After Karen LeDoux earned her associate degree in computer programming in 1984, she briefly enrolled at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to pursue her bachelor鈥檚 degree.
Soon, however, she decided that she wanted to focus on starting her family and left.
She achieved her dream 39 years later!
LeDoux now has a bachelor鈥檚 degree from UL Lafayette and will enroll in the M.S. in Informatics degree program in Spring 2024.
Steady Drive
LeDoux, of Eunice, Louisiana, says the desire to earn her bachelor鈥檚 degree resurfaced when her children were young, but at the time, there was no way.
鈥淚t's one of those things that God put upon my heart when my kids were little. At the time, I didn鈥檛 understand how it would ever be possible, but now I can see it was just a matter of waiting for the right time,鈥 says LeDoux.
Once her children were grown and LeDoux transitioned to a job that would allow her more time off, she started researching how she might complete her degree.
Her priority? Finding an opportunity to leverage her nearly 40-year-old college credits. The Bachelor of General Studies online, designed for students with an associate degree or at least 45 credits, was a great fit.
"I told a friend of mine I had thought about going back, but I just didn't want to start all over,鈥 LeDoux says. 鈥淪he looked at me and said, 鈥榃ell, you know, UL Lafayette will accept your credits.鈥 So, I started looking more seriously, started emailing with questions, and it looked like it was doable."
New Tricks
LeDoux says that although returning to school after decades away was intimidating, she quickly adapted to the online learning environment.
In fact, she found the flexibility of online courses fit both her schedule and learning style.
鈥淚 like the flexibility of being able to do this when I have time because, obviously, you can't just quit your job and go to school full time when you have bills to pay,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hen I would take a class and the teacher had recorded lectures, I found that so much better than face-to-face classes because I could pause it and write my notes. And I could rewatch it as many times as needed to comprehend the material.鈥
That鈥檚 not to say there weren鈥檛 challenges. LeDoux says she started slow, enrolling in two classes at a time and adjusted to find the pace that worked best for her.
鈥淓ventually I got a little braver and tried the shorter, 8-week classes,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 could do one for the full term with one in the A term and one on the B term. Then I knocked out three classes instead of two.鈥
Identifying a cadence that works for you and managing your time are key to succeeding as an online student, LeDoux says.
鈥淒on't procrastinate. It's very important to stay on top of all your classes. If you try and cram everything at the last minute, you're not going to make it.鈥
Onward and Upward
LeDoux鈥檚 perspective as a student in her 50s is markedly different from her initial college experience.
First, she could immediately implement what she was learning in her coursework to her day-to-day life.
鈥淭he management course taught me skills I didn't even know I was lacking and helped me in interacting with coworkers. It basically taught me how to de-escalate situations and make things run smoother,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hen you're 18 and taking courses, your question is always, 鈥榃hat am I ever going to use this stuff for?鈥 And here I am saying, 鈥榊es, I can use this right here right now.鈥 It was wonderful.鈥
Second, she has a potential study buddy.
LeDoux began considering grad school after encouragement from her advisor. Shortly after, LeDoux鈥檚 daughter 鈥 who鈥檚 studying for her bachelor鈥檚 in informatics 鈥 told LeDoux about the 100% online master鈥檚 degree program.
Soon, LeDoux will have two bricks on the Walk of Honor, joining both her father and her oldest son as UL Lafayette alumni.
As she prepares to embark on her next journey, LeDoux says her plan is to continue taking opportunities as they come.
"So far, all the doors are opening,鈥 she says. 鈥淲hen those doors open, you walk through them.鈥
Embrace new opportunities by completing your bachelor鈥檚 degree 100% online.