Woodbridge veteran moves ahead with help from Strayer

For years, Carl Bruce felt he was overlooked for jobs because he did not have a college degree.

An Army veteran who entered the military straight from high school, he found himself working security jobs after leaving the service and wondering what his next career step would be.

“One morning I was working on a construction site and in a nearby government building I saw a light go on in an office and a man in a suit walk in and start working,” the Woodbridge resident said. “I thought to myself, ‘Why can’t I have that job,’ and I realized it was because I didn’t have a degree.”

This June he graduated as valedictorian from Strayer University on Minnieville Road with a Bachelor of Science degree in international business. Bruce, 34, is now working in the very same building as a situation center watch officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency.
The DIA is a Department of Defense combat support agency.

When he got the job, his employer indicated that his 4.0 grade point average had distinguished him from other applicants.

“I chose the international business degree because I knew I wanted to work in the intelligence community and this degree gives me the critical thinking skills necessary to analyze the data we review on a daily basis,” he said.

The Situation Center provides support on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis for military personnel and their families should they encounter a crisis overseas. The situation room team manages crisis situations that can include what to do when a family member becomes sick while stationed abroad and needs to be evacuated or notification of family members if an improvised explosive device (IED) hits a convoy in Iraq.

Bruce said he was also inspired by his wife, Jayleen, to complete his degree. They met shortly after he enrolled at Strayer University and she already had her master’s degree.

“She really helped me stay focused on my end goal, which was to earn my degree with a 4.0 GPA,” he said.