Many students at Victor Valley College (VCC) go to school while balancing a military career. Casey Oden, a second-year student at VVC and a Corporal/ E-4 in the U.S. Marine Corps, offered some insights about his experience.

For Oden, his time in the military feels like it is not going by fast enough. “I wanted to prepare myself for something else when I get out and to help my time in the military go quicker,” said Oden.

Being both a student and a Marine helps Oden’s military career. “It makes me more competitive as far as picking up a better rank,” said Oden.

Being a student in the military is difficult, according to Oden. “Being active duty military, the mission always is a top priority, and the mission will always come first,” he said.

“One of the biggest difficulties is time management when balancing work and school,” said Oden. He is currently about to be deployed, so he will have to put school on pause.

Due to his deployment over seas, school will be on pause, but he will continue to do his studies, and when he returns he will be enrolled to finish his associates in finance and transfer to pursue a B.A. in business finance.

Oden does online classes because it allows him to do his job in the military but have access to his classes through a phone or computer. “I just do 100% online,” said Oden “I like it because wherever I am at, I can take care of my assignments as long as I have internet.”

Oden doesn’t have regrets about combining school and military ambitions. “I don’t regret it because it is helping me further my education, and having a military background while also completing my B.A. in finance will help me be more competitive when I get out of the military,” he said.

It will always be difficult being in the military and trying to accomplish school. The unknown is hard, but soldiers know “mission always comes first.”