Made for Online Learning: How Candido Renteria found flexibility and convenience in journey towards dream career

As an Emergency Case Manager in Austin, TX, Candido Renteria has dedicated his career to serving others. His job required frequent travel, and his responsibilities ranged from job placement to disaster relief for communities. After assisting with the COVID-19 response, Candido was prompted to think about his future. He realized one thing: he wanted to transition to a more stable career he was passionate about.

Determined to build the future he wanted, Candido researched community college programs. He was looking for fully online degree programs to accommodate his unpredictable schedule. He also desired to enter the tech industry, a career field inspired by seeing his IT colleagues handle disaster responses.

“I liked that they knew so much about technology,” Candido said. “From knowing how to build a website to keeping infrastructure secure — they prompted me to look into a cybersecurity program.”

That’s when Candido discovered St. Philip’s College (SPC), which offers the fully online Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist associate degree.

Early in his career, Candido had taken a few in-person classes and transitioned from in-person to online learning. At first, he worried about losing the real-time interaction with professors in a traditional classroom setting. However, SPC’s online faculty helped ease his concerns.

“Being able to ask questions in real-time was always a big benefit for me. I was nervous about how that would translate online,” he admitted. “But the professors at St. Philip’s College were incredibly responsive. They answered my emails quickly which made a huge difference when juggling work and school.”

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Candido soon discovered online learning didn’t mean missing out on the connection. He found ways to connect with the on-campus community through SPC’s Cyber Tigers, an all-things-tech student group.

“I wanted to connect with students in the same field, so I joined the Cyber Tigers. The professor told me, ‘If you can’t come to on-campus activities, you can join via Zoom!’ So, it makes it a lot of fun for me to interact with students because we kind of feed off of each other. That makes coming back to school as an online student easier.”

Candido’s journey as an online learner opened doors to unique opportunities. He was selected to attend a leadership conference in Washington, D.C., where he advocated for Hispanic-serving institutions, interacted with public officials, and met other students like him.

Candido is on track to graduate with an Information Technology Cybersecurity Specialist associate degree in Spring 2025. He plans to continue his education fully online — pursuing a second associate degree in Network Administration and eventually a Bachelor of Applied Technology at SPC.

“Looking back, online learning was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Candido said. “Having the opportunity to go back to school was always a dream of mine and two years later, I'm really close to finishing my cybersecurity associates!”

He hopes his journey inspires others who may hesitate to return to school.

“I've had these ongoing conversations with people on how they’re too old to go to school but things are different now,” he explained. “Taking online courses is about how much you commit. The amazing thing at SPC is that the professors will encourage you, but it's up to you to put in the time and effort."

Online learning can offer flexibility and convenience similar to Candido’s journey. Take the first step towards earning a degree by chatting with an enrollment coach today.