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Alison Noone, of Toms River, New Jersey, was already familiar with Excelsior College when she enrolled in the MBA program, having earned a Bachelor of Science in Business in 2010. She chose to pursue another degree at Excelsior because she loved the bachelor鈥檚 program and the online learning fit right in with her lifestyle.

Noone, the assistant director of student life at Ocean County Community College, enjoyed the experience of earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree with Excelsior, particularly because of the flexibility to do her coursework around her full-time job and life as a mother of three and the support available from Excelsior 24/7. 鈥淚f I had a technological issue, I was able to contact someone and get it fixed even at midnight or two in the morning, so when I came to the final decision to get my MBA, there was really no question to come back to Excelsior,鈥� she says.

Earning an MBA in 2018 has allowed Noone to move up in her career at Ocean Community College, located on the Jersey Shore. She has been with the college for almost two decades, starting as a student worker in the Student Life Office and taking on positions of increasing responsibility in the same office. The Student Life Office is an exciting department where no two days are alike, says Noone. Sometimes they coordinate events for the community and some days they coordinate events for other departments. That鈥檚 part of what makes it so much fun, too. 鈥淚t helps keep me connected to the campus as a whole and feel like I am part of something bigger than my department alone,鈥� she says.

As assistant director, Noone is responsible for keeping students engaged and encouraging them to progress forward with their studies. 鈥淚 feel like my education has helped me do my job better and provide the best information for my students. I鈥檝e also been able to create opportunities for myself that I may not have considered previously,鈥� she says, and adds she regularly uses business, financial literacy, and accounting skills learned from Excelsior鈥檚 MBA program when doing such things as balancing club budgets and negotiating contracts.

One thing Noone shares with students is how she overcame hurdles she ran into as a student. Time management was the biggest challenge, and she gradually learned how to schedule her days so she could fit in schoolwork. 鈥淭he master鈥檚 program is fast paced, it is challenging, it doesn鈥檛 hold back or care that you have other things going on, just like your job doesn鈥檛 care that you鈥檙e going back to school,鈥� she says.

Although her title hasn鈥檛 changed, her responsibilities have changed greatly since earning an MBA, she says. She has been coordinating leadership training programs for students and staff and has also become a certified Gallup Strengths coach. 鈥淧robably most importantly, I was an integral part of establishing an on-campus food pantry,鈥� says Noone. 鈥淚 serve as the director of the resource, coordinating volunteers, inventory, donations, and more.鈥�

Noone says she wishes she had not waited so long between earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree and returning for a master鈥檚 and encourages other adult learners not to wait. She has taken her own advice and is pursuing a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, Learning, and Innovation at Wilmington University.

After spending 10 years in the nuclear Navy sector, Aaron Alexander, of Saratoga Springs, New York, decided to transition to the civilian sector. To do so, he knew he needed to pursue his higher education. His superior officers told him to 鈥済et it done鈥� when it came to his education and to use his GI Bill^® benefits to go back to school. With their encouragement, he decided to attend Excelsior College and earned his combined Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering Technology and Master of Business Administration in 2019.

Alexander joined the Navy as an advanced engineman but after taking the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) test and scoring high, his superiors recommended he go into the nuclear program. His background in nuclear technology allowed him to find a job in the civilian sector. He works for Global Foundries, a semiconductor manufacturing company, as a module section manager. In this position, he oversees a team of 22 technicians and engineers. He used to work 12鈥�13-hour shifts, four days a week in the engineering department, but his job now is more manager-oriented. His main role is making sure everyone works together to get the job done. He says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 bringing everything together to kind of accomplish one thing and keep production up.鈥�

Pursuing an MBA with Excelsior helped Alexander as he transitioned into his new position. 鈥淚 kind of picked up my skill set that I was learning in my MBA course and I became more appealing to the company as a manager,鈥� he says, and adds he applies a lot of what he learned from Excelsior鈥檚 conflict management course to his supervisory role. BUS 311 Organizational Behavior also had an impact. 鈥淭here were chapters in [the book] that weren鈥檛 even required reading. I read them anyway because they applied so heavily to what I was doing and leading people and understanding that aspect of the business.鈥�

Alexander believes he is in a field that has a future full of possibilities. He believes nuclear power is misunderstood because people tend to think of disastrous events like Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. 鈥淲e鈥檝e come so far with our ability to control nuclear power safely, just in the past 10, 15, 20 years, that it鈥檚 got to be a part of our energy future,鈥� he says.

Returning to school has allowed Alexander to thrive in his career and now he tells others, especially servicemembers, to go back to school, too. 鈥淛ump in and do it as soon as you can,鈥� he says, adding that his only regret is that he waited longer than he should have to earn his degrees.

Alexander hopes to become a leader in the field one day and may add to his resume by pursuing Project Management Professional certification and taking the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam in the industrial and systems, mechanical, or other disciplines category. He isn鈥檛 ruling out going back to school or possibly becoming a teacher in the future either, because he likes to see what鈥檚 out there. 鈥淚 kind of want to see where else I can apply my skills and see what fits. I like figuring things out,鈥� he says.

GI Bill^庐 is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at .