Introducing myself and some questions

So I just spent over an hour typing a message and when I went to send it, it took me back to a log in page (I was already to logged in). Boy am I bummed. So I am going to give you the much shorter version.

My name is Ken and I am 33 years old. I recently lost my job (company closed). when I lost my job I found my self at a crossroad. I could turn right and go get another DECENT job and constantly worry about the economy and losing my job when times get bad. Or I can make a left at the crossroad and get a college degree and not worry about the economy (as much) getting bad and losing yet another job.

I have decided to get my degree. And an online degree would work best for me.

Last week I enrolled at University of Phoenix. After reading many student reviews about this school--I think I might of made a mistake. I have also read that UOP degrees are not respected in employers eyes. I don't want to waste 4 years and 50k to be told that a degree from UOP is worthless. Its really sad if this is true about a school that has strong accreditations like UOP has.

Last night I came across Grand Canyon University. this school looks pretty good. It has an actual campus (I know UOP does as well) and sports teams that are actually in a conference division II. I don't really know if thats a big deal but I think it is.

I guess what I am asking, is anybody willing to give me an idea of what to look for or even recommend schools. I know that its ultimately my decision and nobody can make the decision for me. I just don't want to waste 4 years of my life for a worthless piece of paper.

I am looking into a degree is Accounting or Education (teaching 3rd grade). I know these are 2 very different degrees. Can you give me ideas of schools that are respected in these degrees.

Also what are the "3 BIG SCHOOLS" I have seen this mentioned on the internet. I think one of the schools is Thomas Edison State College. Are these 3 schools the most respected online degrees?

Well like I said earlier--I had a much larger post typed. If I am in the wrong place, I am sorry and I can delete this thread. I used the search engine and didn't really find my answers. Thanks for your time. I wish I would of found this website 2 weeks ago. I am going to back out of UOP until I am sure what school is right for me. Ken

 

Hi, Ken.

First thanks for joining and sorry the post was lost. This seems to be a weirdness with VBulletin, as I've had it happen to me a few times on other boards that use the VBulletin software. We're looking into that and a few other problems so hopefully we'll have them resolved soon.

You might want to start by taking a look at the articles at Degree Info - Articles

The "New to distacne learning" will give you a brief overview.

You may also want to read

The Unofficial Thomas Edison State College (TESC) Portfolio Guide
Questions and Answers About The TESC Portfolio Process
The B.S. in Levitation...

The "big 3" are Thomas Edison State, Charter Oak State, and Excelsior College. They are so-named because they all allow you to earn 100% of your credits via exams, portfolio, or other non-class based learning, as well as allowing you to transfer in unlimited credits from other schools. In short, they are legitimate, properly accredited schools that offer accelerated ways of completing a degree and often at a very low cost.

There are lots and lots of other good schools, but the Big 3 are often mentioned because they are such a great value, and because two of the three are state-run nonprofits (Excelsior is private but nonprofit also)

 

Hello Ken,

Two different professional industries (accounting or elementary education); though school districts need accountants as well.

Please tell us about your background, e.g., prior academics and/or industry experience/s.

 

Hi Ken,

One option you might want to consider is Peru State College. It's one of Nebraska's three state colleges. It's a small brick & mortar college of about 2,000 students that also offers degrees online. I finished a second bachelor's degree in accounting through them for about $5,000 total.

Peru State College

 

Welcome Ken. I'm not sure what the teaching industry is like in your state, but in California, K-12 education is not the field to go into. I'm a teacher and many of my friends are struggling to keep or find a job. Many have looked for years and not been able to get hired. I think the industry is not in great condition in most of the US, but I understand that California is one of the worst places. I don't know your location but maybe your state is better, not sure.

So I vote for accounting. I don't know the industry, but it's got to be better than K-12 teaching. I know there is somewhat of a demand for college adjuncts who teach accounting. At least that's what I have read on a few posts on this board.

 

Ken,

UoP is a good choice for some people but I can not see paying 50K for a degree unless it was from a big name school (big meaning "good" not just known). As far as the big 3, I earned my BS from COSC in a short time but if you are starting out with zero credits and want to take all the classes needed for a degree, a more tradional online program would probably be better. Peru State is a good one as mentioned and I would also vote for accounting as a major if you enjoy it.

 

I have a good friend who's a PhD and, among other things, does a little adjunct work for U of Phoenix. It is my understanding that there is nothing wrong with the school. It's a solid education and a good program. The problem lies only with the reputation. I'm told that the mass marketing they do and the sheer volume of students they service, as well as the huge sums of money they make, has led to some issues with image. So you would get a good education but you might not get much respect.

