48 yr old, newbie here. Need degree planning advice.

[charmingp27]

Hi everyone,

I have been in the Telecommunications and Healthcare fields, in a call center environment all my working years. From a call center rep up to a Team Lead, to support my children, since I started early having them. I graduated as a homeschool student, way back in 1993. And after 5 kids, my youngest is going to be going away to college next year. So, I’m on this journey to fulfil my personal life goals, that I put on hold.

I’ve always had a passion for computers and technology. I love building computers, learning about networking and front-end web design, I just have not pursued anything formally, which is my goal now. Your knowledge and help, would be a tremendous help.


Your Location: Georgia, United States


Your Age:  48

What kind of degree do you want?: I’m looking to get a degree in either Computer Science or Cloud Computing. Followed by a Masters in Management of IT.

Current Regional Accredited Credits: I have, none.

School Name Total Credits: # 0

Class Name, Credits, Grade: N/A

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: None, at the moment. I need clarification on which courses I can take ahead of time, to attend WGU.

Provider Total Credits: #0

Class Name, Credits, Grade: N/A

Any certifications or military experience?: None, currently. Studying for CCNA as my first certification.

[b]Budget: [/b]I have about $5k saved up. I plan on paying for all test out exams, that I’ll be transferring in. However, I am also not opposed to having grants and taking out student loans, for any balances, once enrolled in a school.

Commitments: The usual commitments for someone my age. F/T job, spouse and kids.

Dedicated time to Study: I can study as much as is needed during the night or weekends as long as my schedule is free. I estimate at least 3 hours every week night and, on the weekends.

Timeline: I would like to finish within 12 to 18 months.

[b]Tuition assistance/reimbursement:[/b] None at this time.

[bjcheung77]

@charmingp27, Welcome to the board, great first post and introduction, you're a tad older than me, and have the experience to back things up. You should work on the trifecta of certs, degree, experience, since you've got the exp - your goal should be the certs and degree for now. I suggest you do a Pierpont BOG AAS with Info Systems, ladder that to an accelerated WGU BSIT/MSIT degree...

[charmingp27]

Thanks for welcoming me. I had actually thought about Pierpoint. But i didn't find anything that said they would transfer well into WGU or other schools that are CBE.

[mohelena02]

I would do Pierpont concentration in Info Systems, it's 'free' and gets you going. Then ladder up to a Computer Science or Cloud Computing degree from WGU and then theis Master's degree.

Do as much as you can before enrolling into WGU so you can finish as fast as possible. Also look into the certifications the degrees require and do them before enrolling (if reasonable to do so).

[bjcheung77]

In addition to that, the classes you take at Pierpont actually are the exact classes you'll be taking for transfer into UMPI or WGU, whatever other institution that fits your needs, etc. The main benefit is the cost and if something happens along the way of your journey, you'll have an Associates under your belt if there are any delays towards your Bachelors. I would do at least the max transfer to any Bachelors degree and use those exact same credits towards the Pierpont degree, you don't need to do extra classes at all and graduate Pierpont first, it's pretty much an apply, send transcripts, and forget it type of thing.

[ReyMysterioso]

In addition to that, the classes you take at Pierpont actually are the exact classes you'll be taking for transfer into UMPI or WGU, whatever other institution that fits your needs, etc.  The main benefit is the cost and if something happens along the way of your journey, you'll have an Associates under your belt....

Agreed. And having an Associate's can have job market value if you're job-hunting while also grinding on your bachelor's. If you plan it right, it won't cost you any extra time/work or money to get the Associate's on the way to your bachelor's. All upside, no downside there.

[charmingp27]

Thanks everyone for your help. You've definitely put me at ease.