Poll: Just not sure what to major in for grad school and which direction to go!

[ss20ts]

Figure out a career before you do anything. You have like 10 different paths listed and none make sense. They don't tie together. Don't take on debt. Where did you get the idea to file bankruptcy after getting a student loan? That's a dumb idea. Federal student loans cannot be discharged which means you still have to pay them. It's not free to file bankruptcy. Your credit is destroyed for 10 years. Forget car loans. Forget mortgages. Forget renting an apartment. Who wants to rent to someone who can't pay their bills? Don't even think about grad school until you actually have a career. You don't need a degree to teach English as second language. There are plenty of places you can volunteer to teach this. No degree needed!

[Randyb100]

The bachelor degree already is just a checkmark for me to get promoted to a manager so I don't have to wait another year and a half. I also am already almost done with it.

The master's IS for doing what I want to do. I am just debating with myself over which direction to go and explaining why, and made a poll to see how others felt about it.

[LevelUP]

Let's stop talking about unethical things about debt.

Nobody is going to want to hear that, and it's going to end up with personal attacks back and forth, and with the end result of the thread being closed.

[Randyb100]

Let's stop talking about unethical things about debt.

Nobody is going to want to hear that, and it's going to end up with personal attacks back and forth, and with the end result of the thread being closed.

They keep bringing it up. I can list the program rules to verify my point. That's how it's designed so it's a non-issue. It may be considered a radical position but I explained that position as well. That's literally how the system works and my personal bankruptcy has nothing to do with my education at all. It won't affect it at all.

To bring it back to the topic at hand, I explained in the first post the what/how/whys of it all. 

I'm not a new worker. I have almost 20 years of work experience. I explained this is more me debating with myself while taking other people's perspectives in mind, and that's why it's in off-topic. I can see any option working but tried to explain why I would choose each option.

The bulk of my employment history is in trucking, then warehousing. I don't want to stagnate at a low level and supervise probably 30 people who have. People who've worked there longer than I am but just do the bare minimum and have no education. Yet I'm their supervisor, and I just came back to the company last November. Less than 3 months and I was the supervisor. 

Trucking doesn't require an education and is my main back-up plan, but it's a hard lifestyle and very strict. You have to put up with a lot. It's all about the hours, too. Working that many hours at any job would pay more, but doing it sitting in a truck makes it quite a bit easier. It's very bad for your health, though, and that's why I do enjoy my current job as I'm physically active all day.

I explained that my hobby/passion/interest lies in the tech world. I believe I mentioned that getting a tech job may be a bad idea because I will go back to a sedentary lifestyle and not like it as a hobby, so maybe it's better as a side gig while I work on a healthier lifestyle in operations. Not every job lets you walk 5-10 miles a day and a lot of people are of poor health because of the demands of their jobs. My job lets me unwind at home where I can spend a lot of time online and not have the jitters. Tech could become a side thing for me and I could work on passions in the field, build a larger portfolio, work side gigs, etc.

The education degree is because it will land to a decent job overseas. I could work for a lot of companies that have high standards and get paid more. I wouldn't be limited to poor countries that are in desperate need of teachers and can't afford to pay much. They are also raising their employment standards. A lot of the stuff you hear about TEFL not requiring a degree or not requiring teaching experience/a degree in teaching is no longer true. Maybe back in the 80s and 90s but a lot has changed and a lot of that is outright scams. There's people who've been kidnapped and robbed through these types of ordeals. If I do it it will be through a reputable school and not something shady and misinformed.

I don't see how you all overlooked what I wrote. I listed 10 years of experience between work and education.

[rachel83az]

You need exactly the same sciences and other Gen Ed courses for a BALS and a BACS at TESU. Exactly the same. The difference is in the Area of Study. And nothing is stopping you from using extra AI/CS classes for the electives or AOS electives.

They both might be awarded as a "Bachelor of Arts", but there is a huge difference in utility between a Bachelor of Arts - Liberal Studies and a Bachelor of Arts - Computer Science. If your interest is in the technical side of things, you're potentially crippling your future job prospects by only getting the BALS instead of the BACS.

Nope. I don't have to take chemistry, biology, or a few more humanities courses. I took the IBM cybersecurity class and now am taking computer architecture, intro to python, software engineering, retaking English 2, then artificial intelligence, data structures, and the capstone, and that's my degree. I will have never taken a higher math than college algebra and will not take ANY science course.

The BALS is not labeled as such. It just just labeled as a bachelor of arts. The company I work for has preference for majors but it's not mandatory. Any degree is a shoe-in for a promotion. At that point, I'll also be in grad school for something more specialized, so I'll end up with a master's in the field of interest. Even with a bachelor of arts, I'm assuming a master's in computer science or something like that will have recruiters overlook the bachelor's in liberal studies.

