“UoPeople Helped Me Keep My Promise to Study Again,” Says Bill G., Computer Science Student  

At 29, Bill G. is pursuing an Associate of Science in Computer Science at University of the People, building a new academic and professional path after having to leave his studies in Venezuela. 

Born and raised in Venezuela, Bill initially pursued Bioanalysis at Universidad de Carabobo, where he progressed all the way to his final semester. But Venezuela’s severe political and economic crisis forced him to leave the country and abandon his degree just as he was close to completing it. 

He moved to Chile and had to start over as a migrant. To support himself, Bill worked in a range of jobs, including sales, general assistance, and pharmacy technology. 

“Eventually, I realized that I needed to resume my education if I wanted to move forward,” Bill says. 

Determined to change direction, he began improving his English and teaching himself programming in his free time. His efforts eventually helped him secure his first office job in technology. 

“That was when I made a promise to myself to formally study again,” he says. 

Bill’s search led him to UoPeople. He first learned about the university after watching an interview featuring its president and founder, Shai Reshef. Although the opportunity initially sounded almost too good to be true, he researched the university extensively before deciding to enroll. 

After struggling to find a way back into higher education, Bill found in UoPeople an opportunity to start again in a completely new field. 

One of the things he values most about UoPeople is that the program constantly challenges him to think deeply about what he is learning. 

“Analyzing and evaluating each assignment makes me learn deeply and feel more useful and capable every day,” he says. 

The flexibility of online learning is equally important. Bill works full-time in technology while pursuing his degree, making the ability to manage his studies around his work essential. 

His experience as a migrant has also shaped his determination to keep moving forward. Starting over in a new country taught him resilience, and he now applies that same persistence to balancing his career and education. 

Looking ahead, Bill plans to continue growing as a software engineer, with a particular interest in artificial intelligence and autonomous agents. He sees his Computer Science degree as the foundation he needs to deepen his technical knowledge and thrive in the tech field. 

Outside of work and university, Bill spends much of his free time exploring technology. He is particularly interested in large language models and running AI models locally. He is also a passionate 3D-printing enthusiast and enjoys designing and printing useful objects. Away from technology, he likes going to the gym and spending time with his wife and their Dachshund, Pepe. 

For Bill, returning to education is about more than completing a degree. It represents the opportunity to pursue a new field after circumstances forced him to leave his first academic path behind. 

From reaching the final semester of one degree in Venezuela to starting fresh in an online Computer Science degree, Bill has continued to adapt, learn, and move forward. 

His journey is a testament to the idea that starting over does not mean starting from nothing—it can mean building something entirely new.