Commit To An Education, Not A Degree

Programs: ACCESS CE Evening Credit CE Online Credit

As an economist with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Policy Development and Research office, Sam Young has to be an effective writer. He is one of 40 regional economists conducting research that helps forecast the U.S. housing market. Sam must translate his technical work into reports used by Congressional committees and government officials to make policy decisions. His economics education provided a solid background in quantitative skills, but he is continually looking to upgrade his writing skills.

To learn how to craft a story in a technical context, Sam took an online “Writing for Business and Society” course through Continuing Education as a nondegree student.

“I researched a lot of different educational opportunities, but the online writing class at CU Boulder was the best fit,” said Sam. “I even reached out to the instructor and asked him if I could adapt the course to fit my needs at work. When he said yes, I was sold because the instruction could be directly tied to my career. The experience was great and my writing is continuing to improve.”

Since taking the course last year, Sam has used his honed skills to develop a number of reports, one of which was used by the Pentagon to teach base commanders about housing impacts off-base. 

Learn more about applying as a nondegree student by watching our How to Apply video tutorial.