Best Undergrad DL degree for high $$$ income career change

You mention you have a sales/sales management background. If this is something that you're interested in still, then there are always sales jobs available. To "tick the box" for job opportunities I'd get the fastest degree possible, and if you're a good tester, get a general business-type degree from Excelsior, TESC or COSC. If you have $6-7k to invest and the time you can get your undergrad done from scratch in 6-9 months easily. Your experience will trump any degree, and you can always pursue a MBA or MIS degree.

If you want to get out of sales, or change industries, then be prepared to rebuild your career. In this case, the degree choice will matter more, and I see that others have recommended finance or accounting degrees, which can provide a decent living in the $80-100K range within a year.

Unless you can find a good way to transition to IT (perhaps in a sales capacity for a company that has ties to finance), I don't think an IT degree will get you anywhere fast. You're mid-career now and without hands-on or managerial experience in this area you wouldn't get more than an entry-level position that pays $30-40K.

IT is no longer as desirable as it was 10 years ago, with many positions being outsourced, offshored or automated.

 

I'd agree with one exception - if he's getting denied opportunities due to not having a degree at all.

 

Have you looked into becoming an insurance broker or producer - especially in commercial lines. You can probably land a job with no degree (at least in California) or license but you can study for a brokers license. It might take you several years to work up to a 6-figure income though. What you need is to understand insurance contracts, good customer service skills, and generally be smart. Small companies with 2 to 100 people are good places to start.

Excelsior has a business degree with insurance major.

The other area that appears to pay big money is statistics - but you would probably need a BS and MS in statistics.

 

Most of my time in banking the last 15 yrs has been involved in the residential/commercial mortgage side, and mostly wholesale( larger banks lending to smaller banks, credit unions, brokers, etc.) Even though I have knowledge of almost all aspects of banking ( servicing, sales, lending, underwriting, etc.) Having the word mortgage on your resume and trying to find a sales/management job outside of banking in today's climate is almost as bad as a registered sex offender trying to get a job in a school. I see job postings all the time for sales jobs stated in the ad that people from the insurance, real estate or mortgage industry will not be considered....

 

Wow, that is terrible! I suppose that there are a great many people from those industries looking for other work. I wonder if it's also a little bit of prejudice due to the fact that the blame for this last recession is often directed at leaders in some of those same professions. It's obviously not fair, but i wonder if those attitudes are out there.

 

I have been discussing this with a lot of people who are unemployed that I have come in contact with recently. I also had this conversation with a family member who works in a state unemployment office. I do not think experience is the "trump" card it once was.

With so many people who have experience out there looking for jobs at a fraction of what they used to make or are well below their qualifications such as the OP, things other than experience become more important. It is definitely an employer's job market as they can be more selective and get a bigger "bang for their buck" hiring those with higher education, professional credentials, etc. above and beyond typical levels of experience for comparable applicants.

Look at the increase in competition for adjunct jobs in the last year or so as an illustration of my point. The PhD is becoming far more common of a credential for even those applying for entry-level adjunct jobs.

For the OP - good luck. Accounting and Fiance seem to offer the most utility. As others have alluded to though, don't hold your breath expecting to make the same salary you made a couple of years ago any time soon.

 

I concur if one is in a declining industry with no post-high school education, but I have to believe that if a person has a compelling resume with relevant experience (i.e. they can definitely do the job) they may still better than someone with a degree and no experience.

Ideally applicants will have both!

The problem with many people is that they start their career path and NEVER spend any time updating their skills or education. In the airport this morning I overheard a couple of people talking saying "I wish I continued and got my MBA". What's stopping them but excuses?