Tomas Tellez began his college career as an on-campus student at Oregon State University. Then life and work took him elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, and financial issues forced him to set education aside for a while.
No matter if he was living in Washington or Portland, Tomas knew he wanted – needed – to someday finish his degree, and he had a strong desire to pick up where he left off at Oregon State.
He eventually came to a crossroads. He could move back to Corvallis and re-enroll at OSU, but he would have to leave his rewarding job in Portland. Or he could keep the status quo, but his career aspirations would be limited without a college degree.
Tomas chose Door No. 3 instead. He enrolled online with Oregon State Ecampus, which allowed him to keep his job and study at the university he knew and loved so well.
That’s what they call the best of both worlds.
“I knew I wanted to complete my education with OSU, and the Ecampus online program was a great way for me to do that,” Tomas said. “My advisor and my instructors were very helpful throughout the course of my studies, and the flexibility I had to work and take classes at the same time was great.”
After completing his course work online, Tomas received his bachelor’s degree in human development and family sciences in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences. And within a few months of graduating, he paired his years of work experience with his new Oregon State diploma and landed an even better job at Portland Public Schools.
“That happened because I was able to get my degree online with OSU,” he said.