A year into his studies as a Surveying Engineering Technologies major at Rowan College of South Jersey (RCSJ), Brian Britton still sometimes cannot believe he 终于能拿到学位了吗.

“上大学不是一件坏事 这是我年轻时的选择，”他回忆道. “我和父母没有谈过 但我一直知道，总有一天我会去做的.”

布里顿认为 他自己很幸运，很早就找到了自己的天职. 参加的起草课程 as a teenager at Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, New Jersey captured 他的注意力. 高中毕业后，布里顿进入了布里克大学 计算机科学学院. 短短18个月后，技校 helped him to secure a job at a prestigious engineering firm and his career in 土地测量开始. 布里顿知道这对他是有利的 学士学位，但环境似乎总是阻止它.

 “我可以继续在这个行业工作 (without a 学位) for the rest of my life, but you do hit sort of a ceiling 当涉及到薪水甚至职位时，”他解释道. “在某个 companies, in order to make it to a shareholder level, you need to have a 学位.”

当他享受着 next 20 years of professional success, collecting industry accolades and 在攀登职业阶梯的过程中，他获得学位的愿望从未消退. By 2019, the now-married father of four was a Senior Project Surveyor and an Associate 但他仍然觉得自己的能力有限. 如果没有学士学位， 布里顿无法获得新泽西州委员会颁发的执照 Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors; without his license, there were some 达到了他永远无法企及的职业成功水平.

“还有其他的 在像纽约这样的州，我可以根据我的经验参加执照考试 经验,但 . . . 也许我不知道我是否会通过，因为我没有 我接受的教育支持了我的现实经验。.

当布里顿看到 RCSJ’s advertisement for a Surveying Engineering Technologies 学位 pathway offered in cooperation with Rowan University — which would streamline his transfer to the University upon earning his associate 学位 — he realized that 他梦寐以求的学士学位指日可待了. 该计划得到了 the New Jersey Society of Professional Land Surveyors and it was perfect for him; but there was one hiccup — the 2019 fall semester started in a week’s time. Britton feared he might have to wait until the following spring, but a visit 与RCSJ学生服务团队的合作结束了他的担忧.

“我做到了 make it to the campus, meet with the advisors, sign up for everything I needed to, pay for the classes, and I did it all within a week,” Britton recounts. “I was guided in a really good path by the advisors at Rowan College as well as STEM学院院长. 我真的很感激，我感到很幸运，我能够 快速进入程序.”

布里顿收到了 第二个惊喜是RCSJ的STEM系主任，Dr. 推荐Christina Nase 他节省了时间和金钱与先验学习评估-他的广泛 professional 经验 in land surveying could be converted into academic 通过投资组合评估获得学分. 在学院院长的指导下 学术合规，博士. 丹尼尔Zimecki-Fennimore, Britton prepared portfolios for Introduction to Surveying, CADD I and CADD II. Each portfolio contained relevant work 经验, technical education, certifications, industry awards and accomplishments to demonstrate that Britton had already 掌握课程内容.

“处理 像布莱恩这样的学生，对作品集评估带来了不同 从学生个人需要的角度出发，”zimecki - fenimore说. “更 non-traditional students are returning to college and bringing a wealth of work 经验.  作为一个机构，我们是 using pri或者学习ing assessments to help students find alternative ways to earn 因为他们已经知道了.  它是 对每个人来说都是一次很棒的经历.”

这三个 Britton’s portfolios were approved, he completed the assessment tests, paid the related testing fee, and he was three giant steps — along with nine academic 学分，接近他的学位. 对于全职专业人士，父亲和 student, the head start towards his 学位 was more than worth the time and 在过程中投入的努力.

 “我强烈推荐它，”布里顿说. “我是 able to pay $125 for each class — for me, with the three classes it was $375 — it was a couple of hours out of my life for each of the assessments, but when I look back at how much time I would have spent studying, attending class, and taking tests, I’m just really thankful and grateful I had this opportunity. It will help me achieve my goal of earning my associate 学位 in two years, 晚上出席.”

现在，他的 freshman year of studies under his belt, Britton has found there are many benefits to entering the college classroom as an 经验d professional. 他的 foundational skills in areas like mathematics are being reinforced while he is building a network of current and future colleagues, benefitting from their 并分享自己的专业知识. 布里顿从不错过放纵自己的机会 in some “shop talk” with his professors and pick their brains or serve as a mentor to the younger students in his classes as they begin to look for jobs of 他们自己的.

“我一直 劝诫年轻人加入这个行业 . . . 你可以提供 for your family and just feel good about what you do every day,” he affirmed. “As 土地测量师，我们有点像数学家、历史学家和艺术家. 这是 三种不同的东西合为一体.”

布里顿看起来 forward to seeing his career path continue to unfold, both proud of his past accomplishments and eager to see what the future will hold once he has the 学位 来证明他的经验.

“它总是一个 thought in my mind — a dream — that one day I’d be able to go to college and 获得学位. 事实上，我现在正在做这件事，”布里顿停顿了一下 continuing; “I kind of pinch myself sometimes. 我有一个正在努力的目标 而RCSJ正在使之成为可能.”

找出你的 经验可以转化为学分 RCSJ.edu/PriorLearning 或者学习 more about the Surveying Engineering Technology and other STEM programs at RCSJ.edu/STEM.