Juggling Management Jobs While Getting a Bachelor’s Degree

I didn’t go back to college because it was the obvious next step. I had already built a career without a degree and could continue along that path (which I am currently). I went back because the idea had been sitting in the back of my mind for years—quietly waiting for the right moment, a time that wasn’t complicated with moving around every few years. By the time I logged back into a college portal, life had already taken me through full-time work, management roles, and more than one cross-country move.

When I graduated high school in 2008, the country seemed to drop out from under us. Career advice sounded very different when jobs were disappearing overnight. Instead of dreaming big, the question shifted from “What do you want to be when you grow up?” to “What can you realistically survive on and get a job in?” That mindset stayed with me far longer than I expected.

Originally, I planned to pursue Secondary Education. At the time, becoming an editor often meant moving to New York and that wasn’t realistic for me. The freelance world hadn’t taken off yet, and while teaching wasn’t my dream, I could see myself being happy enough in this field. We will always need teachers, and it felt like a safe career path. Then came the end-of-school-year layoffs in 2009 and 2010. That was enough to make me pause. I was about to begin student teaching, and nearly 35% of Colorado’s teaching workforce had just been cut. Teachers with experience were suddenly grasping for open positions that came up. Suddenly, the career that felt stable—one I thought I could be content doing—no longer seemed as untouchable as I once believed. I ultimately put my degree on the shelf and focused on working full-time, moving around the country over the next several years.

During that time, I looked at schools more than once. I even toured a few campuses. But the reality always came back to the same question: how could I attend school while working full-time? In-person classes didn’t fit my schedule, and I couldn’t afford to reduce my hours or switch to a part-time job.

Those years unexpectedly shaped my career in a different way. I moved into management and worked my way up from counter manager to supporting manager, eventually stepping into senior leadership roles like General Manager and District Training Manager. Ironically, it took another national crisis to restart my college journey. When COVID-19 hit, everything paused—and at the same time, doors opened. During lockdown, I suddenly had six weeks to research programs. Online degree options had expanded and there were more opportunities in my dream field. It finally felt like the right moment and in August 2020, I enrolled in college.

As a General Manager, that meant working 40–50 hours a week and coming home to immediately dive into homework for two or three classes. Keeping my course load limited to a sustainable amount stretched the process into a long four years—but I would do it again. I learned I could juggle far more than I ever thought possible. I had to become disciplined with my time management and intentionally shift my priorities to make it all work. Even with the heavy workload, I became the top General Manager in the company, was elevated to District Training Manager, and opened a new location.

Life doesn’t always turn out the way you anticipate. Still, every phase of my journey taught me something valuable, and those lessons shaped me into a stronger version of myself. There is something to learn in every stage of your life and career—and you carry those lessons into every role that follows.

This is my journey, and I am grateful for the leader and individual I am today. I know I could have taken a self-taught route into editing and already have a few years of experience under my belt. But I strongly believe that to edit well, you need a deep understanding of the writing process. Returning to school gave me exposure to a wide range of genres. While fiction remains my passion, I also discovered areas like Technical Writing and Copywriting that feel like a natural fit for me.

Along with earning my bachelor’s degree in English, Rhetoric, and Technology from the University of Colorado Denver, I also graduated with certificates in Technical and Professional Writing and Proposal and Grant Writing. This blog documents my journey and the lessons I’ve learned along the way, with the goal of creating a resource for those exploring similar paths—something I wish I had come across when I was starting out.

I hope you find this information helpful. While my path won’t be right for everyone, I believe there’s value in seeing what’s working—and what isn’t—for someone chasing the same dream.