Faces of Global: Daniel Eaton

Life took Eaton down a variety of paths, but going back to school was always on his bucket list. He graduated with an associate degree in theater arts from Monterey Peninsula College in 1979. He also studied at San Francisco State University, where he had the opportunity to design and construct a costume piece for Annette Bening, which was featured in the San Francisco Chronicles entertainment section. As time went on, Eaton also studied for various securities licenses and was an investment planner. “I held the Certified Financial Planner designation for 30 years and I worked at Charles Schwab for 23 years before I retired,” he noted.

Eaton admitted the thought of going back to school did present challenges. “I was an old guy,” he said. “I started CSU Global classes in my late fifties, and I’d been out of school for a long time. I had been studying in different ways throughout my life but I wondered about the academic side of things, research, writing papers, etc. Would I be able to do it?”

In spite of the uncertainty, Eaton decided to take the plunge. “It was just one of those things I had to do,” he explained. “And I was fortunate to work for an employer who paid for all my undergraduate coursework.” He began looking into online schools and discovered that CSU Global was the right fit for him. “I started digging into it and thought, oh, baby, this is for me.”

Eaton stated that he especially benefitted from the critical thinking component of his classes. “All of the papers I had to write were critical thinking papers, and the focus that it gave me has improved my life in every way since then.” He shared how the skills he gained at CSU Global have helped him navigate the challenges of critical illness. “I have terminal cancer, and I’m kind of at the stage of my life where I’m categorizing things, putting books back on the shelf in the library, etc.,” he shared. “The skills that I got from CSU Global are helping me with end-of-life decisions and things that I need to do, so it’s helped me in many, many, many different ways.”

Not only did Eaton meet the challenge of returning to school head-on, he also graduated Summa Cum Laude. “I got an A in the first class, and I said, okay, I’m gonna get an A in every single one, and I did, even through the bit of graduate work that I did,” he noted.

In his spare time, Eaton enjoys researching and helping others whenever possible. “One of the things CSU Global did to me was turn me into a research hound, so I’m looking up and investigating things all day,” he commented. “I’m putting together a life of 72 years of experience to be as positive and productive as I can. I want to be an elder statesman in the positive sense of the term. If I can be helpful with knowledge or experience without being obnoxious and intrusive, that’s what I want to do.”

Eaton encourages those who are considering going back to school to go for it. “Let it be fun – don’t look upon it as a chore or challenge but as a treasure hunt. When doing research for your weekly papers, think of it like you’re out there searching for treasure. The size of the treasure that you get depends on how much digging you do, and the quality of the digging that you do.”

He also advises students to make sure they’re utilizing the resources provided by CSU Global. “Navigate the resources and take it very seriously. Make sure that you have all of your online resources at your fingertips, so you don’t have to go searching through stuff when you have a deadline. The key to success is discipline, but also having fun, above all else.”

We love hearing from our students and learning more about their personal CSU Global experiences. We hope they inspire you as much as they inspire us!