Faces of Global: Kirklan Wilson

Wilson began his CSU journey as a student at CSU Pueblo where he graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management in 2017. After graduating, he was unsure exactly what he wanted to do. His uncle offered him a position in his accounting firm, which Wilson accepted. After several years working for his uncle, Wilson took an accounting position at a manufacturing company. “I was at my new job for a total of four months when one day my boss came up to me and said that she and her boss thought I would be a great candidate for getting my CPA license. I did some research to see what I needed to do to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam and that’s when I decided to go back to school,” Wilson said.

Wilson knew he would need to go to a school that provided flexible schedules. “When going back to school, I figured an online program would fit better with my work schedule,” Wilson shared. “I was considering a few online institutions but when I came across CSU Global’s website, I thought, ‘Okay, no-brainer!’ since I already had experience with the CSU System.”

Although going to school online presented new challenges compared to learning in a traditional classroom, Wilson mentioned his instructors were always helpful. “When my instructors responded to the discussion boards all their replies were good. They made you think a little bit more deeply about the topics and consider alternate perspectives.”

Wilson stated that CSU Global’s 24-hour response policy was also a crucial component of receiving the support he needed. “The 24-hour response time is huge with the accelerated coursework and online format,” he noted. “When I first read about the policy in the orientation materials, I thought that was great because sometimes as a student you get stuck on something and can’t move forward until you have an answer. When you don’t have that in-person interaction, it definitely helps to know you can expect a response from your instructor within a certain amount of time.”

A few of Wilson’s instructors also held Zoom sessions to support students throughout their courses. “I thought that was great because it was kind of like having office hours with your instructor,” he commented.

Throughout his time as a CSU Global student, Wilson continued to work full-time in manufacturing. When closing out each month, the amount of hours Wilson had to spend at work could vary and the flexibility CSU Global provided was essential in helping him complete assignments. “Sometimes I’m done with work by 5:00, other times I don’t leave until 6:30, it really depends on the month,” he shared. “So having the flexibility to be able to jump online and watch a lecture video during lunch, or go home, grab some dinner and study in the evenings, was a huge help.”

Wilson registered at CSU Global as a full-time student which meant he signed up to complete four courses every trimester, two courses per 8-week session. Although the accelerated timeline was challenging, Wilson enjoyed being able to earn his degree in a relatively short amount of time. “There were a few times I thought, ‘What did I get myself into?’ But at the same time, it was actually really nice being able to finish the program in 16 months instead of taking two years to get it done,” he shared.

Wilson graduated with his Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from CSU Global in August of 2024. He is looking forward to taking the CPA exams and opening up even more doors for his future.

Wilson also encourages anyone who is considering going back to school to take the plunge. “Everyone’s situation is different, if you think you can’t do full-time, start off part-time! It really is worth all the time that you put in.There will be days where it seems difficult, where you feel like you should just give up, move on. But when you finish the program and look back, it truly is worth it.”

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!