Hiring

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by DRXNYC, Jul 30, 2006.

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  1. DRXNYC

    DRXNYC New Member

    Im thinking of doing an online degree and I was wondering do people who have done online degrees have difficulty getting hired. I heard that people who graduate online degrees have a hard time getting employment. Is that true
     
  2. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    Depends. What is your background? What degree? What school? What major? What kind of job? Where?
     
  3. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    I see online degrees as a option for people with experience in the work world. I do not htink it is best for an 18 year old who just finished high school. What is your experience?
     
  4. pugbelly

    pugbelly New Member

    I think it depends on where you want to work and how you applied for the job. It has been my experience that no one, and I mean NO ONE, asks whether the degree was earned in a class room or online. That said, if you submit your degree to a head hunter/corporate recruiter...he/she may very well ask you. Even so, I've seen little-to-no bias either way. For example, I am a VP for a large management firm in the DC area. We never ask whether a degree was earned online, EVER...we just don't care. That said, if we hire a recruiter to go out and head-hunt for us, the recruiter might, on occasion, provide us with those details in the event we cared.

    Pug
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 30, 2006
  5. pugbelly

    pugbelly New Member

    I agree. While my firm does not ask how an applicant earned his/her degree, we typically interview people in the mid-30's or older, so they are generally very experienced. I might question a 20-something applicant with no real experience that earned his/her degree entirely online. My concern would not be the quality of the education, but how well this individual might work and socialize with others in a group environment.

    Pug
     
  6. jagmct1

    jagmct1 New Member

    Employers are going to look at the whole package (i.e., employment history, volunteering, education, references, certifications, ect) when conisdering someone for employment.

    Someone straight out of high school should attend an "on campus" school. These individuals need the face-to-face interaction and mentoring with their professors. This is especially true for 18 year olds that don't have a clue as to what they want to do for a career. These students can dabble in the junior college realm to help them figure things out.

    Just because you graduated from a brand name school does not ensure employment and/or job security. You must make yourself as valuable as possible to a prospective employer with not only education, but a solid work history, good accomplishments and references.

    Every employment move made should be like a strategic and methodical game of chess. Be thoughtful in every move you make and be thinking many moves ahead.

    My employment moves have been planned for the last eight years, with plans on where I'll be in the next 20 years. I've been in senior management for eight years, will retire from law enforcement in 20 years, with future career plans for when I retire. All of my education, certifications, affiliations and employment background have been based on this master plan. The key is to know where you want to go, what you want to be and plan how to get there.
     
  7. AGS

    AGS New Member

    agree with you

    definitely agree with you on those comments......

    some of the 18-21 y.o. have taken A.P. classes which would skip them a year or 2 years of college ....so either way, there are pros and cons for each age group ......
     
  8. bad92lx

    bad92lx New Member

    I have seen little effect if your degree is online or in residence in the corporate world. I am a Director of Technical Operations and I have hired employees with distance degrees myself.

    Although I must say that the degree was not the highest weighted item on the list, but years of "confirmed" experience.

    Rich
     
  9. Jason D. Baker

    Jason D. Baker New Member

    There's an article in the July 30th issue of the New York Times entitled "Degrees of Acceptance" that you might want to read. It's available at http://www.nytimes.com/indexes/2006/07/30/education/edlife/index.html

    Jason
    Baker's Guide to Christian Distance Education
     
  10. CoachTurner

    CoachTurner Member

    I'm not sure that I buy that the fresh from HS should not consider DL an option as valid as any other educational alternative.

    Reality is, if a traditional student goes to Local State U for his undergrad "in the seat", he too is going to do at least a part of his coursework by DL and most of his coursework is going to have some DL component.

    DL is the 21st century classroom.
     
  11. aic712

    aic712 Member

    "Im thinking of doing an online degree and I was wondering do people who have done online degrees have difficulty getting hired. I heard that people who graduate online degrees have a hard time getting employment. Is that true"

    It really depends on you. Just make sure the degree you pursue is accredited (check www.chea.org) and that it fits what you want to do for a career.

    I am a graduate of UOP, and have had no issues having my degree accepted. I work for a large defense contractor (NGIT), and they readily accepted my degree and support me pursuing further education at another "online" assumed school (Strayer). I have yet to take an online class with UOP or Strayer (I took all courses on campus), but they fall under the stigma of "online" colleges due to their rampant advertising campaigns and agressive recruiting.
     
