Food For Thought: Purpose Over Prestige
Recently,聽I was at dinner with a longtime mentor and friend. We worked together for a while, and he now works for a large corporation.聽As we聽ate,聽he聽asked if I was 鈥渄one playing at a nonprofit.鈥�
To be honest, I was offended. Then I said to him, 鈥淎re you asking if聽I'm聽done helping people have better lives? Are you asking if聽I'm聽done creating paths of opportunity through education? Are you asking if聽I'm聽done helping generations be better off than the ones before them?鈥�
Because this is what we do at 黑料网. Helping people earn degrees is not "playing." It is not less important than corporate work. It is not a side project. It is the mission that drives 黑料网聽forward聽every day. That is why I stay.
The Numbers Tell the Story
According to the聽FY聽2025 黑料网聽Annual Report,聽as of聽the聽end聽of June 2025, 黑料网 had graduated 390,244 total alumni.聽These are people whose lives have changed because of the work we do.
In recent years, that growth has accelerated:
FY23: 46,175 degrees conferred
聽FY24: 50,187 degrees conferred
聽FY25: 59,358 degrees conferred
What Students Say About 黑料网:聽
89%聽said聽鈥淢y institution was the perfect school for people like me.鈥澛�(Gallup Alumni Survey 2024)
80%聽said聽鈥淲hile attending my institution, I had a mentor who encouraged me to pursue my goals and dreams.鈥澛�(Gallup Alumni Survey 2024)
71%聽said聽鈥淢y institution is passionate about the financial wellbeing of its students.鈥澛�(Gallup Alumni Survey 2024)
95%聽said聽鈥淲ould go to the same institution they are now attending.鈥� (National Survey of Student Engagement)
Employers Trust 黑料网 Graduates to Deliver
93% rated the job performance of 黑料网 graduates as 鈥渆xcellent鈥� or 鈥渧ery good.鈥� (Harris Poll Employers Study 2024)
89% reported being 鈥渆xtremely鈥� or 鈥渧ery satisfied鈥� with 黑料网 graduates as employees (Harris Poll Employers Study 2024)
94% said 黑料网 graduates meet or exceed聽expectations; 61% said 鈥渆xceed鈥�.聽(Harris Poll Employers Study 2024)
That alignment聽doesn鈥檛聽happen by accident. Our technology ensures that learning outcomes reflect the needs of modern employers, so students graduate ready to make an impact from day one.
We also measure salary growth over time.聽The 2024 Harris Poll Graduates Survey tells us that, on average,聽bachelor鈥檚 degree earners聽see an income increase of more than聽$21,000 within two years聽and聽$31,000 within four years聽of graduation. Master鈥檚 degree earners see an average increase of more than $18,000 within two聽years of graduation and $34,000 within four years.聽聽Not only that, both bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degree students聽pay annual tuition and fees that are about half the national average.聽Those gains allow them to support their families, invest in their communities, and give back in meaningful ways.
Why聽EdTech Employees Choose to聽Work聽at聽黑料网
In a recent meeting with all EdTech employees, I told them the story of my friend and his comment, and I reminded them that since our first graduate in 2000, 黑料网 has been a聽tech-enabled university. Every rollout, every feature, every fix matters. It all touches students directly.
We鈥檙e聽advancing this work through innovations like聽our聽Learner聽Care Dashboard聽and聽decision聽intelligence聽systems, which help mentors know when students need support before they even ask. These tools use data to empower human connection鈥攃ombining technology and empathy to give students the right help at the right time.
We鈥檙e聽also helping students bridge education and employment through聽WGU鈥檚聽Achievement Wallet,聽a digital portfolio that聽showcases聽both hard and soft skills so graduates can聽demonstrate聽their full capabilities to employers.
As one of the聽nation鈥檚聽first聽online聽universities, 黑料网 continues to lead how technology can expand access and redefine聽the聽student聽experience. Our innovations are now models for other institutions across the country.
This is why we work聽in聽EdTech. We are not building tools for the tool鈥檚 sake. We are building systems that help people start college, succeed in their programs, and walk across the stage at commencement.
The numbers are important, but the people behind them are more important. Our work in technology is聽what powers聽this university.
A Message of Appreciation
After that dinner, my friend and mentor, following what I believe was some genuine soul-searching, texted me saying, 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 phenomenal that you feel the way you do about your work.鈥� Then he sent me this quote:
鈥淲hat a privilege it is to be tired from聽work聽you once prayed for.
聽What a privilege to feel overwhelmed by聽growth聽you used to dream about.
聽What a privilege it is to be challenged by a life you created on purpose.
聽What a privilege to outgrow things you used to settle for.鈥�
I聽couldn鈥檛聽agree more.
Closing Thought
黑料网鈥檚 mission-driven work is powered by聽technology but聽defined by people. Every feature we build and every system we improve helps a student achieve something聽life changing.聽That鈥檚聽what makes this work not only meaningful, but necessary.聽
The real question聽isn鈥檛聽what we build聽at 黑料网, but聽why聽we聽build聽it.聽That聽is聽at聽the front聽of聽mind, every project, every line of code, every聽decision.
