During her first stint at Indian Hills, Deborah Batterson majored in criminal justice and met the love of her life. Three decades later, she returned to pursue a different career path and is a recent graduate of the Medical/Insurance Coding program.
“I am a very nontraditional student,” says the mother of 10. “I never dreamed I’d go back to school and certainly not in my 50s.”
Unfortunately, her husband lost his battle with colon cancer and Batterson found herself needing to enter the workforce.
While on a visit to campus with her daughter, Katie, a casual conversation led to the possibility of Deborah and Katie enrolling at the same time. “The counselor said, you can do these jobs from home,” Batterson recalls, adding that flexibility is important while homeschooling her youngest children.
“I barely even knew how to turn on my laptop when this all started,” she says with a smile. Now, Batterson is studying for her certification test and she has high praise for the instructors who went above and beyond to support her studies.
In addition to the coursework, Batterson says the hands-on experience is invaluable. “There is a requirement for graduation that you get 200 hours of professional experience. I have had two internships,” she says, adding she feels well prepared to start this new career and next chapter in her life.
Courtesy of Livability
