Going back to school for Career Advancement (Sacramento, Davis: credit, transfer)

[ecsdude]

Hi - I have a BA degree majoring in something unrelated to my current job in the tech industry. My employer will pay for a CS degree, which is helpful to have if I want to advance in my career. I'd like to take advantage of this and get a 2nd BA in computer science. The problem is, some schools will not accept 2nd BA degree applicants, due to limited spaces, they have to give applicants getting their first degree priority. So it appears Sacramento State University is out as a viable option for me.

That leaves me with 2 other options of which I'm aware:

1. Community College to build credits towards my major, then find a 4-year university that will accept 2nd BA degree candidates and transfer there to complete the degree. The problem I'm running into with this is that over the past 2 semesters that I've tried to register for classes on the day my registration window opens, all of the CS courses I want to take are filled, waitlisted, and CLOSED - this includes both in-class and online.

2. Devry (no 2nd BA degree restriction, online classes will be more flexible since I work full-time and I shouldn't run into problems registering for classes. The downside is I don't think credits earned at Devry will be transferrable elsewhere.

Does anyone have any other suggestions for someone living in the Sacramento area?

[NinaN]

Will your employer pay for a masters degree? Since you have a BA already, you might have to catch up on some technical coursework, but it might get you past the problem of schools not accepting 2nd BA degrees and it might make it easier to get into classes. Plus you'll end up with a masters degree!

As far as Devry, I'm not so sure. You are correct that Devry credits are not transferable to most colleges. Plus, many employers (but certainly not all) do not consider a degree from a technical college the same as from an accredited college. I won't argue whether or not the degree is equivalent, but I do know that is the general feeling from tech companies.

[cb73]

Look at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. They have a huge selection of online classes, and are easier to get into due to the better economy there. I've had no problem getting my classes (accounting)--where I tried for two semesters to get into American River College in Sacramento and everything I wanted was already filled.

[Senno]

Have you checked UC Davis? A CS degree with a UC school might be more valuable to your employer than a degree from Devry.

[Lohena]

I am currently in a similar situation. I initially went back to school to get a 2nd bachelors in another subject, but after a few classes realized it would be more worthwhile to get a masters. I looked at specific masters programs I wanted to attend and took classes to meet their prerequisite requirements. I just finished applying to UC Davis and Sacramento State and am anxious to hear from them.