Bailey Gale (Administrative Office Specialist ’22) was looking for an alternative path toward her college education. Already employed full-time at Innovative Systems in Mitchell, S.D., she wanted an education that would enhance her ability to grow within the company, plus assist in the management of a loved one’s business.
“I really liked the job that I was in, so I started to research programs that would suit that position and position myself to be more qualified to move up from what I was in,” she said. “I had tried a couple other colleges, and I just couldn’t make the online programs at those colleges work while working full-time, but Mitchell Tech made it work well so that I could work on it year-round and not feel overwhelmed. It was still doable with my full-time job, that I could still go out and do things without taking like 20 credits at a time.”
Two full calendar years later, Gale graduated with an associate degree in Administrative Office Specialist.
“Admissions worked to get my credits to transfer the best that they could, and the instructors I had really fought to get those credits to count so I could have as many of the program classes done as possible,” she said, crediting instructor Deb Giblin with working around her schedule, Connor Wendland in the Mitchell Tech Wi-Fi & Broadband Technologies lab.
Connor Wendland (Wi-Fi & Broadband Technologies ’20) is an installation and repair technician for Alliance Communications in Baltic, S.D., often holding advising meetings in the evenings or over her lunch hour. “She was just super, super understanding that people work full-time and things happen. She was really willing to work with me on my assignments and ensured that I could handle my credit load. She also gave a lot of feedback to help me know how I could improve as I went.”
Gale said she felt like her success was just as important to Mitchell Tech as those whose studies took place in-person.
“In some other schools, if you’re online, you kind of feel forgotten,” she said, but “Deb made it feel like we were a priority – the school still prioritized us and wanted us to succeed.”
Although Gale had already landed her job prior to starting classes at Mitchell Tech, she said her degree has been valuable to her and to Innovative Systems.
“My education opened me up to a lot of information about how the accounting side of things works, improved my communication and gave me a better understanding of small businesses and how they run,” she said, which helped her better understand the company’s decisions.
