A year ago, by most measures, Kail Kidd was – and still is – at a great point in life.
He was in a happy, 10-plus-year marriage.
He had three sons.
He had worked hard and networked his way into a position as a senior account manager for an e-commerce logistics and fulfillment company.
But one thing was missing – he didn’t have his bachelor’s degree.
He’d almost graduated from the Ƶ in 2013, but his first son’s premature birth put that on hold.
“I’ve always wanted to come back and finish my degree,” he says. “There’s a lot of time and money spent in school, so to be so close to graduating and not having done it would be disappointing. Luckily, I’m in an industry that doesn’t really require me to have a degree, but going back and finishing is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
In early 2023, Kidd decided it was time to finish what he started. The online Bachelor of General Studies degree program helped him do that. During the University’s Fall 2023 Commencement, he walked across the stage to accept his diploma, 16 years after he first began his undergraduate studies.
16 Years in the Making
In fall 2007, fresh out of high school, Kidd moved to Plainview, Texas, from Denham Springs, Louisiana, and enrolled at Wayland Baptist University. He was on the cross country and track and field teams. He met his girlfriend, now wife.
Then, the Great Recession happened.
“My family was severely affected,” Kidd recalls. “I was still eligible for TOPS and other academic scholarships in Louisiana that made it financially easier for me to transfer back home.”
So, he and his future wife transferred to UL Lafayette to take the financial burden of paying for school off of his family.
Prioritizing his family’s needs ended up being a recurring theme for Kidd throughout his educational journey.
After marrying his wife in June 2010, he sat out the 2010-11 school year so that he could work and support the two of them.
He re-enrolled but then took another semester off to work full time as his wife finished her degree, with plans of returning and finishing his degree the following semester.
But when his wife had pregnancy complications and gave birth to their son prematurely in the middle of that next semester, he had no choice but to put school on hold, just a month before he was set to graduate, so he could be there for his family.
In early 2023, he learned about UL Lafayette’s online Bachelor of General Studies program, and with his wife’s encouragement, he knew it was time to finish what he started. He submitted an online inquiry, and the process of re-enrolling began.
“Everything from the initial review of my transcripts and grades, walking me through enrollment, scheduling classes, and paying for school has been a breeze,” he says. “The ability to continue to work full-time and complete my degree was not something I would have thought possible in the past.”
Why pursue a general studies degree online?
Kidd initially changed his major to general studies shortly after transferring to UL Lafayette to maintain NCAA eligibility to compete on the University’s track and field and cross country teams. The flexibility of the general studies curriculum allowed him to take a full-time course load without having to take classes that he didn’t actually need to graduate.
When he returned to school online earlier this year, the accelerated 8-week terms made it convenient for Kidd to stay in general studies and work toward his degree at a manageable, yet efficient, pace.
“I honestly expected that my graduation would be spring 2024,” Kidd says. “Being able to take A and B term classes was nice. I only had to take one class at a time, but I could still get two classes done each semester.”
As an added benefit, Kidd could use the flexibility of the general studies curriculum to craft an educational experience that was beneficial for him and his career.
For example, ENGL 365: Technical Writing taught him to write more effectively in a business environment.
“The class was all about how to write proposals, how to write memos, and how to go about producing those kinds of business documents, which is really helpful being that I work in a commercial space,” he says. “I’m able to take what I learned and apply it to what I do, whether that be writing proposals for new customers or sending reports out internally.”
He’s used being in school again as a networking opportunity, too.
"I’ve been able to connect with a couple of professors and classmates on LinkedIn,” he says. “In my social media class, we had a couple of group projects, so we connected offline, outside of Moodle. That helped us a lot with building those relationships with each other, which is not what I expected.”
Support in an Online Program
As Kidd completed his last few undergraduate courses online, he received the same support that he’d grown so accustomed to providing to others.
“My advisor in the University College, Sharon Williams-Gregory, was so helpful from the beginning,” he says. “She took a lot of time to walk me through what classes I would need, and she helped me register for classes that would fit my schedule.”
Kidd also credits his wife for helping him get through it. Both of them work full time, and his wife is pursuing a master’s degree. They’ve completed much of their schoolwork together, at the kitchen table, after their children have gone to bed for the night or before they’ve woken up.
“It honestly helped us both to be on the same schedule,” he says. “She’s got schoolwork to do. I’ve got schoolwork to do. It helped us stay accountable.”
Kidd is glad he took the steps to finish his undergraduate degree. And he encourages others to explore their options for doing the same.
“If earning your degree is something you’re interested in, it’s worth reaching out to see if it’s something that can happen,” he says. “Being able to go fully online, honestly, was the reason I was able to go back and finish my degree, and that wasn’t possible when I started it. It has been a life changer.”
You started. We’ll help you finish. Use your existing college credits to earn your Bachelor of General Studies online.