Lost however determined

[797dreamliner]

Hello Everyone! 

I'm seeking concrete advice on what my plan should be in order to execute and achieve on obtaining my bachelors degree. (BA Comm)

Back Story: 
I'm 34 years old and have been working full time in sales for the past 14 years and now moved up as a sales manager at large reputable company however I now feel that this is now hitting a ceiling since all I have is a highschool diploma and some college. Long story short, I dropped out of community college at 20 years old to become a telemarketer > sales rep > sales associate > account exec > now sales manager. I feel that if I want to move up to an exec/c level position I would need to have college degree. There was no pressure from my employer to get a degree, I just want to cover my bases and prepare for a brighter future. 

Research:
I looked at WGU, TESC, Maryland Global Campus and UMPI however after my discovery, I feel that I'm undecided on which college to choose from. I want to earn a BA in Communications since I feel confident to call myself a good speaker/story teller. Preferably, I would like to find the cheapest option. Which is the least expensive that doesn't require a heavy workload? My daily job already consists a lot of tasks and duties along with stress making sure my team meet their quotas. My college transcripts are minor and not much.

Truth:
I have always been a major snoozer in academia and have a hard time concentrating but now is the time to change and make it happen. Family always advocated that education is everything however I always believed that its all about the delivery of the message and first impressions that matter.

[rachel83az]

Exactly what do you have on your transcripts? You say that they're not much but they will dictate what classes you still need to fulfill your degree.

If you specifically want a degree in communications, UMPI is going to be the cheapest way to make that happen: https://online.umpi.edu/programs/ba-prof...alism.aspx There are several people here who will be able to assist you with this route. It's competency (and subscription-based) but the cost works out to be quite low as long as you have time to devote to your studies.

Depending on how many RA credits you have, Charter Oak could be the cheapest option if you don't want to be obliged to a subscription-based system. But they don't offer a degree in communications or even English. You'd have to pursue a different degree.

TESU would be the most expensive but it might also be the most worthwhile. They DO have a degree in communications but you can't fulfill most of the AOS requirements via alternate means. This means that you'd have to take several courses directly from them. This would raise the cost and increase the time that it would take to get your degree. A cheaper/easier option would be a straight-up English degree. However, if you want to move up in your company, you might want to take advantage of TESU allowing you to pursue 2 degrees at once and get a BA English as well as a BSBA in Accounting, Finance, or Computer Information Systems. I think Marketing is also possible to obtain via alternate means. You could certainly also do General Management but a specific concentration is generally going to be better.

Regardless of which school you ultimately choose, your first step would be to sign up at Sophia.org and take as many of these classes as don't overlap with whatever you already have on your college transcripts. There is a thread here somewhere about what UMPI brings these courses in as; they will take most/all of them. Equivalencies for the big 3 + WGU can be found here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/So...lency_List Completing Sophia would get you around 2/3rds of the way through both a BA English and a BSBA at TESU. About the same for UMPI, if I understand correctly. Sophia also knocks out a significant portion of Gen Ed requirements from COSC.

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Ultimately, this all rests on what you think a heavy workload is. UMPI is (mostly) paper-based while the big 3 are mostly exam-based (at least when getting credit through alternate means). You'll still need to write some papers either way. Some people find exams to be easier and less stressful. Others think that researched papers are the way to go. There are no right or wrong answers here.

[dfrecore]

I would suggest a BSBA, as it's easy to get in various ways, with all alternative credit - and it's probably more useful in the sales world than almost anything else (you can ALREADY communicate well). The things you learn in getting a BSBA will help you as you move up the ladder.

[ctcarl]

Hello Everyone! 

I'm seeking concrete advice on what my plan should be in order to execute and achieve on obtaining my bachelors degree. (BA Comm)

Back Story: 
I'm 34 years old and have been working full time in sales for the past 14 years and now moved up as a sales manager at large reputable company however I now feel that this is now hitting a ceiling since all I have is a highschool diploma and some college. Long story short, I dropped out of community college at 20 years old to become a telemarketer > sales rep > sales associate > account exec > now sales manager. I feel that if I want to move up to an exec/c level position I would need to have college degree. There was no pressure from my employer to get a degree, I just want to cover my bases and prepare for a brighter future. 

Research:
I looked at WGU, TESC, Maryland Global Campus and UMPI however after my discovery, I feel that I'm undecided on which college to choose from. I want to earn a BA in Communications since I feel confident to call myself a good speaker/story teller. Preferably, I would like to find the cheapest option. Which is the least expensive that doesn't require a heavy workload? My daily job already consists a lot of tasks and duties along with stress making sure my team meet their quotas. My college transcripts are minor and not much.

Truth:
I have always been a major snoozer in academia and have a hard time concentrating but now is the time to change and make it happen. Family always advocated that education is everything however I always believed that its all about the delivery of the message and first impressions that matter.

This is almost exactly my story, except for the career track and the fact that I waited a lot longer that you did to make a change.

FWIW, I went the Sophia route described by Rachel.  I completed every course they offered at the time, save English Comp II ( I loathe collegiate writing), along with a few courses from TEEX, Davar, and Coopersmith, a CLEP and an Excelsior exam, I wound up with a BSLA a few months ago.

You may not care for that particular degree, but I think once you review the credits you already have, you can probably come up with a complementary degree plan from either one of the Big 3 or another alternative school.