help with choosing a program

Hello everybody,

I'm a newbie here and I'm glad I found this site because I'm in dire need of some help in the right direction.

I've had some downs in my life the last few years and all because of me not finishing school. When I was 18 and in my first year of university (law school) I decided to quit.
This was a major problem in my family considering the fact that I've always been a good student and very passionate about school. My parents held me on a very high standard,so their expectations were very,very high. Ever since then things went bad. I feel like I've let them down (actually I know I have).
Now whats even worse is that I feel like I'm letting myself down,because education was and still is very important to me and I really enjoy it.

I have to say that I don't regret that I quit back then and I dont feel like I've wasted my time,because I've done other good things. I have an amazing marriage and the most beautful son.
But I feel that now more than ever that I really want to get a degree. I want to get back to studyin and make my parents proud of me and proof to them that I didnt give up on it at all. But the most important reason is for myself. Doing what I used to enjoy alot and accomplishing the goals that I have set for myself.

Sooo... i want to start with my bachelor degree. I just dont know what to do exactly. I dont want to go back to law,i figured that much out in those years of being absent. I just wanna make sure that I dont do something useless.I'm hoping that you guys have some tips. I'm more of a arts/social sciense kinda person. And I want a program that has good job market.
I live in Canada so I gues s were looking at Canadian universities that offer dl.
I'm open to any suggestions.

Thank you all

Ps: am sorry for such a long personal life story

 

Welcome.....a good start would be to tell us what field of study/studies interests you, or is appropriate to your life goals.

 

hi bruce,

well there are so many that interest me,thats what makes it so hard.
however,the fields that im looking at would be;

political science
humanities and social sciences
international relations
sociology

hope this helps

 

If you're strictly interested in Canadian programs, an excellent starting point would be Athabasca University, which offers many programs entirely by distance learning;

Athabasca University : Canada's Leader in Online & Distance Education

I know there are other Canadian options out there, but I just woke-up from pulling an all-nighter to get an assignment done, and I'm still a bit foggy.

I know we have some Canuck members here that will hopefully chime in.

 

I agree with Bruce - Athabasca University : Canada's Leader in Online & Distance Education

 

While not a Canadian program, I would recommend that you have a look into the University of London International Programmes. All may be completed at a distance. In addition, U of L have (optional) special considerations for Canadian students. Also, the tuition is quite reasonable.

U of L offers a number of undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including bachelors in sociology, sociology w/ law and Politics & International Relations (three which may be of interest to you).

Best of luck!

 

Waterloo offers an online BA, with several majors available:

Programs | Centre for Extended Learning | University of Waterloo

 

Thanks for the input guys.
I've looked into athabasca,but for some reason I'm not drawn to it. Does anybody know about Waterloo and their dl? They have some that i might do.

Japhy, its actually good that you mentioned this,I live in Canada now,but I'm actually Dutch and so I also went to high school in holland. So am guessing that their eu tuition fees would apply to me. I will look into it. Thank you very much

For others that know other dl universities outside Canada, I'm open to that too.. I would just need info about tuition fees for non residents.


Just another thing I wanted to know... Is it possible with dl to complete the program as quickly as you can/want..? I really want to do a 3 year program in let's say 2 years.. Or am I being crazy now?

Thanks in advance .. Yyou guys are awesome

 

Japhy4529,

I'm just browsing the u of l and It says that program completed would be total cost of 3.384 pound.. Is this for real? This is even cheaper than tuition in holland! But then again,in holland the government pays us to go to school.

But this is awesome... Other cheap tuition schools that you know of, please share! Thank you

 

Hi Illy. A warm welcome to Degree Info! I wish you the very best in making your school decision and I hope you find all of the answers you are looking for. We will gladly help you in any way we can.

Here's why your posts don't show up right away: http://www.degreeinfo.com/general-distance-learning-discussions/35100-new-users-ask-where-did-my-posts-go.html There is no need to post the same thing a second time. The timing of it showing up depends on whether there is a moderator online when you post. Sometimes it will be quick, sometime it will be slow. Soon you will be through that phase.

 

Oohh thank you surf doctor! I was wondering why they weren't showing up. I thought I was doing something wrong,that's why I posted them again.still have a lot to learn about forum..lol

Thank you!

