William Abernathy
AABA with a concentration in Business

Meet William Abernathy

After 26 years of service in the Navy, William Abernathy entered the private sector with enthusiasm, high expectations and an arsenal of technical skills. "I am highly trained in radar, computer, and missile guidance technology and was a very effective trainer of technicians in the Navy. I had never attended college, but I thought that armed with my trusty high school diploma and over two and a half decades of practical experience in technical training I would have my dream job in no time."

Unfortunately, William had to think again. But that's what led him to AIU Online and eventually, to success. "I applied for several open positions and was often rejected. Even more often my application was simply ignored. I applied for a position that GE had posted which appeared to have been lifted bullet for bullet from my résumé. After I heard nothing, I came to the realization that my lack of success with my job search was due to not having a college degree. It was likely that my résumé was not being reviewed in enough detail for the hiring manager to learn of my skills. I now had to fix that."

Working full-time with changing shifts, William knew that only online learning could provide the flexibility he needed. He looked into several online universities and was most impressed with AIU Online. "AIU seemed like the best choice. I was more confident with the AIU team than those at other universities. I had a great impression after my first talk with an Admissions Advisor and I continued to be impressed throughout the entire admissions process. I wanted challenging courses, I wanted my instructors to have high expectations of me, and I wanted to learn online according to my schedule. I enrolled with AIU Online because it offered everything that I was looking for."

William continued to be impressed throughout his experience with AIU Online. "I found the entire AIU staff to be a first rate group of professionals from top to bottom. Courses are logically structured. The instructors are involved and available. Academic, technical and other means of support are readily available. My textbooks were shipped to my home and always arrived well in advance of my courses. I wasted no time shuffling between buildings or waiting in lines for books or paperwork. The Virtual Campus is state-of the-art, user friendly and has a wealth of resources available for research. Everything seemed like it was designed for me in order to help me concentrate on my studies without the logistical distractions I may have had in a brick and mortar setting."

Just before graduation, William took advantage of the job search assistance that offered by the Career Services department at AIU Online. "My Career Services advisor assisted me well above and beyond my expectations. She taught me how to showcase my skills and highlight my new educational achievements on my résumé, turning a cumbersome and murky document into one that is concise and professional. After working with me through five revisions, I posted my new and improved résumé on the internet. Two days later a company listed in a national financial magazine as one of the 'Top 100 Hottest Stocks to Watch' contacted me. I was informed of a position opening up in my area that seemed to be a perfect fit for me. I applied, interviewed and thanks to AIU Online, I got my dream job without even having to relocate!"

William currently has a position as a technical trainer, providing training and technical support to airport security staff in the use of explosive detection equipment that is supplied by the company that employs him. "The knowledge and soft skills I acquired through earning an Associate's degree in Business Administration through AIU Online have truly helped me polish the technical skills I already had. The business communication skills that I learned are very useful in my current profession. My education has given me more confidence in myself and my abilities. My employer has also shown how valuable a degree is by offering to pay for me to continue on and earn a Bachelor's degree through AIU Online. I would like to advance into management and perhaps become the head of a department, which is now a very real possibility for me. Earning my degree through AIU Online not only got me where I am today, but also has opened the door to new opportunities."

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