AS vs AAS

[29palms]

Also partner. I always thought an Applies Science degree means just that. You apply hands on of what you're doing. Half my aviation school was classroom and half shop work. I guess through TESC you can do an applies science degree without ever touching anything enviromental, safty and security technology. I took some Fema courses, they talk about setting up tents and communications, bla bla bla.....all that doesn't do a hill of beans of good unless you actually practice and apply this stuff. It's a tactical command military type of style thing. You can't learn it all in the books. Maybe that AAS for Fema courses can get your foot in the door somewhere. Like our FAA license. We called it a "License to learn". Just because you have an A&P technicians license, don't mean you know squat. You learn it in the field. The license is to get you in the door to practice your priveledges.

[Stitching Belle]

Also partner. I always thought an Applies Science degree means just that. You apply hands on of what you're doing. Half my aviation school was classroom and half shop work. I guess through TESC you can do an applies science degree without ever touching anything enviromental, safty and security technology. I took some Fema courses, they talk about setting up tents and communications, bla bla bla.....all that doesn't do a hill of beans of good unless you actually practice and apply this stuff. It's a tactical command military type of style thing. You can't learn it all in the books. Maybe that AAS for Fema courses can get your foot in the door somewhere. Like our FAA license. We called it a "License to learn". Just because you have an A&P technicians license, don't mean you know squat. You learn it in the field. The license is to get you in the door to practice your priveledges.

Some of us have already done all the things that our FEMA classes 'taught', more than once. Depends on where you live, and what you've done in life. And to be honest, as much as I may wish (and pray) that I'll never need to do those things again, I'm pretty sure that there's at least one more major hurricane coming to the Gulf Coast before I leave this mortal coil.

At my age, no one is hiring me because of a degree. They may need me to have one just to check off a box on a form, but they are hiring me because of my past work experience and reputation.

[Prloko]

You can't learn it all in the books. Maybe that AAS for Fema courses can get your foot in the door somewhere. Like our FAA license. We called it a "License to learn". Just because you have an A&P technicians license, don't mean you know squat. You learn it in the field. The license is to get you in the door to practice your priveledges.

This is true also for many IT certs. From IT people I know, they tend to tell me (generally) that there are a lot of people with their MCSE, A+, CISCO, etc who don't even know how to do a defrag. IT is one of those "do" fields rather than theory.

[sanantone]

Did you get this AAS in ESS in the hopes of getting a job or did you have previous experience in the field, or currently working in the field? It took me 2.5 years to actually break into the aviation field. Everyone was laying off when I got my license. Some airlines were going out of buisness like PANAM for one. I can't speak to why you haven't got a job in that field in 8 months but that isn't saying much. Alot of people are unemployed, degree or no degree in this economy. You think a BA in that field would put you in a job interview in any greater light? You know, I heard the same thing when I was going to aircraft mx school. "You won't get a job, its a waste of money, they won't hire you, aviation is slow and volatile". In the end its all up to you to get the job. Going to school is the EASY PART!!! (Can I ask you something, and I'm not trying to sound nor be sarcastic. How hard did you really work for this degree? What did they take in FEMA credits? Like half or more?) I know darned well it took me longer to get 3 credits in Industrial Relations out of LSU than it took me 17 credits of Fema. Consider FEMA a subsidized government freebie to us students. (Hope I don't step on too many toes here heheheh.....)

I only used 5 FEMA credits and most of the degree was filled with CC and university courses. Emergency management, safety, and security have been in my job description for almost 4 years. I have gotten over 15 interviews because of my BA in Social Science, however.

[29palms]

Really. How many hurricanes have you visited? Or come visit you? I can sit here and rattle off to you a few names of SUPER TYPHOONS that have visited me out in the Pacific, island of Guam/Saipan, and even out while at sea running from them on our ship loaded with military hardware. And I currently live in the Gulf Coast. I remember the last one that hit, "IKE" here, Fema was out here handing out MRE's. Oh, a Super Typhoon is easily a category 5 hurricane which makes the hurricanes in the caribbean look like poppycock. Over 200 mph winds easily. VERY DESTRUCTIVE!!! I've seen aftermaths that looked like atomic bombs hit the place.

Some of us have already done all the things that our FEMA classes 'taught', more than once. Depends on where you live, and what you've done in life. And to be honest, as much as I may wish (and pray) that I'll never need to do those things again, I'm pretty sure that there's at least one more major hurricane coming to the Gulf Coast before I leave this mortal coil.

At my age, no one is hiring me because of a degree. They may need me to have one just to check off a box on a form, but they are hiring me because of my past work experience and reputation.

[29palms]

Here was the sucker punch that really devastated Guam in 1997. I was on Saipan. We had two back to back typhoons prior and really caused alot of damage. This one, PAKA veered south and missed Saipan, at that point, we didn't need it believe me, but we still got lots of rain and winds out of it. Guam looked like an A bomb hit it. Months and months later, trees were stripped and damage could be seen coming into Guam by air.

Typhoon Paka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here was one of the two that hit us in Saipan. Typhoon Keith. Note, it was not a direct hit, but sustained winds were over 115 MPH. Lots of damage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Keith

Here is Typhoon Joan which was the first of that year, Keith followed a few weeks later then Paka. Bad stuff. Read this too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Joan_(1997)

I do not recall FEMA back then, but RED CROSS was there in numbers.