she works on an essay. The routine shifts from week to week, but an online program lets her fit studying into whatever time she has available.

Jerrica says she doesn’t feel she has made major sacrifices to study. She may spend extra time on homework on the weekend, but her children can spend that time with grandparents or other family members. She sees school as something that has become part of family life, rather than something that has to compete with it.

Learning alongside others online

Jerrica expected online learning might mean receiving assignments, completing them alone and submitting them for a grade. Instead, she found opportunities to exchange ideas with classmates and get support from professors. “I didn't think an online program would have that much interaction and support,” she says.

The associate degree does not have live classes, but students work together on group assignments and case studies and take part in discussion posts. During a marketing project, Jerrica worked with classmates from Yukon, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Newfoundland while she was living in Ontario. Those different professional and regional perspectives helped her think about course material in new ways.

Understanding the full picture

Business was not an area Jerrica expected to study. But through her work with prospective students in higher education, she began to see how business knowledge could help her understand the organization and contribute in her role.

This broader perspective has changed how Jerrica thinks about her day-to-day work. She says she can now see how her responsibilities connect to the larger organization. What she has learned also helps her guide students as they consider their own goals.

A goal that will grow with her

Jerrica chose the associate degree because it gave her a defined goal while leaving open the possibility of continuing her education. She is taking one course per term, a pace that lets her balance her studies with work and family responsibilities.

“I wanted something that had a short-term goal where I can complete the program and have it be a stepping stone into the bachelor’s,” she says.

Whether she continues to a bachelor’s degree will depend on what life looks like when she completes the associate degree. Her family’s needs and resources will be part of the decision. For now, she is focused on making steady progress toward a goal that matters to her.

Setting a positive example for others

Jerrica's studies have changed what her kids see as possible, too. They watch her make time for coursework and see that learning can continue, even when work, family and other responsibilities fill the day.

Jerrica hopes that her children — and aspiring students — see through her story that pursuing a goal does not mean putting the rest of life on hold.