Gregory John Outerbridge was faced with the challenge of making a decision concerning his career aspirations at the completion of high school like so many high school students and graduates. His immediate interest was in the field of drafting, therefore, he decided to enrol in a technical college. Gregory earned the job-entry qualification the Associate of Applied Technology Degree in Drafting Technology from J.F. Drake State Technical College in Huntsville Alabama. However, he was confronted with the challenge of insufficient finances from the start. The scholarship he received mandated full-time student status, yet the lack of finances required he keep a full time job.

Nevertheless through perseverance he prevailed and earned his qualifications in drafting. Gregory acquired a new sense of confidence, purpose and direction. He decided to pursue the leading high-tech engineering field - optical engineering. The field consisting of laser propulsion concepts, high-energy lasers for defence and fibre optics for communications stimulated his interests. The National Training Board Technical/Vocational Education and Training (TVET) tuition award assisted him. Gregory obtained the Bachelor of Science Degree in Optical Engineering from the University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH) in May 2002. He immediately commenced studies for the Master of Science Degree in Physics with generous funding from the NTB Tech Quest 2000 Next Generation Project. He obtained the Degree in 2004. Currently, he is a candidate for the Ph.D. in Optical Science and Engineering at UAH with continued funding from the NTB.