Up or Down the ladder?

Please forgive me for posting this as a new thread as I had previously posted it in another but I wanted to give this question its own focus.

It just now, this very moment, occurred to me that perhaps I might be looking at the "educational ladder" in the wrong direction?

I have been for the most part looking to ascend the ladder from one degree level to another (BS to MS to PhD etc.) but it dawned on me that perhaps (for my interests, needs and budget) I look in the other direction - an A.S. (RA/NA ) in business (MANAGEMENT) and leave the loftier (costly) pursuits to those who can afford to attain them?

In fact, I think (for me) this is a light bulb moment and ask your opinion too?

Please be kind (it's Thanksgiving Day ) - What say ye all?

 

If you already have a degree, ( B.S. etc.) I would avoid an A.S. unless it is technically oriented. an A.S. say in business probably will not serve you well.

If your former educational stuff is RA, then go for MS in management, or an MBA, thus it will open up other possibilites such as teaching, on the high school or community college level. Or Jobs etc.

If you're happy at learning, and NA is of no concern then go that direction, otherwise, RA will will give you more possibilites and more "bang" for your buck.
atb,
Gavin

 

I considered this approach several years ago when I decided to become a ‘life long learner’ and took on the pursuit of ‘all knowable things’. The challenge in my mind is that the material at the lower degree levels is a mix of stuff you want and other basic courses designed to ‘filter’ out those who may not have what it takes to really pursue a degree. So the material is mundane and you tend to get run around a little more. Besides, an AS/AA is 60 credits and most MA/MS’s are 30-40 credits.

 

True, but with Excelsior all I would have to do is the core requirements (21 Credits)?

 

Hi Brian - It's hard to make a good reply because it's not clear what your goals might be. You make a reference to "interests, needs, budget" but you don't say what they are for you. Are you interested in changing fields of employment? Are you interested in increased income or promotion? Or are you interested in pursuing a subject that has no clear on employment or income? Do you want to broaden you scope or become more specialized?

 

For me, I want/need to (slightly) broaden my scope in my current field and add an educational (managerial) element to my CV. More than a certificate and less than a bachelors will do fine.

Like I said, I can turn the ladder upside down and accomplish what "I" need. Thanks!!

 

I would agree with buckwheat. I know many people who got an AA after doing a master's, and even a PhD. However, it only makes sense to do it if it is a technical degree.

 

Unless, as in the situation presented by the person who began this discussion thread, one wants to refocus in another area unrelated to their previous education. An AA/AS or a BA/BS in Business would provide a solid foundation upon which to later pursue, if desired, an MBA considering the poster has already earned a BA/BS. Sometimes it makes sense to take a step backwards and pause momentarily when confronted by a fork in the road.

 

Have you considered a Project Management certification? Anyway, good luck. I'm off to Boston to eat some turkey. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

 

Have you considered a foreign institution such as Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden. BTH, as a public institution of learning, offers an online MBA which apparently costs 0.00; with the exception of the trip to the campus to write the final comprehensive examination. The courses are taught in English. Something to think about...

 

My AAS in IT was awarded after the BA. Because I had previously earned so many IT credits, only 7 more classes were required for the degree. The rationale for earning a third associate degree corresponds with "checking the box" in order to satisfy possible future requirements dictated by some clueless HR rep.

I'm also considering additional undergrad classes after finishing the masters program.

 

Reading through this thread, I hadn't considered a cert vs. another degree, but the PMI project management cert that Kizmet suggested or the agile/SCRUM master certification holds weight and increased income potential in the right circles (links below).

http://www.pmi.org/CareerDevelopment/Pages/Our-Credentials.aspx


http://www.controlchaos.com/certification/

I'm not sure what I think of agile methods or the whole SCRUM methodology (my company tried it for a year), but it can raise a salary in today's market My feeling is that PMI will still be around five years from now, and agile will be the next TQM (great idea, but....). Best of luck, Brian.

I'm going to take Kizmet's suggestion and go eat some turkey!

