Student/Alumni Profiles
Meet Nick Hermann
Getting Degrees and a Career
He may only be 19, but Nick Herrman already has it all figured out…at least as far as jobs and a profession goes. He is currently earning his Associate of Science in Visual Communications so that he can turn his hobby of gaming and web design into a career. After Nick graduates with his Associate's degree, he plans on getting himself a new, higher paying job while going straight on to get his Bachelor's degree.
Because Nick hates to waste any time, he chose Colorado Technical University after graduating from Widefield High School last May. "If I sat around and contemplated a bunch of different careers or went to a school that wasn't accelerated, eventually I might get to the same place—a Bachelor's degree in Visual Communication—but I'd be years behind."
Before deciding on CTU, Nick did his research, however. "I know there are lots of visual communication programs out there, but there really aren't that many in Colorado. I saw what CTU offered and saw that it was at least the same as, and often better than, outside schools, but it was a lot less money because it was closer to home."
Getting ready to start his fourth session at CTU, Nick has settled in. He has figured out a way to take classes full-time (he took four classes for two sessions and three during another) and work full-time. Most amazingly, he has also figured out how to manage his time so he can both work and study without putting all his hobbies and friends on hold. "Making time for friends and fun stuff is a priority. I couldn't imagine just putting all that away."
Nick should be done with his Associate's degree in the spring. He's hoping that having he degree on his résumé will help him trade up from his retail job at Game Crazy to something with a little more challenge and responsibility. He also plans on doing freelance web design once he has his diploma.
While Nick says he loves most of the classes he's taken at CTU so far—"I have to work pretty hard to get good grades in English"—he does have a favorite professor. "I've had Prof. Sheri Slike for two Vis. Comm. classes so far, and she's great. She's also a web designer when she's not teaching, so she is helpful for me in that way, too. She's out there and really doing it, so she knows exactly what I need to do to make it out there. I really haven't had a bad teacher, though. Because the classes are always so small, you get to know the teachers so much more than you would otherwise."
The small class sizes at CTU do something else for Nick, too. During his three semesters, he has gotten two Bs and nine As. In high school, Nick was a 2.7 GPA student. "I played varsity soccer but was so lazy and unmotivated for classes back then. Now, with the small classes and always being accountable to the teachers, as well as the fact I'm taking classes I want to…and knowing that this is the real deal and that my parents are paying for it, it's so much easier to be motivated and to do good. I want to do good for my parents and myself."
Back to Student/Alumni Profiles