Cheap, Accredited Online Degrees... Where are the windfalls?

[Ideas]

I think NA might be fine because they care more about your real world experience, but I would check. It could be very different from one trade to another. Here is a thread on the topic. https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ertificate

[dfrecore]

If you just want to take a single carpentry course, then it really doesn't matter where you do that - find the best course for the best price and go for it. Same if you want a carpentry degree, it doesn't matter because no one cares if you have a degree if you want to do carpentry work (I'm looking for a carpenter right now, I can't even imagine caring if someone has a degree, I just want him/her to build some shelving for me).

But for a degree in something that you might want to take on to another school for a BA/BS degree, that's a different story. Then, it REALLY matters if it's RA.

[eLearner]

I see the accreditation boogeymen are out in full force. Don't go to an NA school! Your career will be ruined! You'll never get a job! No school will ever take your credits! You will have to register as a sex offender!

Give me a break.

For one, most employers don't know the difference between NA, RA, or AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). And considering how many people get hired with fake degrees and make it all the way to Executive roles (check LinkedIn for proof), a legit degree from anywhere gives you a big advantage since there is no chance of losing everything after being "exposed" since there will be nothing to expose you on.

You'll find people with NA degrees gainfully employed and doing a great job all over the world. For-Profits too, because contrary to the mainstream media's nonsense witch hunt and gullible people willing to believe it, the difference between what you're taught at a for-proft versus a non-profit is generally negligible and normally the same things from the same textbooks following practically the same lesson plans. But listen to the boogeymen and they'll have you to believe that an NA school and/or a for-profit gives you a box of crayons and a coloring book in lieu of the textbooks the pious, angelic RA non-profits charge you an arm and a leg for.

And in case you're wondering, I have a degree from an RA non-proft and one from an NA for-profit. Both schools had their issues. Quality was about the same.

The only advice I would give to the contrary is to avoid an NA graduate degree if you can. The main reason is that usually at the Master's level you're getting that degree to compete for upper-level positions and at that level the salaries are higher and the stakes are higher, and employers are looking for names they know firstly. Generally, an NA school won't be well-known. But at the Associate level? This isn't even a valid worry. That level is the ultimate checkbox degree. No one will give a damn where it's from as long as it's legit and it's not a field that requires a license that specifies regional accreditation, and unless you're trying to get into Harvard or some other top school, you won't have that much trouble getting into the school you want for your Bachelors later on.

[dfrecore]

I see the accreditation boogeymen are out in full force. Don't go to an NA school! Your career will be ruined! You'll never get a job! No school will ever take your credits! You will have to register as a sex offender!

Give me a break.

For one, most employers don't know the difference between NA, RA, or AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). And considering how many people get hired with fake degrees and make it all the way to Executive roles (check LinkedIn for proof), a legit degree from anywhere gives you a big advantage since there is no chance of losing everything after being "exposed" since there will be nothing to expose you on.

You'll find people with NA degrees gainfully employed and doing a great job all over the world. For-Profits too, because contrary to the mainstream media's nonsense witch hunt and gullible people willing to believe it, the difference between what you're taught at a for-proft versus a non-profit is generally negligible and normally the same things from the same textbooks following practically the same lesson plans. But listen to the boogeymen and they'll have you to believe that an NA school and/or a for-profit gives you a box of crayons and a coloring book in lieu of the textbooks the pious, angelic RA non-profits charge you an arm and a leg for.

And in case you're wondering, I have a degree from an RA non-proft and one from an NA for-profit. Both schools had their issues. Quality was about the same.

The only advice I would give to the contrary is to avoid an NA graduate degree if you can. The main reason is that usually at the Master's level you're getting that degree to compete for upper-level positions and at that level the salaries are higher and the stakes are higher, and employers are looking for names they know firstly. Generally, an NA school won't be well-known. But at the Associate level? This isn't even a valid worry. That level is the ultimate checkbox degree. No one will give a damn where it's from as long as it's legit and it's not a field that requires a license that specifies regional accreditation, and unless you're trying to get into Harvard or some other top school, you won't have that much trouble getting into the school you want for your Bachelors later on.

As someone who worked in HR, the difference CAN be huge.  It just depends on the company that you want to work for.  So, if it makes a difference to the hiring manager, and the NA can keep you out of the running, then having an NA degree is a huge negative.  If it doesn't make a difference, then the NA degree can't hurt.  So for this reason, I say that there are more negatives than positives in getting an NA degree.  You can disagree with me if you want, but my experience counts as much as yours, and I have seen an NA degree disqualify someone from getting hired.  I've never seen an RA degree disqualify someone.

