Many adult learners juggle full-time work, family, and personal commitments while earning their degrees. For seasoned civil engineer, Marc Seter, this balancing act isn’t just a challenge—it’s a skill he’s mastered. Between working full-time, caring for family, and pursuing his Master’s in Computer Science degree from CU Boulder, he’s found creative ways to make learning fit into his life. One of his most unique study strategies? Incorporating coursework into his daily swim routine.
As someone who regularly works 60 hours a week, enjoys a range of hobbies, and is active in a plethora of familial commitments, Marc celebrates the flexibility of this program. His journey isn’t just about earning a degree; it’s about staying curious, continuously growing, and proving that with the right mindset, learning never has to stop.
Diving into his studies
Each day, Marc spends 90 minutes in the pool, but instead of just counting laps, he listens to audio lectures or has Siri read his textbook aloud to him. It’s his way of making the most of every moment.
“If there’s ever readings from a textbook, I’ll buy 2 copies. I’ll take one of them, remove the spine with my miter saw, and run the whole textbook through my scanner and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) it. Then turn that into text that Siri can read to me while I’m in the swimming pool.”
Moreover, once Marc realized that not all of the readings in his textbook are easily understood by Siri, he took it a step further and taught her how to interpret the Greek alphabet as well as a many of the mathematical symbols.
“And so I went ahead and found a way to teach Siri the Greek alphabet. I taught Siri to speak my textbook to me while I swim,” he shared with a laugh. “That’s my study time. And I feel like I’m rocking and rolling on my curriculum now.”
For Marc, learning doesn’t happen in isolation—it’s woven into his routine, and his core values, proving that with the right approach, even the busiest schedules can accommodate continued education.
Why Flexibility Matters
Marc’s schedule is packed—not just with his career and other hobbies, but with family responsibilities, too. As a caretaker for his wife, two children, and in-laws, he notes that emergencies can often happen unexpectedly. Being able to hit pause on school when needed has been critical for managing the balancing act of his busy life.
“There are times when everything’s going great, and I’m moving really fast. And then there are other times when, for whatever reason, I need to slow down a little bit. That for me is just absolutely huge,” he explained.
The program’s flexibility allows him to adjust his pace depending on what life throws at him, whether that means working ahead when things are calm or stepping back when his family needs him.
From Learning to Application
For Marc, learning doesn’t happen just for the sake of learning—he applies what he picks up immediately. At work, he’s used dynamic programming techniques he learned in class to optimize an algorithm called an auto reconciler, which helps match financial transactions more efficiently.
“I applied some dynamic programming techniques to accelerate one of the algorithms we have,” he explained. “That was a direct takeaway from my coursework.”
For Marc, this is the biggest win—not just earning a degree, but gaining skills that make a real difference in his job.
Loving the Learning Process
Marc has been thoroughly enjoying the curriculum and is not in a rush to graduate. In fact, he’s struggling to choose which specialization to focus on because he finds value and takes an interest in each one.
“I want to take them all,” he admitted. “I’m thinking about the wilder approach—taking every credit except one to graduate, just so I can fit in all the specializations. But, practically speaking, I feel like I can finish the program, get the Master’s degree, and continue to take classes through the other various specializations.”
His interests are broad, ranging from quantum computing to robotics to artificial intelligence ethics. The rapid advancements in AI excite him, and he sees a growing need for professionals who understand both the technology and its ethical implications.
“The market for AI is only growing, and that’s a skill set that’s going to be in high demand,” he said.
The Value of Mistakes (and a Good Joke)
Marc also appreciates how the program allows him to make mistakes and learn from them. Unlike traditional assessments where a wrong answer is just a mark against your grade, this program turns errors into teaching moments.
“One of the things that I really love is the quizzes and the assignments. I feel like I learn more when I make a mistake than when I just get it right the first time,” he said. “I’ve even been tempted to go through some of those and answer with all of the wrong answers because the feedback that the professor provides is extremely useful”
What makes the process even better? His professor’s sense of humor.
“The professor’s got a great sense of humor and will often include jokes in the feedback with the wrong answers. I really appreciate that—it makes it a lot of fun.”
Looking Ahead
Despite juggling so much, Marc is thriving. His ability to blend education into his everyday life—whether in the pool, at work, or in moments of downtime—keeps him on track without feeling overwhelmed.
His story truly speaks to what’s possible with online education. The ability to study on his own terms, apply new skills immediately, and learn in unconventional ways proves that higher education doesn’t have to be rigid—it can adapt to fit your life.