 

My last employer paid tuition for quite a few employees attending U of Phoenix (UoP) - the attraction was the local campuses (in Orange County, CA). It meant people did not have to spend a couple of hours a night commuting to a state school. Downside is the cost - much lower cost degrees are available. In my experience there is no negativity associated with UoP degrees.

 

I want to thank you all for your replies. There has been some great advice. It looks like I need to look at this whole thing differently.

So just because they are titled the 3 BIG SCHOOLS, that does not mean they are the 3 BEST SCHOOLS. What is the big deal about a college being a STATE COLLEGE?

I really only have a few sign language credits and a few computer science credits. I also have some non transferable credits like lower level writing and math classes (under the 100 level). I maybe only have 12-15 transferable credits.

I have basically worked in a lumber mill and managed a coffee shop. I managed the coffee shop for the past 10 years. I also did the McDonalds thing out of high school and other crappy jobs most teens do.

Yes it looks like I will be starting from the beginning. I have been looking into the Peru State College. And I am leaning towards accounting.

Thanks. Its funny you mention University of Wyoming. My best friend graduated from there and lives in Laramie, WY. He loved the school. I never really knew they offered online degrees.

What are the downsides to having a degree that costs less. I mean at some point you would think you can get too cheap for a degree. I mean if a school offers a 4 year degree for $300 bucks--wouldn't you want to stay clear. I guess I would think that the more you pay the better the education. I would love it if this was not true. It looks like its close to $37000 for a Bachelors from UofP. I would love to spend less money for sure. I will get about $3000 a year in pell grants and the rest in student loans. So cheaper is better for me.

I live in Oregon. I have heard that its tuff now for teachers her as well. I have also heard that there are bonuses for male teachers to sign up at certain school districts. I guess they are looking for more male teachers. That doesn't sound legal to me. But thats what I heard.

I was hoping that in the 5 years it would take me to get my teaching certificate, things would turn around and teachers would be needed. Say you.

Yeah thats what I was thinking. I think its gotten to big for its own good. The mass marketing brings in all the uneducated people about online schools and sign up to there high prices. Being they are getting Financial Aid, they really don't do there research (kind of like me).

Thanks again to all. I am glad I have found this place.

If there are any people here that have received degrees online in accounting and found good work out of school. I would love to hear from you. Have a great night.

 

Hi, Ken.

All other things being equal, a state school may just carry a little more weight with an employer over a little known private school, or a large and highly advertised private for-profit school (Kaplan or U of Phoenix, for example.)

As long as the school is regionally accredited (or DETC accredited, if you understand the difference and are OK with the potential limitations of DETC accreditation) then cost has nothing to do with quality in most cases. I think most people will find the utility of a $3500 exam-based Charter Oak degree to be every bit as good as a $37,000 University of Phoenix degree. (Though obviously the same would not be true of, say, a Charter Oak degree vs. an Ivy League school or a major, highly regarded state school like UCLA). In general, if a school is being advertised all over creation, somebody is paying for those ads, and that somebody is the students, so the cost difference doesn't really translate in a lot of cases.

Your 15 credits is a decent start. If you went the degree completion route, you could probably exam or portfolio out of 45 to 60 credits at a minimum, perhaps more depending on how broad your knowledge and self-study has been over the past years. Many people manage to exam out of 90 or 100 credits and need only a small number of classes to complete their degree. (If you're going for accounting, you'll probably need at least some of the accounting classes unless you've worked for an accountant or otherwise have a really in-depth knowledge of the field.)

On the other hand if you want to take all the classes and earn your degree in a more traditional way, I'd suggest looking at some of the schools that have been suggested here. There are some great values that a lot of the state schools are offering these days.

 

I have been having a very tough time with all this info. I was up until 2am doing tons of research. Then I got up at 7am and have been doing the same research all day. I wish there was just one simply answer on what school is best for me at the best price.

I am liking Thomas Edison State college, Grand Canyon University, Peru State College. Not in that order.

I like the prices of TESC and PSC. It would save me some money... Tons of money.

GCU stands out to me as well just because I have heard more about it and it seems more popular. If you go to (name of janky college referral site removed), I don't even see TESC or PSC on that website. Now I do know that is only one website but there are many websites that don't even show those 2 schools on there websites. Again I know that to only take this with a grain of salt. Maybe thats why they can keep there tuition down because they don't spend tons of money on marketing.

