Advice on Degree path

[bjcheung77]

@DolceDolce, That's a very interesting post! My suggestion for OP is to get a mix/match of certs, degree, experience under their belt. I totally agree with you on all fronts, I actually suggested UMPI PM & IS over the WGU BSIT because of one reason alone (which sometimes is different and I should let the OP decide for themselves), it's the 'age'. Ageism exists in most parts of any industry, at 39, it's not really getting into IT...

But either moving slightly upward such as into management/leadership or something instead of a lateral move sideways to another IT entry-role. It really depends again on OP's choices and options available that would be suitable for them. When OP has certs, degree, experience under their belt, they can swing laterally or move upwards... IT doesn't require people to have specific IT degrees, as long as the knowledge/requirements for entry have been met.

[ss20ts]

The poster didn't seem to be in distress, emotional, nor mention that he felt that it was a lot of pressure.  They indicated they work 60 hours a week.
I already know he is capable, having the PMP certification.  If you know anything about the PMP certification, is that he does know how to study, it takes extensive preparation. 

Having reviewed his information in entirely now, the WGU school is a solid choice as a suggestion, for someone who can retain information and pass exams, versus a lot of writing that will be planned at UMPI. 

As someone who has experience in project management, I can confidently say that the OP didn't need to extensively prepare for the PMP exam as they have a significant amount of experience in PM. 

Also as someone who has completed 2 bachelor's degrees at UMPI, an MBA at Amberton, and am now working on a master's at WGU, I would agree with others that WGU is not the best choice for the OP. While WGU states that they accept up to 90 transfer credits, the harsh reality is that they rarely do. I'm not sure where you got the idea that there's little writing at WGU, because there's quite a bit. No program is all exams. All programs are a combo of exams, papers, and projects at WGU. WGU tech programs also have a lot of certifications required which is even more time consuming because you have to study for those exams which aren't from WGU. You can't even finish the course until you pass the cert exam. This can hold you up big time. Given that the OP has extensive PM experience, I'd say go for the BABA with Project Management Concentration at UMPI. Because of their knowledge and experience, they will most likely be done in 1 possibly 2 terms at UMPI. Even with working 60 hours a week, they could complete the degree in 6 months (or less) to at the most a year and they wouldn't be at UMPI for a year.

[dfrecore]

I vote for getting a degree in Project Management (probably a Business degree) because that will be an easy check-the-box degree, and then get some certifications in an area that you're interested in for the IT portion. This does 2 things: 1) it gets you a quick and easy win with a degree sooner; and 2) it gives you the time to explore IT without it being a timed thing (like WGU would do).

I personally don't recommend WGU for an IT degree for someone without a lot of IT experience, because it's not necessarily the best method/model for LEARNING IT-related information. Instead, their IT degrees are really more geared towards people with IT-related experience who just want to quickly prove their knowledge. When you are somewhere where time is money, you need to make sure that you're going to spend as little time as possible there - and that is not usually conducive to learning a lot of new material.

So, go grab that fast degree at UMPI - the BABA/PM degree is probably your best bet - and THEN focus on changing your career by learning and getting some certs.

As far as grades go - you're probably going to have some trouble no matter where you go - because most schools don't like a very low GPA. You have a few options: 1) retake those exact same courses at the school you got low grades at; 2) take some graded courses from somewhere inexpensive like your local CC (I know NC has $76/cr fees at all CC's); 3) go to a school that will give you provisional acceptance and get good grades there to "prove" you're ready to get your degree there; or 4) go to a school that will do a "fresh start" or whatever version they have there - where they will ignore your previous grades if they were far enough back (like 5 or 10 years).

My vote is #3, then #4, then #2, then #1 - I hate the thought of paying a lot to go to an out-of-state CC to retake courses, that sounds like a major bummer. SNHU has no GPA requirement, and a Business Degree with PM concentration for instance. That would be a much better option than retaking things. Just my opinion.

Since you have tuition reimbursement, you have more options - you could choose a school like SNHU, take a bit longer to get through a degree, and in addition to taking what you need for your degree, you can also take some IT courses that interest you. Think outside the box if you want, someone else is paying for your degree so don't feel like you need to do what a lot of people on here are doing, which is going as fast/cheap as possible. But fast/cheap is good too, especially if your interest lies outside of what your degree would be in.

[rachel83az]

UMPI is known to give students second chances. They've provisionally accepted one transfer student and allowed another student who accidentally dropped the ball and failed classes to return. If you fill out your GEC & electives with Sophia credits and apply, I'm fairly confident that they'll allow you to pursue the BABA Project Management. They might require your first session to be as a non-degree student, but doing well in your first UMPI classes would then allow you to continue on as a fully admitted degree-seeking student.

