A Conversation withKathleen Wyatt

If you were to tell someone else the three main reasons you would recommend Westwood College Online, what would they be?

1. Convenience
2. Great instructors
3. Great curriculum

What was your degree and has it been beneficial to your career path?

My first degree was an Associates of Science in Graphic Design and my second degree is a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration. This degree has helped a lot with my current position as a Customer Service/Human Relations representative.

Do you believe your employer sees your degree from Westwood as an added benefit in having you as an employee?

I believe that being close to graduation when I got this job had a hand in me getting the position. Having it from an online school was even better as it proves I work independently.

How did Career Development Services assist you in your career search?

Career Development Services was able to help me rewrite my resume so that it highlighted the things I have done and learned instead of weaker areas.

Tell us about your current position

I love my job! I work with disabled people and am responsible for getting paperwork done to make sure that everything is correct in hiring and terminating their employees. I also answer tax questions and payroll questions and am the main contact for hundreds of people.

What do you like best about your job?

It is the perfect job. I am close to home, my hours of work are 8:00-4:30, I will be doing some job-related travel, my boss is a great person to work for, and the pay is great for starting out in a career at 46! I never thought I would start out making this much.

Tell us what made your Westwood Online College experience posititve for you?

I felt like I could voice my thoughts to help make improvements and I was listened to. I enjoyed being a peer tutor for 2 ½ years, and it was great being one of the original 12 students to start and test out new programs. Sometimes being the only student in a course was good but it also made it difficult in some areas. Working with groups via email and chat towards the end was a good thing, it taught me to have more patience with people and how to work with them.

What do you feel was the most valuable benefit to you going to an online school?

Being able to do things at my own pace when I wanted to was great!

Tell us about your experience with the Westwood Online education team: program directors, faculty, curriculum, etc.

Nothing is a bed of roses all the time. For the most part the staff was always there to help me when I needed it. They were willing to go the extra mile to help a student.

Were you able to develop lasting relationships with your classmates?

Yes. In fact, I have one classmate with whom I did Graphic Design with that we still talk via IM once in a while.

Is there anything else you'd like to share about your Westwood Online experience?

It was well worth the money to be able to not have to sit in a room with a bunch of young students and feel out of place. Going online gave me a chance to be an equal with everyone else. No age discrimination from the classmates.