Online education allows ex-major to switch careers

One good turn deserves another

Gary Witover These days, there's no single online learning format--many online degrees incorporate campus visits and local internships. Gary Witover, an ex-Air Force major turned PA student, talks about his experience with distance learning programs, both online and 'hybrid instruction.' Online learning puts your education in your own hands: you can study wherever, whenever, and however you choose. Gary Witover has taken full advantage of this flexibility, first as an Air Force Major stationed abroad, then as a civilian headed for a medical career. He talked to us recently about his adventures in online education, which have taken him from a graduate school in Virginia to public university in California, and from theoretical military strategy discussions to hands-on Physician Assistant training--all while living in such remote and exotic locales as Saudi Arabia and the Sierra Nevada mountains

World Wide Learn:	What was your first experience with online education?
Gary Witover:	The first was a Master in Strategic Intelligence, through a distance learning university based in Virginia. I needed a master's degree to advance beyond the rank I was in, from Major to Lieutenant Colonel. It was an unspoken requirement.
If you are active duty military, or your spouse is, you may be eligible for special military educational discounts and assistance.
World Wide Learn:	Why did you decide on an online program?
Gary Witover:	I was living in Beale Air Force Base in Sacramento and deploying 250 days a year, so online education was the only option.
World Wide Learn:	Where were you stationed abroad?
Gary Witover:	I was in Korea, the Middle East, all over the world.
World Wide Learn:	Were you able to keep up your studies during deployment? How did that work?
Gary Witover:	That was the benefit of the online format, I could do it anywhere I was stationed. The Air Force makes a lot of special accommodations for education--I don't know whether it's the same across the military--but in the Air Force you almost always have access to the internet and to an education center. I also found that my professors were easygoing about moving due dates and such--they understood the military lifestyle and were willing to work around our schedules.
World Wide Learn:	What courses did you take online?
Gary Witover:	The classes I took were oriented to what I was doing in the military. Electrical engineering with respect to specific military applications, for example. I also took radar theory, the history of reconnaissance, and the history of warfare.
World Wide Learn:	In a traditional campus setting, some of those courses might include labs or practical, hands-on instruction. How did the online format accommodate that?
Gary Witover:	Labs weren't part of the curriculum as they would be in a campus class. The classes were theoretical, involving written assignments.
World Wide Learn:	How exactly did the online format work?
Gary Witover:	Each class involved two or three ten-page papers. Once a week, I would go online and comment on a specific topic the professor had posted, and respond to classmates' posts. Also, once or twice a term the professor would hold a live chat session. It was like an instant messenger exchange: you could see everyone's comments and respond 'live.' The purpose was mainly to check in and handle logistics, and then we would discuss questions relevant to the coursework. For example, 'What is the utility of this radar…'
World Wide Learn:	Let's fast forward to the present. Could you describe the program you're currently involved in?
Gary Witover:	I'm currently completing a Physician Assistant degree through a public university in California. It's part online, part on campus. They call it a hybrid program. I'm on campus a couple days a month, two or three. The rest of the program is online. I would say I spend two to three nights a week online, in discussion rooms, taking quizzes and tests, etc.
The physician assistant (PA) profession is currently ranked the third fastest growing occupation in the nation, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS predicts that the number of physician assistant jobs in the U.S. will grow by 49% from 2002 to 2012.
World Wide Learn:	Does the program have a hands-on component?
Gary Witover:	Two to three days a week I precept under a doctor here in Truckee. The preceptorship is part of the program; last year I did about 600 hours. I see patients in the office, take history, and make my recommendation to the doctor. We discuss the patient's case and develop a course of action.
World Wide Learn:	Why did you choose this hybrid format?
Gary Witover:	As an adult, I don't want to be forced to move to another city in order to go to school. At the same time, I prefer the hybrid program to a fully online degree because you get more interaction. On campus we're learning how to do surgery and how to suture--you couldn't demonstrate this online. It's much more of a real degree. It's not just theoretical. It's better to get some face time and get some questions answered.
World Wide Learn:	Any parting thoughts for those considering an online degree?
Gary Witover:	There are a lot of things in life I couldn't have done had it not been for these programs. In a perfect world--given infinite time and resources--I would like to go to college on campus, have time for a full career, and live wherever I want. For an adult this seems like a good alternative. Also, it's important to check into the quality of the program. There are a million colleges--you definitely need to filter out the lame ones. It's a matter of accreditation. The military had a list of the programs whose degrees they would recognize, and specifically which accrediting institutions were acceptable.