Bachelor of science, electrical engineering technology
Lead project manager, substation and transmission integration
NextEra Energy
Jeff has been in the utility industry for more than 20 years, but he still found that a degree can complement his experience and open new doors for him. He earned an associate degree in 2001 in engineering and began a career that has spanned multiple roles. Some career highlights include starting the operations group with NextEra Energy to build two substations in the New York area and a supervisor job for the control center. “When I was in operations training, I felt like a sponge soaking up all this knowledge and found myself really enjoying it,” Jeff said. This passion led him to continue pursuing different roles with NextEra.
However, to continue to advance in his career with his company, one of the requirements of several positions he was interested in pursuing was a bachelor’s degree. “I was limited because there are roles in my company that carry a degree requirement,” he said, adding, “I had co-workers and friends that had completed the [B.S. in] electrical engineering technology (B.S.E.E.T.) through Excelsior University.” The ability to complete the program online was a necessity for him. “With my work schedule and traveling, I needed the flexibility of an online program – it was the only way I would be able to complete my degree,” Jeff said.
Jeff admitted going back to school after 20 years was a little bit of a shock at first, but he took it slow in the beginning until he got into a rhythm. He also utilized his company’s tuition assistance benefit to help make his degree more affordable. He completed his bachelor’s degree in May of 2025 and decided to keep the momentum going by pursuing a master’s of engineering as well.
The knowledge he gained through his B.S.E.E.T. program has been beneficial in his current role. “I oversee projects, so there are components they do that I need to have an understanding of to make sure things are progressing correctly. As a result, a lot of what I learned in the program has become part of my routine knowledge base needed to be successful in this role.”