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Making a Life-Changing Decision
“When trying to decide if returning to school is a viable option for you, consider the reasons why you have to do it, rather than dwelling on the excuses why you can’t,”
says Ken Culleton.
A resident of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Ken decided to upgrade his literacy and essential skills after noticing an advertisement in his local newspaper. Featured in the advertisement were statistics pertaining to the lack of employment possibilities for people with less than a Grade 12 education.
At the time, Ken was working as a manager in a sporting goods store. Though he liked the job, Ken was sometimes frustrated because it was impossible for him to take advantage of opportunities to advance in his job due to his limited Grade 9 education.
Making the life-changing decision to go to school was the greatest challenge that Ken had to face. Once he got past that step, he enrolled in literacy programs, funded by Human Resources and Social Development Canada’s Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, and offered through Adult and Community Education at Holland College, in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. Everything else seemed to fall into place after Ken took this first important step.
Upon completing his Grade 12 certificate, Ken also won a Garfield Weston Merit Scholarship for Colleges national scholarship award. He was later presented with a Program Award for Initiative and Proficiency after completing a two-year college diploma course. He is now actively working on a second college diploma and will graduate in June 2009 with a Certificate in Adult Education, which will enable him to pursue a teaching career. He then plans to take more courses to obtain a Bachelor of Education degree.
Furthering his education has instilled new-found confidence in Ken, making him realize that there is a world of opportunities out there for him. The feeling of self-satisfaction he experiences is absolutely amazing, he says.
Ken’s original career plan was to set up his own business as a computer technician. He tells us that one stepping stone led to another, and now, he is teaching others in the same classrooms he had first returned to in 2000! Making a difference in people's lives has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of his life, Ken says.
His wife and children are especially proud of his achievements. Now, Ken is experiencing a more fulfilled life. He is active in raising awareness about the number of opportunities that can arise from pursuing higher education.