By Micaela Burney, September 2015
I sit here at midnight wondering about the silly things in life, such as: Do vegetarians eat animal crackers? Why are there no ‘B’ labeled batteries and if you are really bald, what hair color do they put on your driver’s license? Yes, these thoughts often go through my head, especially early in the morning or late at night. As the first week of classes come to a close this semester, I realize that my strange sleep schedule has not impacted my classes too much. It’s actually quite helpful to be able to finish reading assignments or watch videos recommended by the professor.
Tonight, I want to tell you my personal thoughts and my favorite things about the BS Cyber Program at Utica College.
1. Accelerated Courses: Often it feels like it takes forever to get your degree and get out in the work force. However, with the Cybersecurity Program at Utica College most classes are only 8 weeks long and you feel like you are making progress in getting your degree. This is a great feeling! I love accomplishing activities and during the 8 weeks I feel like every week a complete contributes something to my degree.
2. No Commute: It is my belief that everyday you can stay in bed, drink a cup of coffee and not have to go anywhere is a good day. From driving to your job, school or stores, it seems that nowadays you spend more time in your car than at home! One of my favorite things about the Cyber Program at Utica is that it’s online, which means no traveling, no sitting in traffic and I can stay in my pajamas all day. You don’t really realize how many hours you spend on the road, getting gasoline or simply sitting in traffic until you start taking online courses. All that time you can now use for other activities, and even for getting your school work done sooner.
3. You don’t have to choose a local college or University: Because Utica College offers the cyber program online, I was able to choose one of the best colleges for my degree. I currently live in Hawaii and though Hawaii has a wonderful university, they don’t currently offer a cyber program of any sort. That means without Utica or online courses I would’ve been unable to major in the degree I wanted and eventually get the job I want.
4. You can take your classes whenever you want: As I am currently writing this blog at midnight you can see the appeal of taking your classes whenever and wherever you want (as long as you have an internet connection of course). You can work a nine to five job for example and still complete the degree because you can take your tests, read materials and complete the course without leaving your job. There is no ‘set time’ to do your work; just complete it by the due date required by the professor.
5. The professors online are just as good the professors on campus: One of the main misnomers of taking online courses is that the professors just aren’t as good as those on the main campus. I have found that this is not the case, every professor I have had so far in my classes has been just as wonderful as those who mainly teach on campus. They will help you and talk to you just like a professor on campus would, you can even contact them at various times throughout the day!
Though I may never know what hair color they put on bald people’s driver’s license, hopefully my favorite things about the cybersecurity bachelors program can help you decide if the program is right for you. I know as I finally fall asleep tonight that I made the right decision in joining the program and my favorite things about the program will allow me to complete my degree quickly.
About the Author
Micaela Burney is lucky enough to be living on one of the most beautiful islands in the world; Oahu Hawaii. She is in the online Cybersecurity program at Utica College. She is particularly interested in Cyber Security and the law. She is in her second year of the program and will soon be looking for an internship. She would like to try to get an internship with the Oahu prosecutor's office in the Cybercrime division. Besides college, Micaela is also a violist (since the age of 4), and has played as a soloist, with duo's and groups for many years. She mostly plays at weddings and events, like birthdays and parties. She is also a certified diver, and hopes to start going on dive trips in Hawaii soon. College, her music and diving is more than enough to keep her busy, but she also has a service dog named Inca, to care for and keep trained in the over 90 commands she is able to do for Micaela!