Kalpana, who has graduated from one certificate program and started another, has a message for anyone considering Calbright:
“Everyone here is an adult learner who wants to re-enter the workforce or transition their career, so you’re not alone,” she said. “Calbright is designed to provide all the information, resources, and career support we need to get where we want to go, and they do an amazing job. All you have to bring is the determination to achieve your goals.”
Kalpana’s own Calbright journey began years ago, after moving to California and leaving the workforce to focus on raising her children.
“Now that both my kids have started schooling, I thought: Okay, it’s been over 10 years. I’ve got time. Let’s get into the workforce again,” she said.
First, though, she needed to refresh her skills. “I’d worked in IT as a software developer, and returning to technology doesn’t work unless you have up-to-date skills, so it would be a challenge,” Kalpana said. “I was searching for certificate programs, and finding Calbright was a life changing opportunity for me.”
The fact that Calbright is free “was eye catching,” and she was also attracted by the online, flexible, approach that let her fit her education around her life. “There’s no traditional classroom setting where you have to come in and pay a loan to continue your education and then you have to be in class when they tell you. It’s free and it’s flexible and you can access it anytime. If you’re working a midnight shift you can finish and then log into class with the time you have. So I enrolled in the Data Analysis program.”
She’d chosen Calbright because she could study here independently, but she found people eager and ready to offer her support and opportunities.
“It’s not just the tools and resources they provide. Calbright staff, and even other students, were helping me. They were supporting me in everything,” she said.
She completed the Data Analysis program in six months, then re-enrolled in the CRM Platform Administration course. “I want to add up technologies and certifications so that I’ll be a more competitive job candidate,” she said. She also became a project intern in Calbright’s Research and Innovation department.
“During the internship, I actively contributed to the work group by helping to redesign a survey and then analyze the results and share it with stakeholders. I even had the opportunity to share at a Calbright staff-wide meeting including with Calbright College President Ajita Talwalker Menon,” Kalpana said. “This helped me gain hands-on industry experience and knowledge from that internship project is really invaluable to me.”
When she’s completed the CRM program and learned to manage Salesforce software, she’s planning to enroll in Calbright one more time for the Project Management certificate.
“Data Analysis, CRM, and Project Management, when combined together, is a very competitive skill set to have as a job candidate,” she said. “I’m excited for the future.”
