New User..... Feeling Confused

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by cclark123, Mar 5, 2002.

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  1. cclark123

    cclark123 New Member

    Hi,
    I'm new to distance learning and to this forum. I started looking around for information about completing a Bachelor's degree through DL. I ran across so much information about different universities, accreditations, degree programs and what not that I feel more confused then when I started.
    My story is that I am 27 years old. I attended about 1 year at the local university. I have been working the past 6 years in the computer industry and I hold a variety of certifications (CNE, CNA, A+, CCNA). I enjoy computers and the IT profession but it seems that everybody is getting into this field now and it's starting to loose it's appeal to me. I would like to expand my possibilities by getting a degree in a different area. I was thinking about some type of business degree. I'm sure that there are many different schools that could provide the type of degree that I am looking for but if anyone could make some recommendations as to where I could get started I would really appreciate it. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed right now and don't know where to start. Thank you very much.

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  2. Welcome to the board!

    According to an article in April 2002 Dr. Dobb's, graduate CS enrollment is way up, but undergraduate CS enrollment is way down (-30%). I would suggest that in a few years there will be much continuing contention for higher level jobs, but a shortage of candidates for positions of more modest status. And it's quite possible that many of the more senior people will despair of the job contention and seek greener pastures -- leaving the field somewhat open for people to later move up.

    Wishful thinking perhaps...
     
  3. Jack Tracey

    Jack Tracey New Member

    Buy yourself a copy of "Bears Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning," read it five or six times and the probability is you'll know as much as you'll need in order to get started. I don't want to turn into a shill for John Bear but, let's face it, isn't that how most of us got started?
    Jack
     
  4. Bill Huffman

    Bill Huffman Well-Known Member

    Bear's Guide is an excellent place to start. There's a lot of general information and a paragraph or two on almost all legitimate programs and even a paragraph or two on many of the less-than-wonderful programs. The less-than-wonderful programs are separated into their own chapters and provide some most entertaining reading.
     
  5. First, give yourself a break; higher education in general can be overwhelming. There are so many choices that it can be a real challenge to find the solution that fits your needs and resources the best.

    Next, give yourself a pat on the back. You're taking action to investigate and assess your opportunities.

    And now for some info and advice that I hope will be useful. With your experience and certifications, you'd probably be able to get some credit toward a degree at Excelsior, particularly their BS in Computer Information Systems -- see http://www1.excelsior.edu/itweb/index.html for more info.

    However, this might not be the best degree option for you, as you say IT is starting to lose some of its appeal. You might want to check out Excelsior's business degree programs -- see http://www.excelsior.edu/bus_bd.htm

    Also, I'd check out community colleges. Often they offer a very good mix of day/evening/weekend/distance classes at reasonable tuition rates. Many have articulation agreements with the state universities, so that you can get the first two years of college done at a community college and transfer to the university as a junior.

    Good luck; keep us posted.
     

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