Bill Ellis, Current Student, Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management
September, 2010
At 60 years of age, it never occurred to Bill Ellis that he was too old to go back to school to get a Bachelor of Commerce in Entrepreneurial Management degree. He’d had a successful career over 35 years as a senior accountant, and now he wanted to prove to himself that he could get a university degree. Looking back, Bill wonders what took him so long to take the plunge and apply to the program at Royal Roads. “I’ve been thinking about this for about 30 years. One day I decided to make an appointment to come in to speak with an enrolment advisor and after an hour I left feeling encouraged to make an application. When I found out I was accepted into the BCom program, I was thrilled and scared at the same time. Lots of people thought I was crazy to be taking this on at 60 but frankly I can’t wait to get home from work and get online with my team of fellow students. It makes me feel young.”
Now, several weeks into his BCom program, Bill is pleased with the amount of support he’s getting from faculty and other students. He compares this program to an online course he did a few years ago. “In this program, you’re not sitting at home alone not knowing what to do. I’m online with my instructors and they get right back to you. We know the onus is on us to complete the work, participate and keep up to date but there is a lot of support to help us get there. I feel this university really cares about us being successful.”
February, 2011
Five months into the program, Bill’s enthusiasm is still sky high. “Things are progressing wonderfully; I got an A on my first course. Proof it can be done by us old folks!
I would definitely recommend this program to anyone my age who wants to get their brain juices flowing again, and advance their knowledge in the field of business. The course material is relevant to me both as an individual and in my professional capacity as an accountant. I’ve learned a lot but moreover, it’s taught me to think differently about how I analyze problems in the workplace, and in life.”
Bill Ellis, current student
Bachelor of Commerce Program
