The problem addressed in this study was nontraditional community college students were at-risk of not completing their degrees. The purpose of this study was to explore the first-year completion strategies of nontraditional students at an urban Louisiana community college through the lens of their self-efficacy beliefs. I employed qualitative methodology and a case study design because they allow the participants to assign meaning to their own actions. The theoretical framework was largely based on self-efficacy, Bandura's social cognitive theory and models of student motivation and persistence that were based on self-efficacy. I had 15 participants and each self-identified as nontraditional. I ultimately included information from only 12 of the 15 interviewees. The first research question was about students' first-year experiences. The second research question was about the task-completion strategies used to meet the challenges of their first year. I analyzed the data from participants' semi-structured interview responses and conducted a document review. My data analysis revealed three themes related to research question one about their experiences: goal setting, resilience/perseverance/grit, and motive. Data analysis revealed three themes related to the second research question: instructional efficacy, self-regulated learning, and support systems. Recommendations for future practice included providing educational opportunities based on local employment opportunities and increasing institutional efficacy. Recommendations for future research included replicating this study with larger sample sizes and in populations with the same nontraditional trait. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]