Hello, my name is Thomas Adams and I am a BCIT Flexible Learning student.
Like many students, my journey through post-secondary has been a winding road of twists and turns. I would have never predicted where it would lead me, in the best way possible. The game changer for my educational journey was being able to take courses that fit into my schedule seamlessly—thanks to Flexible Learning at BCIT.
I graduated high school in 2023 and had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted freedom and to switch up my high school routine. However, career wise, I was lost. On a whim, I decided to pursue a Business Administration Associate Certificate program at BCIT as it was offered through Flexible Learning. This meant I would have the flexibility of studying at my own pace while balancing other life commitments.
A change of pace for the gap year
I call this year of my life, my half-gap year. I was able to get a gap year experience—being able to work a job, wake up late, play video games, and even do some traveling while still completing my certificate and finding a career path that suited me best.
I chose to do a mix of weekly classes and fully online classes. Although I was new to the business world, it resonated well with my brain and I took interest in both the content I was learning and instructors who brought real-world, industry experience. I remember always asking questions about the interesting scenarios they would encounter in the real world.
Through my Business Administration Associate Certificate, I was able to explore my interests by taking diverse electives including Interpersonal Skills and Event Planning. Throughout these classes, I met a wide variety of people who had their own journeys with Flexible Learning.
A good way to explore different topics
Although I was in control of my own learning and could take whichever courses I wanted to, I was still looking to meet the requirements for my Business Administration Associate Certificate by the end of the year. This required that I take a few electives along with my core business courses, so I ended up enrolling in Event Planning.
I was still exploring my options as live events was a career I was looking into as well. In that class, I met people from the events world. Similar to me, they were trying to find a career that suited them and enjoyed planning all kinds of events. One student I met then decided to become a wedding planner as she was taking a Wedding Planning course where she fell in love with all aspects of weddings.
As my first post-secondary year came to a close in June 2024, I was left to think about my future again and what I wanted to do in the coming years. I had held down my retail job for the whole year and although I still liked it, I knew that I didn’t want to stay there forever. After completing my associate certificate, I knew that I wanted to continue my studies in business. I decided that I wanted to get the Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA).
Before I could get into a degree program, I would have to complete a diploma program. However, when I went to apply, I faced some challenges. All the Business diplomas were already full. I could apply to take a part-time diploma through Flexible Learning; however, I wanted to get into a full-time diploma program in order to complete it at a faster rate.
Transferable skills for the workplace
Thankfully through Flexible Learning, no door is ever fully closed. I applied for a diploma in Broadcast and Online Journalism. Although this is not a Business diploma, it could still lead me into my BBA if I completed a few extra business courses on the side. Through my associate certificate, I had already taken half of the required classes, so this seemed within my range of capabilities for the next two years.
Although it’s not the journey that most students take, my Broadcast and Online Journalism diploma has provided me with transferable skills, real-world work experiences, and industry network that are all be valuable for my future career in business. My final two internships were with the Marketing and Communications Department at BCIT, where I was able to learn from the Communications, Events, and Marketing teams, while applying the writing and soft skills I developed throughout my Broadcast and Online Journalism program. As well, these internships gave me a chance to start building my resume before I even graduated.
Flexible learning options
I was taking Business Statistics weekly, along with my full-time diploma as one of my prerequisites to the BBA. There, I met a classmate who was in the middle of his Finance diploma. Unlike me, who often took 4–5 Flexible Learning courses at a time, he decided to take his diploma part-time, through Flexible Learning. Although he was just starting his career in the workforce, he managed to land himself a full-time job with an accounting firm. He was completing his diploma in order to move up within the company. He was putting his current job first; therefore, he was taking five years to complete his diploma. He was able to cater Flexible Learning to his needs.
Gaining diverse knowledge
At the moment, I am about to graduate from my Broadcast and Online Journalism diploma and head into my Bachelor of Business Administration in September 2026. Although it wasn’t the conventional route to take for a post-secondary program, I am so appreciative of all the people that I have met and the experience I’ve gained. Although it’s been a bit of extra effort for me, I’ve gained a unique perspective from many different educational experiences, and I know I will be able to bring unique insights into whichever workplace I choose to work in.
BCIT Flexible Learning has made my journey possible and showed me all the options that I had for a career while still constantly pushing me forward. My route is definitely unique, but everyone can choose what’s best for them and pivot to fit their interests and goals.
Explore courses available to you through BCIT Flexible Learning.