I also told the OP that if they aren't looking for a degree, then it doesn't matter where you take courses.  A carpentry course is just fine from wherever you want to take it.  So I'm not against NA schools - they have their place - but I personally wouldn't recommend a degree from one.  Especially if you can get a similar degree from an RA school for the same or less.  Why spend money on a degree that MIGHT hurt your chances later?  It just doesn't make sense to me.

[davewill]

I agree that most employers simply won't care about the difference between NA and RA. You certainly don't have to paint NA schools with a blanket "No", but anyone who chooses one should do so knowing the limitations that come with it and knowing their options. My feeling is unless there's some overriding reason, like a specific program you want, or your employer is picking up the tab, I think most folks can find an RA school that will serve them better.

[jkerns]

Just my experience, so take it for what it's worth. My employer specifically requires a degree from a Regionally Accredited school. I have seen quite a few positions in my field (IT) , asking for RA.

Personally, I would stay away from NA schools. Just my opinion.

[rowan555]

I definitely agree with getting an RA degree whenever possible. At the same time, my younger son is about to begin working on an NA associates degree. This is my kid who is just not academically inclined, and if it was up to him he'd have just gotten his GED and been done with school forever. My compromise with him was for him to agree to attend Ashworth in what would be his senior HS year - this upcoming year - and when he turns 18 he'll have an associates degree in criminal justice, and he can do what he wants at that point. The chance of him ever wanting to go get an RA bachelors degree are slim to none, so the limitations are not a concern. Being very familiar with the process of getting an online RA degree, since my 18 year old just did so, I know it's not in my younger son's wheelhouse. He just won't put in the work. for around $3,000 he can get an associates degree which at least might help him get his foot in the door for better jobs than he'd be eligible for without it. And should he find it fairly doable and want to continue for his bachelors at Ashworth, I'm happy to support him with that. I am well aware the degree doesn't hold much weight and that there will be positions for which he wouldn't even be considered with that degree. But when it's literally that, or nothing, I'll take that. And if he decided to do some sort of career program and go into a completely unrelated field, it's not like having the degree will hurt, nor will he have wasted time on it since he'll have it by the time he'd have graduated college.

[harrypotter]

I would say national accreditation is fine at the following levels: Associates - green light (there may not be as many RA schools that accept them but there are some out there with conditional or total acceptance, some even being non-profit (I compiled a list of about 30 non/for profits that will)- definitely contact & confirm their acceptance before attending an na school for an associates) , bachelors - yellow light (you might need to back up a na bachelors if you want better job prospects, (in my opinion you can do that by attending a non-profit RA grad school), but be sure to contact grad schools & confirm acceptance before entering an na ba program. I feel like most employers wouldn’t necessarily mind or even know what accreditation even is, so it’s probably fine if you’re looking for a better job. Masters - red light (I personally wouldn’t get an na masters, just because it’s what I feel most employers exam closer than undergrad. But if you have a lot money lying around or just need it for a job promotion it’s most likely fine)


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[videogamesrock]

Personally, I am more interested in their trades, e.g. Carpentry, than anything else. Not that getting a degree in it means anything for my future. I'm really only after some insight and starting my own woodworking hobby. It's not a practical application on my part for future employment in the field.

BUT! I am seriously wondering why these schools aren't mentioned here. I think they're pretty great at first glance. Reading into them they have some value. What am I overlooking?

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About Ashworth College, each course has 8 quizzes and two papers.  The course is self-paced and you can complete a course realistically in three days.  The school has their own challenge exams for $50 each, which means you can complete 10 courses for $500.  Each course comes with a free book.  My BSBA cost me about $2800 and I did 60 credits in one year there while doing an additional 30 credits at my CC.  They were very ACE friendly and applied all of my ALEKS credits toward my degree.  They also did not ask for proof of language for my ACTFL credits, so I am assuming you could take the English exams and transfer those in too.

The drawback is that it is DEAC accredited which limits where you can go to grad school i.e. Liberty, APUS, WGU to name a few.

[rowan555]

Good to know they took your ALEKS credits. My younger son has 6 ALEKS credits and 15 credits from Penn Foster's high school program. It's nice knowing all 21 credits will likely be accepted. Although we're going to do the free final semester so any more credits at this point would do no good at all.

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About Ashworth College, each course has 8 quizzes and two papers.  

How do their proctored finals work? That's the one thing I'm not seeing any new information about. I'm encouraged by your completion timeline, as my son works 35 hours a week and spends 12 hours a week at karate, so his dedicated school time is not going to be more than an hour or so a day. He may still be able to get those 3 semesters done at Ashworth in a year or so.