What attracts me to GCU is it really looks like they have the whole online school thing down. The counselors there help you with your financial aid papers and will get you your transcripts from other schools. It seems that if you go to GCU--you basically give them a higher amount per credit, but they worry about all the paper work and the little behind the scenes type stuff. They even line up the classes you need and you just basically need to keep your grades up and they do the rest.

Does anybody know if TESC or PSC helps with all this stuff like GCU?

Also does TESC and PSC have ebooks or do you have to buy real books. GCU has ebooks which saves some money there. I think GCU charges 70 bucks per class for ebooks.

I am sure I will have tons more questions. If anybody has any direct reviews on my comments above, I would love to hear from you. Thanks again

 

The academic advisers at PSC were first-rate all the way. One of the benefits of "attending" a small state college is that they try harder, much harder than the larger schools to take care of their students.

Yes, there are books required at PSC. School books don't have to be a major expense anymore. You can buy your books used from Amazon.com. Once you finish the course, list your book for sale on Amazon.com and recoup most of your money. I've done this many times.

 

Thanks for the reply. I would probably have to buy the books directly from the book store from the school because of financial aid. Also how does classes work there at PSC. HOw many classes do you take at a single time and how long are the classes?

 

Sorry. Meant to say (removed janky site again)

 

The big-3 are Excelsior College (it was a state college but now it is a private, not-for-profit school), Charter Oak State College, and Thomas Edison State College (both state colleges). They are not the only colleges (state or otherwise) offering degrees via distance learning but they do offer the following advantages:

• No residency (or except one unit for Excelsior) - most colleges require 30 units in residency.
• Will accept transfer almost all transfer units from RA colleges and from certain other organizations.
• Low cost - because students can take courses anywhere this can reduce costs (for example I earned units from California Community Colleges when they were almost free). I mover around the USA quite a bit in my life so I attended around a dozen colleges then transferred all my units to Excelsior for a BSLS.
• Degree programs are not the cast-in-concrete programs that some schools require - the Excelsior BSLS is perhaps the most flexible degree in the USA due in large part that up to 59 units can be in professional subjects (mine were almost all engineering).

An advantage of a state school is that employers and colleges except them with little hesitation compared to some of the more obscure private universities. I was accepted into two masters programs simultaneously on the strength of my Excelsior degree - I did enroll for both programs but sequentially.

This year Excelsior is celebrating its 40th aniversery - they were perhaps the first distance school to obtain regional accreditation and thus were a catylist for other RA schools to plunge into distance learning and degrees. Likewise I believe CSUDH was the first RA school to offer a masters degree by distance learning.

I agree that the big-3 are not the the three best schools in the USA - those would be Cal Tech, MIT, and Stevens Institute of Technology (IMHO ).

 

Thanks for the help. I thought a state school would have a little pull. I think I might be enrolling in PSC tomorrow. I am a bit concerned about the whole book thing though.

 

Many of the classes at PSC are eight weeks long, however, most of my accounting classes were the length of a traditional semester. I don't think there's any limit to how many classes you can take at once. I never tried to take more than two at a time though, mainly because I was working full-time while taking classes.

Although the courses at PSC are online, they don't make their instructors (or students) do a lot of posting on the discussion boards (like a lot of the for-profit schools do). This is a good thing. I've always thought that was largely a waste of time. The courses were very straight-forward. For the most part you just submit an assignment each week. There were no proctored exams. I wouldn't call it a cakewalk though. Many of the assignments were very demanding. You will definitely learn the material in your PSC classes.

 

I have had this happen several times, and what I have gotten in the habit of doing is highlighting all the text of your post (Select-All from the Edit menu in your browser) and copying it to your computer's memory. Then, if for whatever reason the message board locks up or erases your work because you have to log in first, you can simply paste it back in the edit window when you get back to the right page. It's saved me many times!

You and I are in similar situations. I am a bit older (39) and I have not yet lost my job, but I will be surprised if my company is still above water in 3-4 years. I think the writing is on the wall, and we are just hanging on. Like you, I really don't want to keep doing what I have been doing the last 15+ years and need a change of pace. I think accounting is something I would be good at and enjoy, so that is what I am pursuing. And also like you, I am starting out pretty much from scratch (took some college, but I don't think any of it will transfer).

So I will be very interested to see what conclusion you arrive at. I am hoping to CLEP out of most of the general studies requirements over the next 10-12 months so that I can enroll somewhere for only two years to finish out the degree. I intend to actually take all the accounting courses in order to get a solid handle on the subject and so that I could effectively hold an accounting job once finished.

I am leaning right now toward TESC and a BSBA with an accounting concentration, but I am still very open. I hadn't heard much about GCU, so I may look into them, too.

Scott