Juggling education and a young family

Rosalynn White is balancing the demands of raising two young children with getting the education she needs to take the next step in her career thanks to the online Bachelor of Business Administration program option.  

“It is a game-changer for me,” she says. “I have a five-year-old child and another who is almost two, and being away at school all day, plus the 45-minute drive each way and managing their care when they fall ill was just not something I was willing or able to do.”  

The BBA online option provides students with preferential access to online Faculty of Management courses for the first two years. After this time, students attend VIU in person at the Nanaimo campus to finish their degree. Students can also choose to exit at this time, earning a Certificate in Business Management or a Business Administration Diploma. 

Rosalynn was attracted to the business administration program because of the options to enter a professional career where she can work remotely and be there for her children as they grow. 

“I would like to do something in human resources, that's what's jumping out to me, and the job descriptions that most resonate with what I want to go towards.” 

Rosalynn says being able to learn at her own pace has been monumental and she doesn’t feel like she is missing out on anything by taking an online diploma course. 

Asynchronous learning means that the instructor and the students in the course all engage with the course content at various times and from different locations. The instructor provides students with a sequence of units which the students move through as their schedules permit.

She says the asynchronous class feels like being in a real classroom. “There are lots of interactive activities, quizzes, reading, case studies and video lectures,” she says. “I like it when we do discussion posts because you're getting other people's feedback. Especially with asynchronous classes, it opens a bit of a window, and you know you're not alone, you are hearing other things going on and kind of have a bit of that class conversation anyway.” 

Her professors are easy to contact and respond quickly when she requires assistance. 

Rosalynn’s advice to anyone thinking about pursuing a certificate or diploma online? “You can do it.” 

On the financial side, Rosalynn found that as a parent there are many support options available such as government grants that help with affordable childcare for students, making it possible for her to focus on her learning for a few hours a week. 

Rosalynn will finish her diploma by the end of this year. She opted for a four-class load each semester and took advantage of summer classes last year, which means she’ll graduate at the same time as people who started last January. 

“The best part for me is it kind of instilled a newfound confidence in myself,” she says. “It's not something I thought I would be doing at this time in my life, with two young children, but it’s been the best experience, and it’s made me so happy and excited for the future. I feel like my kids are going to be proud of me looking back, that I got to do this while they were little and see their mom do it.” 

She adds anything to make yourself happy is worth investing in.