I just wanted to thank folks for making this site so incredibly valuable for prospective distance learners. As I narrowed my choices to Fielding, UNISA and Union Institute, I found the information at DegreeInfo very helpful. Thanks especially to Jack Tracey and Rich Douglas for sharing honest perspectives on UNISA and Union. Ultimately, I chose Fielding and just today I received official word that I am a Doctor of Education! Just shy of my 45th birthday, I could never have made this dream a reality if not for distance options. All you other 40- and 50-somethings, take heart!
Congrats wateach! That's gotta be a great feeling for you! I live just across the bridge a little past Gig Harbor and am looking into various distance learning doctorates also. You're right, this site is very helpful for those looking into nontraditional educational options. Are you working in the law field or are you teaching at a school in Tacoma? abnrgr275
Thanks, abnrgr275! Gig Harbor, wow. My dissertation chair lives over there--one of the things that drew me to Fielding was knowing a faculty member was right here in the community. I was a third grade teacher when I entered Fielding, but I am now on the faculty of the Teachers College at Western Governors University. Distance learning has really become a way of life for me! It's quite rewarding to work with people all over the U.S., most around my age, who are going after their dreams of teaching. What area of doctoral study are you considering?
I'm looking into doctoral programs in public administration and criminal justice/criminology respectively. I've been looking into nontraditional doctorates at Walden, NSU, and University of La Verne for PA and will be checking out NSU's Ph.D. in CJ when it starts up about a year from now. I'm also intrigued by the new Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology program starting up this year at Seattle Pacific University, but I would find it pretty hard to attend traditional classes with my current work schedule and family committments. abnrgr275
Congratulations! Congratulations, Doctor Raffanti. I live just south of you in Lakewood. Going from teaching third graders to working with DL college students is quite a change, huh? Or maybe not!
Congratulations, Dr. Raffanti! I lived in Woodinville (about 7.5 miles northeast of Seattle) for 15 years. While there, I did five of my twenty-one MBA classes on City University's Tacoma campus as well as having attempted divinity at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary. Indeed, your example is very heartening to all of us in the 40+ crowd!
Re: Re: Thank you, I'm done! Oops, I meant to say "divinity school." A mere mortal like myself would never attempt divinity.
Bravo! Congratulations. I truly wish you the best in your future endeavors. I hope to one day have the prefix of "Dr." before my name. But, for now, I'm basking in the glow of my newly acquired BS in Liberal Arts,
