Kitrick Bell

Not 'Just a Coder'

Coding languages are Bell’s bread and butter; he even remembers playing (and loving) a code-based video game as a kid. But this degree, he said, challenged him to go beyond his existing knowledge and build new, marketable skills like advanced problem-solving, outside-the-box thinking and more.

“I don’t feel like I’m just a coder anymore,” he said. “If somebody needs help with something like data extensions or journeys, I want to be able to step in and be of better service to my team. I’m a more well-rounded programmer because of my courses.”

After some time spent working as a systems analyst, Bell felt his passion for both tech and creativity could be better suited to something different. When he stepped into a front-end web designer role on wuv’s marketing team, he said the switch felt aligned with his goals and skill set. And now that he’s graduated from his master’s program, he said he’s already applying some of what he’s learned to his day-to-day work on the university's webpages.

“The program helped me with code efficiency, which helps make things more readable,” he said. “The goal is that our page time runs faster, and our apps work more efficiently.”

A Village of Support

As an online student at wuv, Bell balanced school, work and family time with his wife and their 3-year-old daughter. He credited his family for supporting him every step of the way.

“Whenever I needed time to step away to focus and grind, the village that I had was incredible,” he said.

Bell’s academic advisor, Mary, helped him build a schedule that worked for him. Most terms, this looked like full-time courses (two per term). But when things got busy and he needed to take a step back, he felt he had the support and flexibility to go down to one course as needed.

“You’ve got work. You’ve got family things,” he said. “I knew some were going to be very intensive. Your advisor will let you know, too, ‘This class is going to be a little tougher.’ The structure of the courses was really helpful.”

Finish Line Reflections

On his graduation day, Bell reflected on the significance of crossing the stage to get his diploma — something he didn’t do when he earned his bachelor’s degree.

“I haven’t walked since high school,” he said. “This is a big achievement, and I’m excited. I’m so grateful that I was able to add something else to my belt and add value to the university.”

Bell’s advice for fellow classmates, or those thinking about earning their degree?

“Stay focused on what you’re doing, and have a vision of the end goal when you’re going through the program,” he said. “There’s got to be a ‘why’ behind it.