  12. DRXNYC

    DRXNYC New Member

    Well I've spent 2 years in collage but I had to drop out because my parents got ill. Now that they have died I want to persue my education again and I was hoping to do and online degree in IT.
    Thanks alot for the information guys. It will really help me to make up my mind.
     
  13. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    It's funny that you say that, as my default assumption would be that a degree from Strayer was earned on campus. I mean, they have, what, fifty-eight campuses in the D.C. area? They're like Starbucks! ;)

    -=Steve=-
     
  14. jtaee1920

    jtaee1920 New Member


    I have not yet been asked the direct "did you earn your degree online" question. With that said, I have always been asked to explain how I earned my degree while working full time. I have interviewed for a number of jobs in the past year or so. Every single interviewer wanted to discuss my education. All of them asked how I earned a degree in Colorado (Regis University) while working full time in Pennsylvania. I have even had to explain how I earned a BS degree in Connecticut (COSC) while I lived in Connecticut!
     
  15. aic712

    aic712 Member

    Caramel Macchiato 101

    "It's funny that you say that, as my default assumption would be that a degree from Strayer was earned on campus. I mean, they have, what, fifty-eight campuses in the D.C. area? They're like Starbucks!"

    Haha, yeah they are, but they advertise heavily online as well, so I get the "online" question alot.

    Strayer has a few advantages (in my opinion) over the other for-profit, adult-centered schools in the area:

    -Reputation: They have a very good rep in the area, and aren't looked at the same way as Devry and UOP due to a very strong presence in the D.C. area.

    -11 week format: Much easier to handle than 5-6 week courses, and there is BARELY any group work (which is why I did not go to UOP for my MBA)

    -Campus: The campuses house libraries (although small) and more services than some of the other for-profit schools, excluding Devry. If you are ever in Crystal City Steve, check out Devry's campus there. I received a job offer there as a testing administrator (which I turned down due to the commute) and was VERY impressed with the campus. They have a full, staffed library, a video game room, several EE labs and other ammenities.

    -Corporate Alliances: Strayer has an impressive corporate alliance portfolio, and is a huge advantage and almost a cash-cow for them (especially for Northrop Grumman Employees)

    -Faculty: They have some very highly-qualified, well-prepared faculty, that seems to be gradually improving each year. I have been very impressed with my instructors thus far, and am greatly enjoying my classes. The one thing that is interesting to me is that they seem to draw a large pool of instructors with advanced degrees from George Washington University (www.gwu.edu) and Nova Southeastern (www.nova.edu).

    http://online.strayer.edu/instructor_credentials.asp
    (check it out)

    There are, disadvantages though:

    -RAPID expansion: As Steve said, there are something like 13 campuses in VA alone, which I think is a little excessive.

    -Sales People: they call them "admissions advisors" and "corporate liasons" :^)

    -Cost: very expensive, although just about the same as the other for profits (I think UOP on ground courses are like $50 cheaper per course)

    -Marketing: this kind of ties in to sales people, but I believe they have greatly ramped up their marketing campaigns due to the increase in revenue and enrollment. It has yet to make quality suffer, and I really hope that they can find the balance that other for profits cannot seem to grasp (UOP and AIU especially).
     
  16. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I made a joke about it, but I don't think it's a bad thing that Strayer has a lot of campuses. They have to appeal to commuters who are going to class directly from work, so being close to home matters, especially since rush hour can make it so the Loudon, Manassas, and Arlington campuses might as well be on different planets!

    Besides, there's competition. George Mason University has four campuses in Northern Virginia now, and Northern Virginia Community College has six.

    -=Steve=-
     
  17. aic712

    aic712 Member

    True, but I think that GMU is in a different league as a research university. I am glad they are branching out to try and serve adults though.
     
  18. spmoran

    spmoran Member

    Strayer rep

    I am moving to the greater Richmond, VA area in a few weeks and I see that there is a Strayer University campus very close to where I will be working. I wondered what the reputation of the school is. I'm glad to hear that they have little groupwork. I was in a grad program at Bellevue University for a short while and it was all group work. My first experience with it, and it was as bad as people say. But I digress. And will again: I'm glad APU got RA because I'm going to start my history degree once I am all settled. :D
     
  19. aic712

    aic712 Member

    Strayer has a good reputation, but they do not offer history programs (only courses) and AMU is MUCH cheaper :^)
     
  20. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    You are right. There are some classes that are not even offered in a class room environment (at the local CC). I think the fresh-out-of-high-school student should have some in class experience if nothing else for the social skills.
     

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