Weston Nelson
Nelson switches gears, plans a new career in computer science
Weston Nelson graduated from East Carolina University in 2015 with a degree in marketing and supply chain management.
“When I got out into the job market, it was brutal, so I just worked whatever jobs I could get and ended up in the tourism industry in Charleston, South Carolina,” Nelson said. “I really enjoyed that, but it wasn’t something that I saw myself doing long term. I thought, ‘Where do I go from here?’ There really wasn’t an answer other than right where I am now. I wanted to change directions.”
That change in direction pointed back to ECU where he is a student again, this time in the Department of Computer Science.
“Honestly, it wasn’t a very hard decision for me,” said Nelson, who lives in the community of Bear Grass, about 40 minutes from campus. “It was a combination of being close to family and being affordable, and not having to completely redo a whole new degree. I had credits from here, and obviously ECU was going to take those. It was a combination of a lot of those things, plus — and this happens a lot with people — just reassessing, taking inventory of their lives, and that’s when I was like, ‘You know, that’s the direction that I want to go.’”
Nelson is majoring in computer science and will graduate in May. He’s also part of the accelerated master’s program, so he’ll leave in 2026 with a master’s in data science, giving him three degrees from ECU.
“Maybe I’ll break a record for how many degrees I can get from one institution,” he joked.
Weston Nelson, standing, speaks wtih Aleksei Vilkomir, left, a teaching instructor in the Department of Computer Science, during a Peer Academic and Career Coaching program event outside of the Science and Technology Building.
As an older student, Nelson admitted to some initial apprehension about the reaction he would get from younger, traditional students. In the end, he said, it didn’t matter.
“You think that people care, but they’re not paying any attention,” he said.
Nelson said being a bit older gives him perspective.
“When you’ve had some life experience, you just look at things in a different way,” he said. “It’s so much easier for me to prioritize things. I’m not worried about going out downtown or the nightlife or anything like that. I did all that the first time around.
“There are some things that are easier because you just realize you have to just go ahead and get it done. I have a schedule, and I have a calendar — all these things that keep me on track that I never would have done back then.
“Your life experiences, I feel like the first time I was in college, every choice you felt like took you in a different direction. Everything is like life or death. And then as you get a little bit of experience, it’s not as serious as maybe I thought it was.”
He’s also enjoying the connections he’s making with faculty.
“I have different relationships with some of my instructors than my peers do because some of my instructors are not that much older than me, so you have different relationships with them,” Nelson said. “You have different relationships with your peers. Some people are regular friends who just happen to be younger and then some people view me as just older than them, but I think it’s fun to see the differences in all the relationships that you have with people.”
Nelson said the technical aspects of computer science offer unique lessons and academic challenges, especially for someone who has not been in the classroom for a few years.
“It’s interesting to jump back into it. A lot of times you go from work that is not so organized and you have a lot of freedom to ‘this is exactly what you need to do and don’t do it any other way,’” he said. “But I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s been really great coming back to it. There are a lot of things to get used to, but overall it’s been a wonderful experience.”
He said he’s especially pleased with the resources available to students. He’s a mentor in the department’s new Peer Academic and Career Coaching program, providing guidance to younger students.
“There are so many opportunities, and especially as a second-degree student, I look back and think about so many things that I could have done the first time that I did not do,” Nelson said. “There are so many resources that you can take advantage of. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of them just because you’re older or a nontraditional student.”
Overall, Nelson is glad to be back at ECU and encourages other adults to get that college degree.
“Don’t be afraid that you can’t go back to school. Don’t be afraid that it’s too late,” he said. “If you have the resources — which there are resources out there to help if you don’t — but if you have the resources and the ability to better your life, go do that. I don’t think it’s ever too late.”