Simonds - Discussion on Almost Anything

I am a proud alumnus of the University of Phoenix, damn proud. Sure I have read both positive and negative reviews of the University online and I am not one to judge the individuals who found that the University is terrible, both academically and financially. That is their god given right to voice their opinions. I have found, no matter what the product, that you will find people that like certain items and ones that do not. This is just a fact of life, I do not think that I have ever found something that everyone has rated 5 stars. All I know is that the degrees that I have obtained from the University of Phoenix have changed my life.

Everyone linked to the IT field knows about losing their jobs to off shoring. In early summer 2003 I was laid off from Computer Science Corporation due to my position had been off shored to India, damn I was pissed, but I was also scared. I had a wife, two young children, a mortgage, and a whole bunch of bills, and no college degree. This is where I put my foot down and told myself that it was time to change that. I served my country for 8.5 years, fought in Operation Desert Storm and was smart enough to take the GI Bill, but had never utilized it and it was about to run out. In 2003 I enrolled in University of Phoenix at the Dallas Campus to finish my bachelor's degree, which I obtained in November of 2005. I was fortunate enough that my GI Bill ran out the month prior to finishing school in 2005, which left me without any student loans. I was worried how my degree would look in today's business world, how it would be perceived by others. I had heard the rumors about how University of Phoenix was a degree mill and that I would be overlooked because it was not a true degree. Well let me tell you this, which is complete crap. University of Phoenix is fully accredited and not easy. I know that I busted my hump for 2 years in a classroom during nights to complete my degree.

In the summer of 2006 I was fortunate enough to land a job with Maxim Integrated Products, a semiconductor company out of Sunnyvale, California, where I am still employed today. What a great company to work for, one that believes in furthering education. In the summer of 2008 I started my masters program utilizing the college reimbursement program at Maxim. Again I busted my hump for almost 17 straight months and on November 2, 2009, I completed my masters program. I now hold masters in information systems from the University of Phoenix and my company paid for 100% of my tuition. Again I have been fortunate enough to be in a position which allowed me to obtain my masters without any leftover financial obligation.

Let me tell you about the Masters program just a little. Is it easy? Not at all, it is hard. You have to have support of your family and spend almost all your free time busting your hump to complete homework assignments and studying, not to mention that your work and family obligations still need to be met. University of Phoenix relies on the team experience in order for students to complete your assignments and your degree. If you are as lucky as I was and establish a partnership with team members that you can trust, you will be able to complete your masters with these team members. I was able to do this with two of the greatest people in the world, Kim and Jule, my teammates for life. So for those of you that think University of Phoenix is a degree mill and that it is not viable in today's business world, well at least from my point of view, it is 100%. For those of you that are thinking about the University of Phoenix or another online degree program do not hesitate what so ever. Obtaining your degree will change your life forever, it has for me.

~Mike