Job placement - online degree vs a "traditional" degree (letters, employed)
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Hey there, first post. I'm considering supplementing my education by studying computer programming as it's something that interests me and I think I would be good at it for various reasons. I'm 28, have a BA in Criminology, and have a career in law enforcement, though I would consider leaving my current field if a job opportunity in programming came up that was more lucrative.
Because of my current career consisting of shift work, the idea of getting a classroom education is not realistic or possible. I've literally just begun kicking this idea around and what little reading I've done on the subject, it seems that a 'traditional' degree, attained through classroom education, is considered more prestigious when applying for a job than one gained online (through DeVry, ITT, etc). I also understand that there are connections with potential employers that are missed by taking the online route.
That being said, is it even worth my time/money to consider doing this? I'm happy with my current job, just looking for a new challenge. I don't want to become destitute in the process, either. Do employers look more heavily on one's credentials than their potential skills when recruiting? Would there be any way to stick out more so than others?
A college degree is meaningless to us if it isn't accredited by New England Association of Schools and Colleges or a comparable accreditation council.
If you have any doubt about how valuable a school's degree is, ask for evidence that the college credit is transferable same-for-same to a school you know will be respected, such as a major state university. If the state university won't accept transfer credits from the school you want to go to instead, then you can assume that some, if not most, employers will regard that school's degree in the same manner as the state university views its college credits, i.e., not very highly.
online degrees? interesting. There was this person at my former company who acquired not only her undergrad, but her masters and was working on her doctorate all online! I was curious at the requirements. This was from the Phoenix Uni, by the way. So turns out she never had to have all the references or essays or letters of reference or GMAT or GRE for either of her advance degrees. She never had all the requirements a regular university requires.
To me the GRE score was the biggest obstacle as well as the undergrad GPA requirements. So I personally would never bother with the online degrees. However if you're just in it to learn, I'd highly recommend. It sounds like you're more interested in the credential than the learning process. So I'd say no. If I was going to hire someone for a position that required a university credential, I'd prefer someone who went to a real university in person and did all the team projects.
That is half the experience is learning to get along well with other class mates and work with them on projects. Also, learning to interact effectively with the professors is integral in training people to work with the jerks you'll work for in the corporation, lol.
So turns out she never had to have all the references or essays or letters of reference or GMAT or GRE for either of her advance degrees. She never had all the requirements a regular university requires.
I should have pointed this out in what I wrote earlier: My spouse does not have a college degree at all. My spouse entered the workforce before that became such a significant requirement, and worked to establish a substantial work history that employers have been happy to accept in lieu of a college degree (despite a college degree always being a stated requirement). However, I think it is becoming a lot more difficult to go that route, and so the extent of established work history (my spouse's work history goes back forty years) necessary to go that route is becoming substantially longer.
Online degrees are not a smart path for those switching careers. While it make a little more sense for folks already employed and needing a degree to "move up" in the organization this is not the case for career switchers -- most hiring managers are always a little more dubious about career switchers and an online degree raises the skepticism to the "too many questions to bother with" level.
The OP might look into any options that a local physical collge / state university has for "non traditonal learners" -- while some of the coursework might be online or at remote sites close to your home that are held in the evening this type offering usually does include the option to use the regular on campus resources including fully accredited courses taught by real professors, some kind of career placement, events for networking and the whole web of almuni that will not be as put off when they see a resume from the same school they respect.
If you do go the online route, get a degree from a regionally accredited brick and mortar school that has an online component.
ITT is not regionally accredited. I knew a guy who applied for a job (degree required) and he listed his ITT degree. He was told that ITT was a trade school and not a recognized college, so his application went into the trash can. Some employers are very specific about a degree being regionally accredited.
Hey there, first post. I'm considering supplementing my education by studying computer programming as it's something that interests me and I think I would be good at it for various reasons. I'm 28, have a BA in Criminology, and have a career in law enforcement, though I would consider leaving my current field if a job opportunity in programming came up that was more lucrative.
Because of my current career consisting of shift work, the idea of getting a classroom education is not realistic or possible. I've literally just begun kicking this idea around and what little reading I've done on the subject, it seems that a 'traditional' degree, attained through classroom education, is considered more prestigious when applying for a job than one gained online (through DeVry, ITT, etc). I also understand that there are connections with potential employers that are missed by taking the online route.
That being said, is it even worth my time/money to consider doing this? I'm happy with my current job, just looking for a new challenge. I don't want to become destitute in the process, either. Do employers look more heavily on one's credentials than their potential skills when recruiting? Would there be any way to stick out more so than others?
Thanks for your replies.
I think you're confusing terms. An online degree can and is offered by traditional and non-traditional colleges. Most colleges these days offer online courses. Many, if not most, colleges have at least one online program. Even Columbia University has online programs. Devry and ITT Tech offer campus and online programs. They are not online schools because they have campuses. They were around decades before online degrees even existed. Devry and ITT Tech are also for profit and have bad reputations. Devry is regionally accredited, which is considered the gold standard among institutional accreditation, while ITT Tech is not. What you probably want to be concerned about is accreditation and reputation instead of whether a degree was completed online.
Most colleges do not denote on a transcript or diploma that a degree was completed online. The only way an employer can guess that you completed a degree online is if you attended a school that was far away from where your work and residential history shows you lived. If you attend a school that's within an hour of you online, an employer will have absolutely no idea that it was completed online.
online degrees? interesting. There was this person at my former company who acquired not only her undergrad, but her masters and was working on her doctorate all online! I was curious at the requirements. This was from the Phoenix Uni, by the way. So turns out she never had to have all the references or essays or letters of reference or GMAT or GRE for either of her advance degrees. She never had all the requirements a regular university requires.
To me the GRE score was the biggest obstacle as well as the undergrad GPA requirements. So I personally would never bother with the online degrees. However if you're just in it to learn, I'd highly recommend. It sounds like you're more interested in the credential than the learning process. So I'd say no. If I was going to hire someone for a position that required a university credential, I'd prefer someone who went to a real university in person and did all the team projects.
That is half the experience is learning to get along well with other class mates and work with them on projects. Also, learning to interact effectively with the professors is integral in training people to work with the jerks you'll work for in the corporation, lol.
This has everything to do with the school and nothing to do with the degree being online. University of Phoenix also has brick and mortar campuses. The entrance requirements for on campus and online programs are usually the same at any school. If USC requires the GRE for an on campus master's, it will require the GRE for the online counterpart. USC does have online degree programs, by the way. Their online and campus MSW programs do not require the GRE.
A college degree is meaningless to us if it isn't accredited by New England Association of Schools and Colleges or a comparable accreditation council.
I think you mean regional accreditation. There is the New England Association, Southern Association, Western Association (at two different levels), Middle States Commission, and North Central Association.
Quote:
If you have any doubt about how valuable a school's degree is, ask for evidence that the college credit is transferable same-for-same to a school you know will be respected, such as a major state university. If the state university won't accept transfer credits from the school you want to go to instead, then you can assume that some, if not most, employers will regard that school's degree in the same manner as the state university views its college credits, i.e., not very highly.
I contacted most of the top 25 public universities, and almost all of them said they would accept University of Phoenix's credits because UoP is regionally accredited. However, I still would not recommend the school. It is expensive and has a bad reputation. There are just too many better options.
To the OP, this is really not the best place for advice for online degrees and non-traditional education. You will get a lot of misinformation.
Yes and no. The specific entities you list are indeed what I meant by "comparable accreditation council". However, there are some who claim that (for example) "Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools" qualifies as a regional council, even though you and I understand that it does not.
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