What if 12 years of work experience could count toward a bachelor’s degree through WSU Tech? For Cody Walker, it did. 

For years, Cody had been putting off school, telling himself he would go back once things settled down. With a full-time job and three young kids at home, he assumed it would take years to finish a bachelor’s degree. 

Cody started taking general education courses at WSU Tech with the intention of going into engineering. His advisor, Erin, learned about his work history and introduced him to the Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) program, a pathway at WSU Tech to convert his work experience and technical coursework into credit hours toward a bachelor’s degree. 

When he transferred from WSU Tech to Wichita State University, 12 years of professional experience translated into 45 college credit hours. Cody did most of his coursework online while he kept working full-time. 

He is now an Experimental Schedule Analyst at Textron Aviation, and he can now move toward salaried and supervisory roles that were out of reach before.

That is what WSU Tech’s Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) Pathway can help you do. You can earn credits at WSU Tech, transfer to Wichita State, and the job you already have can turn into college credit toward a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Learning.

For Cody, that meant he never had to choose between a paycheck and the degree he wanted, because he could keep the job, fit the coursework around his family, and still graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

We sat down with Cody and talked to him about his journey. 

What did you study at WSU Tech?

I did the Shocker Pathway program at WSU Tech and transitioned to WSU to complete the OLL program with a concentration in Industrial Automation.

What do you do now?

I am an Experimental Schedule Analyst at Textron Aviation.

What made you decide to go for the Organizational Leadership & Learning degree?

My Advisor Erin at WSU Tech. Originally, I was taking general education classes with the intentions of going into engineering as that was really the only thing that interested me. Erin learned of my work history, my wife and children, and introduced me to the OLL program as an alternative that would allow me to convert my work experience into credit hours towards a bachelors.

How did you fit this into your life, and how did your WSU Tech credits or work experience count toward the degree?

It fit extremely well. I was able to do the majority of my work online, which meant I got to be with my wife and children more and could work on school when it best fit my schedule. 

The WSU Tech credits transferred seamlessly to WSU. I had 12 years of work experience going into the program which ended up granting me 45 credit hours towards my degree. I was able to use my previous work experience to cover courses that were primarily “apprenticeships”.

How has earning your degree changed the way you see your future in your industry?

Since completing my degree, I am able to apply for a salaried position and raise my ceiling of potential within my company and also the aviation industry. I am able to move into a more experienced role with more trust and responsibilities and then go into supervision and management.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about this but is not sure they can do it?

This was my biggest hurdle, and I had to tell myself to quit making excuses and just do it. I was intimidated to back to school as an adult who’s been out of school for many years. 

For years, I put off taking classes because “oh, I don’t have time, I’ll wait until life calms down, I’m working too much, I’ve got a wife and little kids at home”. 

If it’s something you want to do, then do it. Take a class or two to start and get the feel of things and go from there. An old saying my dad would tell me is, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” It felt extremely relatable to taking college classes.

What would you tell others who are wondering whether they’re ready to take on something like this?

I would ask them what are they waiting for? Life goes by fast, and if you want your life to change, then take control and do it!

Cody didn’t have to start over to earn his bachelor’s degree. He was able to build on what he had already accomplished.

That’s the idea behind the OLL Pathway. It was designed for people who already have technical training, years of experience on the job, or both, and want to turn that experience into a bachelor’s degree.

Earn an associate degree at WSU Tech, transfer to Wichita State, turn documented work experience into college credit, and graduate with your bachelor’s degree from Wichita State. 

Talk with an Accelerate advisor at WSU Tech to find out how your technical training and work experience could count toward your bachelor’s degree.

If you’re already working, your experience may be worth more than you realize. 

You’ve already earned the experience. Now, see where it can take you.

Explore the OLL pathway and discover where your education and experience could take you.