"In early 2018, I was looking for the next challenge in my career at Farm Credit Services of America. I still enjoyed the work, but I was ready to start my journey forward. I knew that I always had an interest in Information Security but was struggling to find my way into the field. I met with our Chief Security Officer, Rex Earl, for advice and he recommended the Cybersecurity degree program at Bellevue University. As soon as our conversation ended, I went to my desk and called the admissions office to discuss my desire to enroll in the program. The advisor let me know what I needed to do to be ready for the next semester and I was on my way.
"Through the relationship with Bellevue University and Farm Credit Services of America, I enrolled and returned to school at age 42 to work toward accomplishing my goal. After a brief adjustment period of balancing family, work, and school, I settled into a routine that enabled my educational growth and development opportunity.
"About six months into the 18-month program, a position opened on the Security Team, and I applied. I was offered the role as an Information Security Engineer and thanks to the degree program at Bellevue University, I felt prepared for the transition into the new position. While my education was still in progress, I was able to apply what I was learning and quickly adapted to my new job. I felt proud of my accomplishments and looked forward to everything I was experiencing at work and school, but the final project at Bellevue University changed the course of my career in an unexpected way.
"One of the components of the capstone is a community service/volunteer project. I decided to coach a recreation league volleyball team that consisted of my 14-year-old daughter and her nine teammates. Through this coaching experience, my passion for people leadership was ignited. I received my degree in March of 2020 and immediately began working on a new set of goals.
"Thirty months after enrolling at Bellevue University, I am currently the Vice President of the Technical Support Team at Farm Credit Services of America. Thanks to my journey and everything I have learned along the way, I am energized and prepared to enable my team for success."
Charles Sanders
Vice President of Technical Support
Farm Credit Services of America
Bellevue University Graduate
