UOPX alumnus Larry Salinas bridges the skills gap 

Destiny has a way of getting romanticized. But for University of Phoenix alumnus Larry Salinas, his fate — to work in a steel mill — was one he had the power to change. Here’s how he forged his own destiny.

When he was growing up in Indiana, Salinas felt he had one career choice and one career choice only. “In my working-class town, in my working-class household, if you were a boy, you were going to be a steelworker,” Salinas says. “Your father was a steelworker; your grandfather was a steelworker.”

Salinas’ father was, in fact, a steelworker, who passed away when Salinas was 7 years old — imparting to him a sense of responsibility and the need for real security. So, given the choice between more school and work in the mills, Salinas chose the mills. He took some classes in college, but they never fit right into his schedule or lifestyle. Then, when work in steel mills became less available, Salinas found jobs in casinos, where he was employed for 12 years.

But Salinas wanted more: “I had bigger visions and bigger dreams, and they weren’t going to happen at the casino,” he says. So, in 2010, he began his education anew by enrolling at University of Phoenix.

Salinas decided to study computer science at UOPX, building on an aptitude that had long ago made him a go-to for tech support among family and friends. “I figured now was the opportunity to take it from a hardware level to a software level,” says Salinas. It wouldn’t be easy. Working late nights was nonnegotiable if he were going to pay the bills, so that meant school had to accommodate his work schedule, not the other way around.

That’s where University of Phoenix came in. The online format meant Salinas could pursue his education around his other commitments. “Traditional brick-and-mortar is not very effective for those of us who have to work,” says Salinas.

Salinas acknowledges it wasn’t easy returning to school, especially after years away. But he did have one crucial piece of support: his mother, Amelia. “She was my biggest advocate,” says Salinas with a smile, “and my biggest pain in the ass.”

According to Salinas, no matter how much he struggled — or how much he accomplished — his mother had a simple two-word phrase to spur him on: We’ll see. “That would bring out that real stubbornness in me,” says Salinas. So much so that when he finished his bachelor’s degree, he took it to the next level by continuing on to earn his master’s.

In 2013, with two degrees in hand, Salinas traded in the casino floor for a surprising new workplace: his home. “My first job outside the casino or steel mill was as a coder working remotely,” he says. Salinas continued his professional development, exploring data science and additional coding skills, but, after several years in the industry, he decided to take a different tack. “I figured, ‘OK, well, I have two technical degrees. I might as well have a business degree to [prepare for more opportunities].’ So in 2020, I went back for my MBA.”

Of course, that was a pivotal year for more people than Salinas and in more ways than pursuing higher education. Just as flexible college options had been a major benefit to Salinas when he first went back to school, they were even more important this time when he was married with two children, still working and managing life during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health concerns stemming from asthma he contracted during his time in the steel mills threatened to derail his progress. Salinas needed support. Fortunately, his instructors and counselors were able to help him pull through and go on to complete his MBA program. “I [feel I] would not be where I am today if not for University of Phoenix,” says Salinas.

More than anything, says Salinas, his educational journey has shifted his perspective. “I think education has grounded me,” he says. “It brought out my critical thinking and made it a part of my daily life.”

Those critical thinking skills are crucial in his work with Cognizant, where he is a consulting manager specializing in healthcare. He likens his role to “bridging the gaps”: He helps healthcare organizations connect to appropriate technical solutions and understand technological skills, especially those involving AI.

“It’s my job to ask our clients what their pain points are and communicate them to our tech teams,” says Salinas, “and I’m the person in the middle who needs to know it all, not just the tech and not just the business.”

It’s challenging work, says Salinas, especially in the highly regulated field of healthcare. But it’s work he can accomplish thanks to the effort and time he spent learning to bridge those gaps and, more than anything, says Salinas, finding solutions: “For every problem there’s a solution. It’s just a matter of how badly you want to find it.”

That attitude isn’t limited to the workplace, either. Salinas recalls with pride his son — who spent many months whispering, “Daddy’s studying,” while Salinas pursued his MBA — excitedly coming to him after his tablet battery had died. “He said, ‘Daddy, I came up with an idea. I can use the charger for my laptop. I found a solution!’”

Salinas says his mother saw persistence in him, and he’s proud to see it in his sons today. Who knows where his children will take it next?

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