Robert King's Bryant & Stratton College Education Prepared Him to Reach His Goals

Robert King came from a family that owned a small business. He had a solid professional background.

But he wanted more. He wanted to own his own business. Bryant & Stratton College helped him reach that goal.

King, 33, of Richmond, Va., earned an Associate’s Degree in Business in 2011 and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 2013. He said school administrators were careful to guide and support each student through their degree program.

“It is almost unimaginable that they would take time out for one person,” King said. “They have so many students and they take time for each one.

“The staff is very welcoming, very warm. They were like family,” King said adding that the students in his program formed a tight bond as they worked toward the goal of graduation.

“We were really, really close and stuck together,” he said. “We had each other’s backs, encouraged each other and prayed for each other and we made it.”

After graduation, King opened his own business and continued to manage it from afar while taking on another position as manager trainee at Waffle House. He spent just three months on the promotable list before being named district manager and made responsible for three of the local properties.

His classes at Bryant & Stratton prepared him for the challenge.

“There were little pieces I was able to integrate that I learned in college that gave me the upper hand,” he said. “Just having a knowledge of the business and the human resources side of things, that was able to help me a whole lot as well.”

And as an alumni King said he has sought help from Bryant & Stratton in fine tuning his resume when he moved on to a better opportunity as a manager at Love’s Travel Stops.

“They allow me to come back and get a helping hand whenever I need it,” he said.

King said he has also learned on the job that he enjoys customer service and working with people.

“It is different every day. Whether it’s a good day or whether it’s a bad day, it’s an interesting day all the time. You never get bored working customer service,” he said.

Now, he is also looking to the future. King said he is considering studying for a Master’s degree in psychology.

“I like dealing with people. I like understanding them. I like helping them,” he said. “It’s just my thing.”