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Passage
C
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Gaining Confidence and a Degree Online
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I
shudder
as I remember my high school geometry
class. It was something I just didn't get. I never understood
how one point could be in both a line and an angle.
One turns, one goes straight. Now I get it. My 33rd birthday
was such a point. 
I had the opportunity to have a college education paid for
by my employer.
 All
I needed was to pass with a C grade or better and my tuition
and books would be reimbursed
100 percent. I had the desire to return to school. Although
I held an Associate's
Degree my goal had always been to earn a Bachelor's Degree.
The excuse I had been using for years --I didn't want to be
away from my family -didn't work any more. My supervisor
had told me about an online degree program. On the evening of
my 33rd birthday, my mother-in-law told me I would be crazy
to let the opportunity slip
through my fingers. I agreed.
Three days later I made the phone call to the University.
Three weeks later I started my first class. It was scary.
Technology seemed to be working against me at first. But the
teacher and I worked through that first stretch of uncertainty.
The classes were five weeks long and packed
with information. Each class involved hours of sitting
at the computer reading teacher assignments, student comments
and composing
answers and comments of my own. In many ways I think these classes
were more demanding than a traditional college class. But I
was free to decide when I wanted to do the reading and responding.
At first, my classmates intimidated
me. They held management
positions. I did not. I was wrong. We were all people with a
goal. We helped each other overcome the problems we had. We
helped each other understand the course work. We helped each
other when our other lives demanded our time and attention.
In a traditional classroom, several people typically command
the conversation. Quite often, the rest of the class remains
silent unless called upon. While
we are formulating
a response
in our minds, the conversation continues to move on. The moment
is lost and we've kept our insight
or questions to ourselves.
The online classroom is different. Every student has an equal
opportunity to submit ideas, comments and questions. Everyone
contributes.
In the online setting, I discovered that I did want to share
my ideas. I had questions to ask, but I didn't have to raise
my hand in front of the class, I just needed to type
it out.
 Two
unexpected benefits
came over the two years I studied in the online program. First,
written communication
skills dramatically
improved. I noticed a change in my own and others' work as the
classes progressed. Second, I gained confidence to share my
ideas. I gained a sense of who I was. Now I own my own business.
I am a speaker and writer. I still share ideas with others,
but now I don't have to hide behind my computer screen.
Oh, and that point, the one that can be part of either a line
or an angle? It's called a turning point. When you reach one,
you choose whether to continue on the path you are taking, or
make a change that will take you in a new direction.
(555 words)
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