Hello everyone. Let me first thank each and every one of you for your most exemplary contributions, knowledge and insights to this wonderful forum. I, like most new members of this site, am filled to the brim with questions and uncertainty. I've been lurking here and at instantcertonline.com for about a month now, just trying to get a handle on certain degree paths and how to fully implement the varied credit evaluation testing of CLEP, ECE, Dantes etcetera. Prior to stating my goals of academic intent, I feel a brief background of yours truly will prove to be imperative in obtaining the best advice possible. I'm probably younger than most, at the ripe old age of 23. I have a whopping eleven credits(mat105, mat120 and eng101), and have completed seven of the FEMA courses(those needed for the PDS certificate) without much effort. I'm a craftsman of sorts, and can generally grasp onto anything I find even remotely interesting. Like many other people I imagine, I stopped going to college due to not knowing what area I wished to call home, and to most importantly make money. I'm a self-taught composites fabricator, dealing mostly with carbon fiber and carbon kevlar infusions in the automotive arena. Other key automotive elements I dabble in, is lighting(HID headlights, LED turn signals, and LED taillight retrofitting, including the forming of optically clear lenses) and aerodynamics related to heat extraction(hood vents) and the overall lowering of a vehicles coeffecient of drag(Cd) by way of chin spoilers/splitters, canards, rear diffusers which include underbody ductwork, and overall suspension setup. Now, being an employee to no one(I work out of my garage) is great, but now i'd like to venture into a stable career and leave the hobbies as just that. My intention is to get a degree(associates or bachelors) in CAD/drafting/design with an architectural flavor to it. From my research, I have a couple options. They are as follows. 1. Penn Foster CAD diploma/certificate + Anthem Online College Associates completion(assuming they accept the Penn Foster cert.)... 2. IvyTech AAS in CAD/architecture... LINK 3. Thomas Edison State College ASAST or BSAST in Architectural design... I'm pretty much stuck at this point in regards to actually choosing a route, due to not knowing what classes are needed to complete each option. I have no doubts in my ability to "CLEP" the general course requirements, or even FEMA them if it's also an option. However, i'm not sure how to go about it exactly. Like, is the Penn Foster cert suitable for the major credits? If so, would I be able to CLEP test the rest of the needed credits and go through TESC? Any insights would be most appreciated.
I'm not sure what part of Arizona you're in, but my brother attended the CAD course at ITT Tech in Tucson. He enjoyed the course and is making pretty good money now. His CAD work even took him to the South Pole for a year.
I'm in the Phoenix metro area(Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler, Mesa etc..) I considered ITT, but a few things put me off about them.. For one, they want 96 credit hours for their Associates program, and from what i've found their tuiton is $405 per credit hour(up to $435 starting in March of 07)... I don't know, that just seems crazy to me.. For that kind of money, I could spend 5-6-7 years at ASU and get a Masters.. From my research, 80-85% of the CAD jobs here only require an Associates.. That's not to say that I don't want a Bachelors though.
Penn Foster I am a current Penn Foster student in their Business Management degree. I have to say I love it! I am making low monthly payments so I will have no student loan until I go for my bachelors. I have not been in a class room in 30 years so I wanted to start with a self paced degree. One thing to consider, they are only NA so some schools will not take their credits. But all in all I am very pleased. Pat freezing her butt in Alaska
Roger. I honestly don't know anything about ITT except that 1) my brother went there and 2) he has had several good jobs and makes decent money. I think they also offer job placement and tuition assistance, so that might be something to consider. My brother got his first job as a CAD designer (is that the right terminology?) through their job placement and from there has networked himself into better jobs. Good luck whichever path you choose. Ryan
Why would you not want to go to a local community college? They typically have better career resource services than the DL schools.
edowave, The local community college where I initially went for my eleven credits does offer a CAD related AAS degree, but it's only centered around electronics, specifically electromechanical automation. The CC in my new city doesn't offer anything lCAD related at all.. It would also be beneficial to do online coursework, as I have to keep selling things I make(just bought a house etc).. Ted Heiks, Say I need 60 semester credits, would that be comparable to 90 quarter credits? A 2-to-3 ratio.. I've never heard of the difference.
Aesop, That is correct. 2 semester credits = 3 quater credits Typical totals needed would be: Associates = 64 semester credits or 96 quarter credits Bachelors = 128 semester credits or 192 quater credits
That seems like a ridiculous amount to pay for an Assosciates. $435 * 96 credits = $41760 $83,520 for a Bachelors. I believe those are new records.
That's exactly what turned me off about them. It really is crazy! Another question that I can't find the answer to, is if the Penn Foster CAD dimploma classes are ACE evaluated? I say a link a week ago or so that listed the ACE evaluated classes, but I don't know which specific classes are involved with the CAD program.. It would be great if they were, as I could go for the bachelors through TESC after I get the Associates, and do some CLEP testing.. Would I have to speak with an advisor from Penn Foster to get the low down?
Yes. You'd have to speak to someone that could provide you with the list of classes so you could check the ACE website. I don't know this for sure, but I don't think the classes that make up the diplomas/certificates have been evaluated by ACE. I believe all of Penn Foster's ACE courses fall within their Associate Degree programs. Pug
There are a few colleges offering CAD programs through the Georgia Virtual Technical College http://www.gvtc.org . The two that might interest you the most are an associates degree in Drafting from Central GA Tech http://www.gvtc.org/progsofstud/progsofstud.asp?ID=49 or a certificate in CAD Operator Training - Architectural from West Central Tech. http://www.gvtc.org/progsofstud/progsofstud.asp?ID=337 Both of these colleges are regionally accredited (S.A.C.S) so you should have no problem transfering the classes to Thomas Edison. Out-of-state tuition is only $62 per credit hour. The associates requires 96 credit hours, but you wouldn't necessarily have to pay for 96 credit hours. I'm about to graduate from another technical college in Georgia, and I know at my college, once a student is taking 12 credit hours in a quarter, he or she doesn't have to pay for anything above that for the quarter. For example, this quarter I'm taking four 5-credit classes, so I'm taking 20 credit hours. The first 12 had to be paid for, the last 8 were free. Something that might be a disadvantage for you is that there hasn't been any interaction in the online classes I've taken through the technical college. They are set up so that the student follows the assignment outline for due dates, does all of the work independently, and submits it for a grade. There's not really any instruction or contact with other students, although you can always e-mail your professor if you have a question. But, if you are good at learning independently, this might be a cheap way for you to get CAD credits from a regionally accredited college. Michelle
Since you're considering an associates-level CAD certificate, have you considered a baccalaureate-level industrial design program? Your interests and background brought to mind the background of BMW's lead designer Chris Bangle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Bangle