[Kirpow1010]

Thank you everyone for all of the thoughtful responses to this! I did reach out to the original college this morning, they have a program called academic fresh start where it would expunge my GPA and start over fresh, however they said I would not qualify for it unless I returned to college there. They said because I'm out of NY state now, i would not be eligible for course work there so it seems like that is a dead end. I'm going to do some more research on the Pierpont to UMPI BABA PM path and also TADA.

[bjcheung77]

Just to let you know, you'll need transcripts sent to both Pierpont and UMPI from the college where you were planning to continue with, doesn't the NY State college have online courses? Why do you have to be in-state to take those? Are they making you take butt-in-seat courses or something? I would get the transcripts forwarded to Pierpont and UMPI, leave it at that.

[ss20ts]

Just to let you know, you'll need transcripts sent to both Pierpont and UMPI from the college where you were planning to continue with, doesn't the NY State college have online courses? Why do you have to be in-state to take those?  Are they making you take butt-in-seat courses or something?  I would get the transcripts forwarded to Pierpont and UMPI, leave it at that.

All community colleges in NY don't have great online programs. Some have very limited online courses so I can easily see the OP not being able to repeat those courses online.

[davewill]

Just to let you know, you'll need transcripts sent to both Pierpont and UMPI from the college where you were planning to continue with, doesn't the NY State college have online courses? Why do you have to be in-state to take those?  Are they making you take butt-in-seat courses or something?  I would get the transcripts forwarded to Pierpont and UMPI, leave it at that.

It sounds to me like their "fresh start" program presumes becoming a degree seeking student again at that campus, which probably means butt-in-seat. With so few credits so long ago, I think they should go ahead and apply to the school of their choice and try to be accepted, even provisionally. I have a hunch it won't be much of a problem.

[rachel83az]

JCC only has 14 online courses for the winter session. I didn't check if spring or fall would have more, but that's still pretty low compared to other schools.

[DolceDolce]

@DolceDolce, That's a very interesting post! My suggestion for OP is to get a mix/match of certs, degree, experience under their belt.  I totally agree with you on all fronts, I actually suggested UMPI PM & IS over the WGU BSIT because of one reason alone (which sometimes is different and I should let the OP decide for themselves), it's the 'age'.  Ageism exists in most parts of any industry, at 39, it's not really getting into IT...

But either moving slightly upward such as into management/leadership or something instead of a lateral move sideways to another IT entry-role.  It really depends again on OP's choices and options available that would be suitable for them.  When OP has certs, degree, experience under their belt, they can swing laterally or move upwards... IT doesn't require people to have specific IT degrees, as long as the knowledge/requirements for entry have been met.

I don't know the OP's goals, and what his past experience, including years is all about.

You are correct, ageism is alive and well, in corporate America.  What I advise my clients to do, is to become relevant.  And that is across everything.  Certifications, publishing white papers, speaking at industry conferences, and brushing up the professional appearance.  

Beyond that, everyone's design in life is going to look different.

My one client seeking a promotion, absolutely needed a degree in IT, however ... he was fast-tracking to Executive route, and not everyone is wanting to do that.  His career went as follows:  PM; Manager, IT; Senior Director (skipped a career level) and then straight to Global VP (skipped 2 more career levels) and now President of Technology company within 3.5 years.  What his IT Degree enabled him to do was hop on the fast-track with a certain known industry leader - a company that is known for requiring certain credentials, while attracting extremely, very-high compensation packages.  Now he's among the top earners in that industry. He also didn't do it with IT Degree alone, he also had 14 certifications, and no new certs though since moving into Senior Director role.  

It is not the only path to get anywhere, of course.

As far as the OP, I had recommended WGU IT, because if he is already a known commodity as a PMP Certified Project Manager, while the PM Degree might be the easiest to get based on his experience, it may also not bring him the most value, because he has already a proven work history as a PM, as is certified as a PM.  Therefore, I felt the combination of the WGU IT degree, would show an intersection between his PM expertise, and relevant IT knowledge.  Allowing him to leverage both areas of expertise.

And to whoever said the PMP test didn't require a lot of study, I think it was @ss20ts well good for you!  Maybe it doesn't.  The point I was trying to make was that he was capable of test taking.  Meaning he would be capable at WGU. But I'm glad you mentioned how easy it was for you!  It does remind me of how one YouTube WGU IT graduate, recapped and graded all his classes on a 1/10 level of difficulty, and he graded the WGU classes between a 4-5, and only 1 had a 6.  If we are going to go by how easy someone thinks something is, that would indeed indicate that the OP is capable of taking and mastering WGU IT without the extensive rigor that seems to have been conveyed that it would take.

There are pros and cons to each path.  Perhaps my reply to the OP would have received less disdain in the WGU IT specific thread. 

Good luck to you OP, wishing you all the best on your new life path!