A Model Worth Returning To

While building a career and raising a growing family, Jeremy Malais returned to WGU again and again—ultimately earning three degrees on a timeline that worked for his life.

By the time Jeremy Malais enrolled in WGU’s Master of Science in Nursing Informatics program, he already knew what to expect.

He had previously earned both a BSN and an MBA from WGU. When his employer offered tuition reimbursement and Jeremy saw an opportunity to strengthen his knowledge and résumé, returning for a third degree felt like a natural next step.

“I knew that I could complete another degree through WGU to further my career and improve my résumé for future opportunities,” he said.

Part of that confidence came from experience. Jeremy already knew WGU’s online, competency-based model could fit around a life that was not going to stop for school. Rather than arranging work and family responsibilities around scheduled classes, he could make progress on his own timeline and focus on coursework when his schedule allowed.

Working on His Own Clock

Flexibility wasn't just a nice feature for Jeremy—it was a necessity. He was working full time while he and his wife raised a growing family, and their fifth child arrived shortly after he completed his latest program.

Jeremy describes himself as having a neurodivergent learning style and says approaching deadlines often sharpen his focus—something WGU’s model allowed him to work with rather than against. His Program Mentor adapted her support to match his needs, communicating primarily by email and staying available without imposing a routine that would have disrupted a system already working for him. Term breaks gave him room to breathe when he needed it.

That independence mattered most near the end of the program. During one of his final capstone assignments, Jeremy worked nearly 20 hours straight, finishing around 3:00 a.m.

It was not always the conventional way to earn a degree—but it was a way that worked for Jeremy. And after three WGU programs, he had proven it could work more than once.

Where Clinical Care Meets AI

Today, Jeremy works as a Clinical AI Product Leader, drawing on the clinical expertise, business acumen, and informatics training he developed across his three WGU degrees. His work sits at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and data, with a goal of building AI-enabled products that improve the healthcare experience for people in his community.

Outside of work, Jeremy stays just as active—coaching Little League, leading his son’s Trail Life troop, and building websites and applications for fun. It’s the same curiosity and drive that carried him through three WGU programs, now channeled into new pursuits.