 

I don't know about Canada but in my opinion your selected fields do not generally have good job markets in the USA.

In that case look at Excelsior College, Charter Oak State College, and Thomas Edison State College.

At these schools you can do the majority of courses (typically 116 of 120 semester units) at any regionally accredited college in the USA, earn credit by taking CLEP and DSST challenge exams. Credit from non-USA schools is usually accepted provided it has been evaluated by specific agencies.

In my case I had around 60 credits from UK colleges that were evaluated and accepted by Excelsior for my BS in Liberal Studies (the 59 elective courses can all be professional courses).

 

Well the university of london is not gonna work out. Most of the reviews I read are negative and it's mainly about issues that matter to me. You're basically on your own which I could try to deal with it,but apparently their service is horrible too,and that's bit too much. Plus the once a year exam kinda thing freaks me out.

While on the search for more options,I noticed I'm getting more disappointed. It's so hard to find what I'm looking for. All the information given contains a lot of terms I'm not familiar with because of different educational background.

Im also worried about the costs and a lot of universities are just bloody expensive!
Can anybody give me tips on affordable bachelors degree? And I prefer total cost cause the whole unit,course,hour thing doesn't make much sense to me.
and I was hoping that there are schools where you can enroll at any time.

I know I'm all over the place,but I still have a lot to learn. I'm used to Dutch education system,so all of this is new to me.

Thanks for all the help

 

Hi Ian,

What about obtaining full degree at the schools you mentioned? I don't have anything to transfer and from my understanding charter oak state needs min 9 credits.

Plus is there a way I can speed up the time by taking exams? It says that with charter oak there is a rapid way of getting a degree.





And what's your experience with excelsior?



In that case look at Excelsior College, Charter Oak State College, and Thomas Edison State College.

At these schools you can do the majority of courses (typically 116 of 120 semester units) at any regionally accredited college in the USA, earn credit by taking CLEP and DSST challenge exams. Credit from non-USA schools is usually accepted provided it has been evaluated by specific agencies.

In my case I had around 60 credits from UK colleges that were evaluated and accepted by Excelsior for my BS in Liberal Studies (the 59 elective courses can all be professional courses).[/QUOTE]

 

Illy, Ian is right. If your goal is to improve your potential for getting a job, the fields you are interested in are not the best.

The things you probably hate are the best fields to get into. One of the best degrees for landing a job is an accounting degree. Very few people with degrees in accounting have trouble in finding at least an entry-level job.

The schools he suggested are also good choices.

 

Surf doctor,

I'm defently taking all advice into consideration. Accounting however is a big challenge for me. I'm really not good with numbers to say the least.
Isn't there something similar,yet close to my abilities and fields of interest?

 

I don't know about Canada, but in the US there is a growing need for people to work in the mental health field; around here you can get hired as a Mental Health Technician with a Bachelor's degree, with a 60-credit Master's degree necessary for licensure.

There are tons and tons of DL programs where you can earn a Bachelor's in psychology, as it's one of the most popular majors. The pay isn't great until you get licensed, but the jobs are out there to be had.

 

I agree with Bruce, if accounting is not an option, something in the medical field would be a good choice. Mental health might be good, maybe even interesting. I'm afraid I don't know that field very well, so I can't offer much help other than the fact that health care in general offers many good employment prospects.

You are facing the same thing many have faced, including myself; all the fields that are fun and interesting do not offer very good employment opportunities. I chose teaching for this reason many years ago, it has not turned out to be as fun as I thought, but I am reasonably happy doing it.

 

Surf doctor,
Thank you so much.
I really want to try to find something that I could be ok with. In all honesty,finding a job right away is not even important I realized,because my husband does that well for us. A job for me would be as a back up plan and for my own fulfillment.
And teaching is something actually I would enjoy.

Something different now,but this requires a new thread,so please read and all help with that is appreciated. Thanks

 

I know the teaching field fairly well and will be happy to help. It's not as fun or easy as it seems, though.

Since income is not that big of a factor right now, that might open the door to pursuing some of those disciplines you mentioned at first. They may not offer guaranteed employment, but they interest you and there is always the possibility you could then teach high school in some of those subjects.