I moved to Thailand for graduate school. The free degree I earned isn’t recognized in the US, but it inspired my side business.

• Charissa Enget, 29, was granted a full-ride scholarship to earn a master’s degree in Thailand.
• She thought the campus was in Bangkok, but it was in Khampaeng Saen — a district two hours away.
• After returning to the US, she found out the degree was not American-accredited, but it inspired her side business.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Charissa Enget, a content creator and cybersecurity architect who gained her graduate degree in Thailand. It has been edited for length and clarity.

My family moved around when I was a kid. We spent two years in China and a few more in Venezuela. Those experiences sparked my interest in .