How To Start (Sorry If This Has Already Been Posted)

[jmc2488]

Hey everyone, complete neophyte here. I apologize if something like this has been posted here a lot. I recently heard about this kind of education plan and I have no idea how to get started. Any information is appreciated. If there are already posts about this, please lead me to them. Thanks.

[ironheadjack]

First off Welcome to the forum!

Second, everyone will be more then willing to help you get started but for your own benefit, read the wiki article(below), and browse through old threads so you can pick up some basic knowledge.

Tell us about yourself a bit so we can help guide you. Have you been to college before, do you have a planned major, any planned career goals, etc.


Degree Forum Wiki

[jmc2488]

Thank you for the link. I appreciate the support. I am sure you get plenty of newbies so I assume it gets old. I am currently a railroad conductor and I see a lot of poor logistical planning. I would be interested in a degree in supply chain management or operations management. I know Excelsior and TESC have this degree. I have a whopping one semester of collegiate experience, so you could say I am starting from the ground floor. I fully believe in the legitimacy of this kind of education and I am aware it is becoming more commonplace and accepted due to the ridiculous cost and time commitment of the standard college. I just really need to know how to start. Thanks again.

[UptonSinclair]

Without getting into building a degree plan, I would suggest starting with the Analyzing and Interpreting literature CLEP. Take a look at Free Clep Prep.com to get an idea of the difficulty level of various exams. Most people are able to pass to pass the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature exam with little study and it helps to get your feet wet with the process. You will need to find a local college where you can take the exams. Most community colleges have a testing center where you can take both CLEP and DSST exams.

When you are looking for another exam to take, you can visit https://clep.collegeboard.org/exam and look at the suggested resources to study for a given exam. I prefer to buy a used textbook on one of the many websites where they can be found for a few dollars. Don't worry too much getting the latest addition. After a few years, they go down in price significantly.

Before getting too many exams under your belt, you will want to build a plan for your intended degree. If you are interested in business, I would suggest sticking with a general business degree rather than getting too specific, but you may consult others for a second opinion. Once you decide on a major, visit the school website and get the list of program requirements. With that in hand, build yourself a spreadsheet and start plugging in exams that you feel will meet the requirement. This is when the folks on here become a huge help. Use the experience of the board to find out what has been approved in the past. Just be aware that what has worked in the past is not always a guarantee of what will work in the future. Degree requirements change over time at all of the big three.

[ShotoJuku]

Welcome Aboard and to our classroom!

[publius2k4]

I am sure you get plenty of newbies so I assume it gets old. .

Plenty of Newbs? Yep....get old? Not for me. Although, I still consider myself a newb.

Barring any serious complications, I'll be graduating next month. At this point, I feel compelled to try and help others who are starting out with this method of education. And hopefully, as you grow and learn, you'll feel the same compulsion to share your knowledge with others who are just starting out.

UptonSinclair is exactly right, in my opinion. It will be much easier to get a general business degree than something specific. This is because there are plenty of exams for general business, but very little (if anything) for supply chain management.

The best way to get started is to go to your local CLEP test site, and take a test. As UptonSinclair suggested, the CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature exam is a fantastic starting point. You'll gain 6 college credits for 2 hours of your time. There are several CLEP's that are worth 6 credits each. They're a fantastic way to build up momentum!

Welcome to the community. Good Luck!

[defscarlett]

Without getting into building a degree plan, I would suggest starting with the Analyzing and Interpreting literature CLEP. Take a look at Free Clep Prep.com to get an idea of the difficulty level of various exams. Most people are able to pass to pass the Analyzing and Interpreting Literature exam with little study and it helps to get your feet wet with the process. You will need to find a local college where you can take the exams. Most community colleges have a testing center where you can take both CLEP and DSST exams.

When you are looking for another exam to take, you can visit https://clep.collegeboard.org/exam and look at the suggested resources to study for a given exam. I prefer to buy a used textbook on one of the many websites where they can be found for a few dollars. Don't worry too much getting the latest addition. After a few years, they go down in price significantly.

Before getting too many exams under your belt, you will want to build a plan for your intended degree. If you are interested in business, I would suggest sticking with a general business degree rather than getting too specific, but you may consult others for a second opinion. Once you decide on a major, visit the school website and get the list of program requirements. With that in hand, build yourself a spreadsheet and start plugging in exams that you feel will meet the requirement. This is when the folks on here become a huge help. Use the experience of the board to find out what has been approved in the past. Just be aware that what has worked in the past is not always a guarantee of what will work in the future. Degree requirements change over time at all of the big three.

Penn Foster has a few ACE accredited Supply Chain Management courses.

[jmc2488]

Thank you for the responses. So really I can take these tests prior to enrolling in these schools? I take it that is where the convenience and cheapness come from?