As a younger sibling, Keerthie Veluri had the advantage of observing her older sister's approach to an accelerated education. Seven years her senior, Keerthie's sister received her associate degree and high school diploma by age 17. "After that," Keerthie said, "she completed a Bachelor's in Information Technology (IT)" and had a full-time job at American Express (AMEX) by 19. With a competitive spirit, Keerthie finished her associate's degree and high school by 16 and is on track to graduate with her Bachelor's degree in IT by her 18th birthday in May 2025.
Like her sister, Keerthie originally intended to pursue her Bachelor's at Arizona State University (ASU) but discovered that Phoenix College (PC) offered a Bachelor's in IT. "With more on-the-job training and a fraction of the cost of ASU, I persuaded my dad that I should attend PC." Her father, Anand Veluri, who also works in IT, agreed. He encouraged his daughters to stay in-state for their undergrad degrees. "In Arizona," Anand explains, "when students stay in-state, they triple their options to finish a bachelor's degree early." As a parent, he supports educational initiative. "Why wait? Open the door yourself and walk in."
Keerthie, too, advocates for other high school students with similar educational ambitions: "High school students need to know that the opportunity [to complete high school and pursue an associate's degree concurrently] exists," she said. "Most don't know that if you finish an associate's degree, you enter as a third-year student at university. Or, if you finish your AGEC [Arizona General Education Curriculum], you don't have to take the SAT. More outreach to local high schools is needed, letting students know what's available to them."
Finishing college early also has financial benefits with plentiful full-time job prospects in IT and the professional growth opportunities companies provide. "AMEX paid for my sister's MBA [Masters of Business Administration] and her Master of Science in IT," Keerthie said. She, too, plans to find a company that wants to sponsor her continued education. Keerthie already has conditional admission for an MSDS [Master of Science in Data Science] from CU Boulder: "They're just waiting for my Bachelor's," she said.
Online classes have made an accelerated education possible for Keerthie. While she started attending courses on campus, she soon realized that her learning style required more than listening to lectures - she needed to read the content to understand the material and found PC's online content streamlined. She also appreciates hands-on learning. "In the IT industry, the focus is on can-you-do-the-thing rather than do-you-know-how-that-thing-works. I can talk about Python for data analysis. I learned about aggregating data. I learned about visualizing data. I have something that shows employers I can do this."
Whether you are 18 or 65, consider the possibilities of an accelerated education, demonstrate your skills to employers, and be part of the rapidly changing world of IT. Phoenix College's Bachelor's of Science in Information Technology allows you to influence the future.