Advice Needed for School & Degree Plan

[diablo]

Hi! I am currently a software engineer with about 3 years of experience. I went to a coding bootcamp and have not earned any sort of degree. I am wanting to pursue a degree to help keep me competitive in the future in the case that I find myself looking for a new job. I am unsure if any degree would be enough to check the box or if I should look at something more technical for my use case. I would also like to keep the option open to pursue a Master's Degree in my future, although I am not sure if that's what my future holds (one step at a time). I want to complete my degree online and I am also unsure where the best fit for me would be.

Your Location: South Carolina, United States.
Your Age: 29.
What kind of degree do you want?: Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems. (open to suggestions)

Budget: I have about $5,000 budgeted, but I can be a little bit flexible if it feels justified. I'd like to go the cheapest route possible.  
Commitments: I currently work full time from home. I have a wife and a dog (no kids).
Dedicated time to study: I can study about 25 - 30 hours a week.
Timeline: Finishing the courses required for the degree as fast as possible would be ideal.  I would like to finish within 1-1.5 years (12-18 months)
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: No.

Current Regional Accredited Credits:

Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City, Total Credits: 13 (2013)
BSAD 221 Business Communications / 3 / A
COLL 100 First-Year Seminar / 1 / B
ECON 211 Microeconomics / 3 / C
ENGL 101 Composition & Reading 1 / 3 / B
MATH 120 College Algebra / 3 / C

Park University, Total Credits: 6 (2014)
SO 141 Introduction to Sociology / 3 / C
RE 109 World Religions / 3 / B

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:

Sophia Credits: 63
ARTHIST1001 - Art History 1 / 3 / A
ARTHIST1002 - Art History 2 / 3 / B
BUS1001 - Introduction to Business / 3 / B
BUS1010 - Financial Accounting / 3 / B
BUS1200 - Developing Effective Teams / 1 / B
COMM1010 - Workplace Communication / 3 / A
CONRES1000 - The Essentials of Managing Conflict / 1 / B
CS1001 - Introduction to Information Technology / 3 / A
CS1005 - Introduction to Web Development / 3 / A
CS1011 - Introduction to Relational Databases / 3 / B
CS1015 - Introduction to Networking / 3 / B
CS1100 - Introduction to Python Programming / 3 / A
CS1101 - Introduction to Java Programming / 3 / B
ECON1001 - Macroeconomics / 3 / B
ENVS1001 - Environmental Science / 3 / B
HIST1001 - US History 1 / 3 / B
HIST1020 - US Government / 3 / B
HUMBIO1001 - Human Biology / 3 / A
PHIL1002 - Introduction to Ethics / 3 / A
PM1001 - Project Management / 3 / C
SCIE1021 - Human Biology Lab / 1 / A
STAT1001 - Introduction to Statistics / 3 / B
VISCOMM1001 - Visual Communications / 3 / A


Study.com Credits: 6
English 104 - College Composition 1 / 3 / A
English 105 - College Composition 2 / 3 / A

Any certifications or military experience? No military experience. I have a MongoDB Associate Developer certification.

[diablo]

Hi!

I want to know if I should pursue a liberal arts / business degree or a technical degree and what online university is recommended for such degree.

I am currently a software engineer with about 3 years of experience. I went to a coding bootcamp and have not earned any sort of degree. I am wanting to pursue a degree to help keep me competitive in the future in the case that I find myself looking for a new job. I am unsure if any degree would be enough to check the box or if I should look at something more technical for my use case. I would also like to keep the option open to pursue a Master's Degree in my future, although I am not sure if that's what my future holds (one step at a time). I want to complete my degree online.

I have completed some courses on Sophia. This was intended for a UMPI BLS degree, but I have recently started to wonder if I should be pursuing a more technical degree (Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Information Systems).

Budget: $4000 - $6000 (I'd rather not pull out a loan, but will do so if it feels justified)

Current Regional Accredited Credits:

• Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City, Total Credits: 13 (2013)
  
• Park University, Total Credits: 6 (2014)
  

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:

• Sophia, Total Credits: 63
  
• Study.com, Total Credits: 6
  

More detailed post: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...egree-Plan

[davewill]

Get a tech degree. Some employers won't even consider you without one.

[Darknigh7]

My two cents. As a hiring manager, I would have to disagree with Dave regarding a blanket statement towards a technical degree. As you are already in the industry, honestly the degree is a 'checkbox' for Applicant Tracking Systems these days. My employer's HR has a literal boolean (Has Degree of level N Yes/No?). Very occasionally we require something exotic like Data Science or advanced Mathematics. Heck, 98% of our IT staffing degree requirements at the entry to mid-level contains the phrase "or equivalent experience".

Now, I would say that if it comes down to two otherwise equivalent candidates, and they both interview well and seem good fits, the Major of the degree could be a tiebreaker.

All of that said, TL/DR the degree major is only a small part of the equation. Certs, experience, communication skills play at least an equal role.

Cheers.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

[fmsoa]

With your relevant work experience, checkbox degree like TESU BACS is a good option

If you want your degree to be more technical and practical with industry certifications built into the program, look no further than WGU's BS-CS, BS-Software Engineering, BS-Information Technology, BS-Cyber Security, or BS-Data Analytics.

Both programs are highly affordable and you can go as slow or as fast as you want

[LevelUP]

If you aren't sure what the future holds, maybe you should consider doing both Computer Science and Business, which would cost the same if you do one flat-rate term. 
https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

[bjcheung77]

There are so many ways to get to your goal, I usually recommend a trifecta of certs, degree, experience and a good mix/match of that to your personal liking. For example, you can do the Coursera/Google Certs that allow for ACE recommendation for credit, Pierpont BOG AAS Info Systems emphasis, UMPI BAS MIS minor plus 3-4 classes that can go towards the MAOL if you decide on that route later. You'll get the Computer/Developer related certs, an Applied Science MIS/IT related degree, and an option to ladder to the MA Organizational Leadership later down the road...

[rachel83az]

I would either go with a UMPI BABA (if you're interested in moving to management at some future point in time, this can be good) or TESU BACS (maybe + BSBA). I would not do BLS/BALS. It won't be significantly faster, easier, or cheaper than a BABA and you'll probably get a higher ROI with the BABA vs. BLS.

[allvia]

I'd recommend TESU for the BACS.  If you want business as well after that WGU MBA or HAU MBA very affordable.

If the business side is what you're truly after to 'check that bachelor box' with then TESU BS-CIS or UMPI BABA/BBA PM&IS (UMPI being lowest cost option)