When he found Calbright, Paul said, “it seemed too good to be true. I wondered if it was a scam, but I decided to check it out. It’s free, so why not give it a chance? And I’m really glad I did. It literally changed my life.” He’s now working in IT support at one of the biggest companies in Silicon Valley, and loving it.
Calbright programs are flexibly paced, and most students use that opportunity to take their classes more slowly, so that their class schedule can accommodate their lives. Paul took another approach. “I worked really hard. I studied Monday through Sunday, probably four hours a day, on top of my full time job.” He could do that because Calbright lets students progress based on what they know and how committed they are, not where a textbook says they should be in the class. Students can take time when they need it, or test through as quickly as they are able. It’s up to them. Paul wanted to go faster, so he did.
The experience wasn’t just faster than his Bachelor’s degree at a traditional college had been, it was better for him.
“Calbright is definitely more flexible and efficient,” he said. “When I paid an enormous amount of money to go to a public university that has over 50,000 students, it was extremely hard to get the courses I wanted, the classes I wanted to take, or the major. If they say ‘oh, we’re full,’ then you have to wait six months or a year to take the class or the major. There were so many ‘no’s,’ so many restrictions and rejections. But Calbright has open arms. If you are passionate and you are serious about studying, there’s no limitations.”
