‘I’ve always wanted to be a writer’

Abby Steiner’s bachelor’s in communication from Purdue Global is opening doors to new opportunities for herself and her family 

“I’ve always wanted to be a writer. Always wanted to. I’ve dreamed of it.” 

To Abby Steiner (BS communication, Purdue Global), becoming a professional writer seemed unattainable. It was a career goal she had always thought about but never believed she’d have the chance to achieve. 

While she’d had good jobs over the years, Steiner finally decided she was done settling for work that didn’t excite her. 

“I got to the point where it was like, why settle for good when you could find amazing?” she says. 

That’s when she decided to go for her dream job. It all started with Purdue Global.  

Now in the final year of her bachelor’s in communication, Steiner reflects on how her academic success gave her the confidence to apply for a copywriting position at Find8 Performance Marketing. Steiner believes that working full time while pursuing her degree distinguished her from other applicants by showing how serious she was about her career. And it helped her land the job. 

“Having Purdue Global on my resume shows a real commitment and a real dedication,” she says. “I think someone with the same qualifications as me who didn’t have that on their resume probably wouldn’t have gotten chosen. The Purdue Global name stands out to people. It just does.”  

So what led Steiner to Purdue Global? Like so many who are looking for new opportunities, it was her love for family. 

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Full-time student. Full-time mom. 

When COVID-19 hit, economic realities became more apparent to Steiner. She wanted to be sure her husband and their young daughter, Avery, would never have to worry, but there was a dark cloud hanging above her head: She didn’t have a degree to fall back on. 

“You’re considering other people and their future when you’re making these decisions,” she says. 

Her family was a big part of her decision to go back to school, but she wondered if she would have to sacrifice her personal life to earn her degree. Thankfully, the answer was no. The flexibility and support Purdue Global offers allowed Abby to work her dream job while keeping up with her daughter’s many activities. She appreciates how classes are set up and that the faculty are there to help her. Dance team, gymnastics, theater, and voice lessons keep 7-year-old Avery busy, and Abby doesn’t have to miss a moment.  

“Everyone is super supportive because most of us at Purdue Global are working adults,” she says. “Most of the people I’ve encountered are parents or do have a family.” 

Parents interested in pursuing a higher education degree shouldn’t worry that it will take time away from what matters most, Abby says, because at Purdue Global, balance is possible.  

“Give yourself that opportunity to do this for yourself,” she says to parents like her. “Your kids are going to respect you for it. They’re going to see you working hard. It’s going to build your confidence. And you’re going to find support once you get there.”  

The Purdue Global name stands out to people. It just does.

Abby Steiner BS communication, Purdue Global 

An unexpected boost of confidence 

Abby says her experience as an adult student helped her better understand why college didn’t work out the first time around.  

When Abby enrolled at a traditional public university right out of high school, she felt out of place. The transition from living in a small town to suddenly attending a Big Ten school was overwhelming. So when she decided to try to get her degree as a working adult, she worried that the same feeling would come again. But it didn’t. 

All she needed was a more supportive environment and a sense of belonging, and she found it at Purdue Global. 

“You meet people from the same walk of life as you,” she says. “People going through the same things or also trying to balance work and family, so there’s a lot of people you can relate to. It wasn’t this big overwhelming monster of a lecture hall with a bunch of people I didn’t know. This was way better.”  

Abby is not just fitting in at Purdue Global — she’s also soaring academically. “I got a great grade in my first class, and I realized I’m totally capable of this,” she says. 

Receiving those good grades boosted her confidence and made her understand that even if her family was her main motivation for getting a degree, it was also an important accomplishment for herself.  

“I think it’s easy to lose ourselves in doing things for others — our kids, our family,” she says. “This started out as something I felt I should do for them, but then it became something I was doing for me. It really makes a difference in how I feel about myself.”  

Realizing she was more than capable of earning a degree gave Abby the confidence to apply for that dream position as a writer. She saw herself in a new light. If she could be successful at Purdue Global, what was stopping her from being a successful writer? 

Today, Abby continues living out her dream as a copywriter. She says, “I love it here. It’s a dream job. Someone is paying me a salary to write.” 

So what’s next for her? She is hoping to move up in her company — a promotion that is only possible with a degree.  

Not getting a degree was a big regret for Abby, but not anymore. She knows that her 19-year-old self, who felt lost in her first college lecture, would be proud to see the Abby of today with a 3.6 GPA, her dream copywriter job and soon, the degree to propel her career even further.