 

I've looked at getting an associates or even lower credential recently even though I already have two bachelor's and a master's. Here's what I'm considering and why - my rationale may or may not get other people the same mileage.

1) I was thinking of getting an associates at Adams State which would only require about 15 hours of new work for no reason other than the allusion to a certain old skool series of movies about nerds. In other words, it'd be fun.

2) I was looking through the recently expanded offerings at the local community college while offering a young lady some assistance with the question "what can I do that doesn't take a lot of time to learn but isn't being a waitress?" We found some really interesting things among the offerings that can be completed in 1-2 years of full-time. One that caught my eye was Heavy Equipment Operations (for me, not her). I mentioned this to a friend who said "that sounds like playing with huge Tonka trucks in a giant sandbox" and that was it -- that's exactly what it sounds like and I'm going to do it. ☺ In other words, it'd be fun.

In thinking of your question then, going up or down; if we're doing it for fun (or for simply gaining information), can it be either up or down? It can only be fun or not (informative or not) and if the objective wasn't "to acquire a higher credential" then the objective and outcome would be equally valid.

I've noticed (as have others) that some of the skills being provided at the technical colleges have incredible value in this high-tech world of ours. It's very possible that it's about time to consider an academic education (BA, MA, PhD) as an entirely different animal than a technical education (vocational training) and that the two are not mutually exclusive at all but instead can be very complimentary.

 

+1,
I agree, I have seen many here in S.C. who earned a A.S. in Machine Tool Technology, to become a Machinist or Tool & Die Maker. Later at some point in their life they would go further and earn an Engineering or Business degree. Eventually moving into management etc.

But to go back an earn an A.S. degree in Business without a concentration say in accounting, would have a lot less utility than finding a concentration on the Bachelor's level.....that seems to be what the industry wants as a base line. The orginal poster mentioned Business as a possibility. Pursuing a degree on the Associates level would (again) have more "bang for the buck" with a technical focus if you consider time and money involved.

Orginal poster,
My intent is not to slam anyone. Hell its you life, do what makes you happy! Tell everyone else to bite your butt if they dont like what you do! I was just pointing out real world attitudes out there.
atb,
Gavin

 

You're kidding right?

This "original poster" (I guess I am formally known as ShotoJuku) doesn't feel the need to tell anyone to bite my butt (that would be both rude, disgusting, and painful). I'm fully aware of attitudes too, they don't phase me in the least, I'm simply looking for some good-solid advice.

 

Have you considered an undergrad certificate? That would require less classes, focus on knowledge you want/need, and would not look as "odd" as an AA/AS after a bachelors degree.

Just a thought-

 

That would depend. In my case, I earned two undergraduate certificates in IT prior to completing the BA and AAS.

Interestingly, my first AA (not listed in the sig), earned between 1984 and 1988, includes a "data processing" concentration on the transcript, and is unrelated to data entry. Ah, the good old days of running COBOL, Fortran, BASIC, and CP/M on a C64. Assignments were printed out on dot matrix printers and handed in to the prof. The college also offered a 1 semester hour DOS class back then, which I took. None of the older programming classes counted for anything when earning the two undergrad certificates and AAS in the 2000s. However, I received 3 hours credit for "Introduction to Computing".

My second AA (foreign language) resulted from core courses required for the BA. I only had to take one additional class for that one. Meh, it makes a decent conversation piece.

 

Yes, I did consider a certificate but have also looked at it this way.....

I can go back to EC (as a grad/alumni), qualify for a huge discount and only take the core courses as all of the requirements (Gen Ed) were fulfilled with my BS. As an EC grad the tuition is only $440 for a year. Having to take 6-7 core courses should do the trick.

To me, I will not look "odd" going back to school (again) just to get an associates, it will look motivated to excel (but perhaps that is odd?).

 

Go up the ladder, man!

 

Yes get the AA, you could later use these credits towards a second BS (in business administration) from Excelsior.