Going back to school at 29 for CS with only freshman year of college completed

[RejuvenationOclock]

Your Location: Central Virginia, USA
Your Age: 29
What kind of degree do you want?: Would like to knock out an associate’s somewhat quickly, then get a bachelor's in CS.
Current Regional Accredited Credits:


School Name Total Credits: #


Virginia Commonwealth University
BIOL 101 BIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS 3.00 B
CHEM 101 GENERAL CHEMISTRY I 3.00 B
CHEZ 101 GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB I 1.00 A
CLSE 101 INTRO TO ENGINEERING 3.00 B
MATH 200 CALCULUS ANALYTIC GEOMETRY I 4.00 A
UNIV 111 FOCUSED INQUIRY I 3.00 A (this is basically English/reading)
CHEM 102 GENERAL CHEMISTRY II 3.00 A
CHEZ 102 GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB II 1.00 A
CLSE 102 METHODS IN CLSE 1.00 B 
CLSE 115 INTRO TO PROGRAMMING 3.00 C
MATH 201 CALCULUS ANALYTIC GEOMETRY II 4.00 B
UNIV 112 FOCUSED INQUIRY II WI 3.00 A 


All of these were from Fall 2013-Summer 2014



Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:
None


Budget: I’m still paying off my original student loans so cheaper is better. Would also prefer knowing costs upfront (like if a course is advertised $500, it’s $500, not $500 plus a $200 homework website account and $250 book)
Commitments: I work full time M-F.
Dedicated time to study: I can study during the week after work and on the weekends.
Timeline: Would like to finish relatively quickly, but I’m new to this whole thing so I don’t have a definite timeline in mind. At the very least I’d like to get my associate’s quickly, and maybe at that point reevaluate the plan and see if I need to adjust anything.
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: I don’t believe I’d get anything from my work. I also have a decent income so I don’t know that I’ll get any FAFSA grants, but I’ll apply anyway.


Introduction: Hello, I started with biochemical engineering at VCU in Fall 2013. The first year went pretty well (other than I had to retake one class (Chem II) over the summer). I had to take out some big loans for the first year, but thought I’d sorted things out for my second year to where my expenses would be mostly covered. Unfortunately, I misunderstood my loan/grants situation, and had to come up with over $10K that semester. I tried not buying the textbooks, skipping classes trying to work, but the end result was I got the money but didn’t pass the classes. I decided I’d get a job and save up a year or two, then come back.

Well it’s been 10 years, and I was able to work my way up to a decent job, but I’d still like to finish getting a degree. While I enjoyed chemistry, I’ve been mostly considering computer science, as it’s a bit of what I already do, so it gives me better flexibility to move up, and in general seems more flexible in the job market than chemical engineering. 

I’m not sure if my old credits have expired, so I understand I may have to start fresh. While my main goal is a bachelor’s in CS, I’m open to finishing off an associate’s in chemistry or math if it could be done somewhat cheap, since I already did half the material.

I think I’d like to move quickly to get an associate’s, just so I can finally say I got a degree, and then take a little more time for the bachelor's if required. I’m hoping for a decently inexpensive path, but I don’t want a diploma mill either. Also, I greatly prefer being able to see full costs upfront.

Any help is greatly appreciated; I’m also very open to whatever other advice you may have, or other sites that may be of help. Thanks