Back to the books

Paul Bell worked hard in 2008, but didn’t make a dime.

When the real estate market crashed he had his own commercial mortgage brokerage business, but every deal he made in 2008 — worth about $3 million — fell through. He was forced to file bankruptcy and start over.

It took the Chuluota resident about six months to recover emotionally from the blow.

“It literally just took all my drive and determination away,” he said.

But about a year and a half ago, he decided to take his new life into his own hands. And it started at the tips of his fingers, at a computer desk. Bell, at 42 years old, went back to college.

He attends Ashford University, an online college with a campus in Iowa, though 98 percent of the school’s 67,000 students do all their work online. In March, Bell was looking for a way to help offset the cost of tuition; he’d already spent $10,000.

He came across the Project Working Mom full-tuition scholarship, and in the fine print read it was for dads too. Out of 12,000 applicants to win a scholarship to Ashford, Bell won one of 10 full-rides with an essay describing his academic goals. He couldn’t believe it.

“It was like winning the lotto,” he said.

Project Working Mom, sponsored by eLearners.com, has sent more than 150 moms and dads back to school with more than $6 million in full-tuition scholarships. The organization only partners with online institutions because that’s where working parents are headed.

“The convenience of online education really speaks to working adults,” said Helen MacDermott, content director of eLearners.com.

Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of public relations for Bridgepoint Education, the company that owns Ashford, said that the median age for students there is about 35, and many have gone back to college because of the downturn in the economy.

Most are finally getting a degree, going for a higher degree or getting a degree in a different field, just to compete in the job market, Rodriguez said.

That’s true for Bell, who has more than 20 years of sales experience and 15 years of management experience, but can’t compete with “kids” coming out of college with no experience — unless he has that golden degree.

“Without a piece of paper to my name, I don’t even get in the door,” he said.

And it hasn’t been easy for Bell, who is the epitome of the scholarship’s target. He has three jobs, takes care of his two children and now goes to school full time.

“You make time for the things you want … and endure a little pain for what you want,” he said.

That’s also why online education is growing with older adults. They’ve got family and work commitments that come before school, Rodriguez said. But with online college, work can be done at any time — when there is time.

Between school and work, he spends about 75 hours a week, and as many parents know, a father’s job isn’t a 9-to-5, more like a 24/7. This is especially true for Bell, who raises his two high schoolers without the help of another parent. Bell said one reason he decided to go to college was to be a good role model for his kids, and it’s working.

“It makes me feel good, and that you can accomplish things if you put your mind to it,” said 15-year-old London Bell.

Bell hopes to get his bachelor’s degree in finance in 2012, and then work for an equity placement firm. He said the scholarship has changed his life. It’s made the dream of finishing school possible, and he said he looks forward to the day he can work just one job and have more time for his daughter — even if all she wants to do is go to the mall.

Learn more

Applications are being accepted for the Project Working Mom scholarship until Sept. 15. For more information about the scholarship, visit www.projectworkingmom.com. Also, check out www.elearners.com for a one-stop-shop resource for information about getting started on an online degree. For more information about Ashford University, visit www.ashford.edu