Navigating the fast track: Q&A with Adam Gabriel on leveraging credit for prior learning
At The University of Akron (UA), learning isn’t confined to the walls of a classroom. The credit for prior learning program (CPL) offers a unique opportunity for students to fast-track their degrees by earning academic credit for their professional and personal experiences.
Whether through work history, professional certifications or military service, credit for prior learning empowers students — particularly adult learners — to transform their real-world knowledge into college credit, reducing both the time and cost of earning a degree.
Adam Gabriel, a 29-year-old from Canal Fulton, Ohio, is doing just that.
Gabriel is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Supervision. He’s leveraging his nearly nine years of work experience at Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels, and his Google Project Management and Data Analytics certificates that he earned through the PATH+ Plus Program to accelerate his academic journey.
With his eyes set on graduating in 2025, Gabriel is taking advantage of credit for prior learning to turn his professional
experience into a more powerful asset.
In this Q&A, Gabriel, shares his journey, inspirations and advice for other adult learners.
What motivated you to pursue higher education as an adult learner? “I have worked for the same company for
nearly nine years and have received four promotions within that time. I have climbed the career ladder as high as I can go with an associate degree.”
What factors influenced your choice to attend UA? “I grew up about 30 minutes south of UA and it’s where I attended my first year of college starting in the fall of 2013. Also, the company I work for is owned by Goodyear, so getting a degree from the college in their backyard will hopefully give me an advantage when applying for promotions.”
How do you see your career growing after earning your degree? How might it contribute to your career or personal goals? “I can see myself moving into a management role within the organization within the next five years. In eight years, I plan to move into Goodyear as a higher-level manager. In the next 10-15 years I plan to move back into my current organization in a senior leadership role.”
How do you feel about your work experience and knowledge becoming academic credit toward earning your degree? “I feel that this is a great program for people like me. There are so many lessons you learn by working that books can’t teach. With each promotion I gained more knowledge on how organizations operate, how people respond to different management styles and increased my own emotional intelligence. My different roles have taught me how to become an effective leader and coach to my peers. I have also had the opportunity to lead different projects for the departments I have worked in. Being able to apply my experience in the workforce toward my degree has helped tremendously and made it an even easier decision to go back to college.”
How do you balance the time commitment to earn your degree with personal and professional responsibilities? “If I get any downtime at work, which is not often, I try to get some reading or schoolwork done. The key is to make sure my work productivity isn’t suffering as that is my main priority. When I am at home, I work on my readings and assignments when my child is taking a nap, or we put him down for bed. I try to work ahead as much as I can for the semester so I can have a buffer just in case something comes up at work or in my personal life that takes away my time to work on school.”
What advice would you give to someone considering going to college as an adult learner? “There is a learning curve when going back to college as an adult. There is a lot you can learn from your classmates and teach them through your experience. Make sure you have an organizational system that works as you need to juggle multiple classes on top of your career.”
Story by Alex Knisely
To learn more, visit uakron.edu/cpl.