I don't know where you got the idea that a Comp Sci degree has different gen eds to a BALS. At TESU, that's nonsense. Whatever gen eds work for a BALS work for a Comp Sci degree. You've got a combined total of, what, 60-100 years of experience telling you that this is how things work at TESU and IRL and you're choosing to ignore it. Okay, then.

I don't care if your current job doesn't care about the major or not. I'm thinking about future jobs. Even non-technical jobs will care more if you got a BACS rather than a BALS.

And the Master's degree?

If you want a tech-related Master's, you're probably not getting in with a BALS. They don't like that. It'll be more expensive and time consuming that way, if they even accept you. You're crippling your future.

Considering your financial status, I'm not overly surprised.

[Randyb100]

You need exactly the same sciences and other Gen Ed courses for a BALS and a BACS at TESU. Exactly the same. The difference is in the Area of Study. And nothing is stopping you from using extra AI/CS classes for the electives or AOS electives.

They both might be awarded as a "Bachelor of Arts", but there is a huge difference in utility between a Bachelor of Arts - Liberal Studies and a Bachelor of Arts - Computer Science. If your interest is in the technical side of things, you're potentially crippling your future job prospects by only getting the BALS instead of the BACS.

Nope. I don't have to take chemistry, biology, or a few more humanities courses. I took the IBM cybersecurity class and now am taking computer architecture, intro to python, software engineering, retaking English 2, then artificial intelligence, data structures, and the capstone, and that's my degree. I will have never taken a higher math than college algebra and will not take ANY science course.

The BALS is not labeled as such. It just just labeled as a bachelor of arts. The company I work for has preference for majors but it's not mandatory. Any degree is a shoe-in for a promotion. At that point, I'll also be in grad school for something more specialized, so I'll end up with a master's in the field of interest. Even with a bachelor of arts, I'm assuming a master's in computer science or something like that will have recruiters overlook the bachelor's in liberal studies.

I don't know where you got the idea that a Comp Sci degree has different gen eds to a BALS. At TESU, that's nonsense. Whatever gen eds work for a BALS work for a Comp Sci degree. You've got a combined total of, what, 60-100 years of experience telling you that this is how things work at TESU and IRL and you're choosing to ignore it. Okay, then.

I don't care if your current job doesn't care about the major or not. I'm thinking about future jobs. Even non-technical jobs will care more if you got a BACS rather than a BALS.

And the Master's degree?

If you want a tech-related Master's, you're probably not getting in with a BALS. They don't like that. It'll be more expensive and time consuming that way, if they even accept you. You're crippling your future.

Considering your financial status, I'm not overly surprised.

You don't understand. I was enrolled in that and am enrolled in this program, have spoken to academic advising, and that's the degree plan they gave me. It's simply not in the degree plan at all. It's not a requirement for my particular program.

Like I said before, I can continue next year with my employer tuition plan and come back to do a second bachelor's if I need to. Having a master's should really override that, though, especially when applying for jobs that only require bachelors.

I'm not in any bad financial status. You think bankruptcy is a bad thing. You clearly don't know how it works. I will be debt free. The FHA only requires 2 years wait to apply for a mortgage. I could get a car loan within a year. I can get grad loans after 5. I simply don't want it. I'm saying no to all of these creditors and giving them the finger. They're not getting a dime, nor is the gov from my student loan debt. It will be written off by a future president and I will forever stay qualified for a $0 payment.

[Vle045]

Wow! That is some really shady stuff. Also, having a bankruptcy in your history can exclude you from some upper level jobs that require a background/credit check. Your mindset doesn’t sound like management material.

[Randyb100]

Wow!  That is some really shady stuff.  Also, having a bankruptcy in your history can exclude you from some upper level jobs that require a background/credit check.  Your mindset doesn’t sound like management material.

Ha! Of course it does. That's the law and those are the rules. Why does a bankruptcy exist, then? Companies go through bankruptcies and mergers all the time. How is paying out the wazoo ethical when they're basically scamming people out of money with high interest rates and little other legal options to get money in the first place? I don't think high interest lending should exist in the first place. High interest predatory lenders are constantly in the news getting sued, yet they still exist and people are somehow ok with it. Google Titlemax and look at recent news. They've been sued by military members for giving predatory loans. They were sued for millions. Payday loans and pawnshops do the same thing. It's designed to keep people broke and suck them into a debt trap, and you're ok with that. I guess that's how the world works, though. Credit is only available for the chosen few and the vast majority are only given predatory options to keep them into debt and make their life worse. That is not acceptable to me and I refuse to be a part of it, hence a chapter 7. I will, in a few years, finance a house through an FHA loan (only requires 2 years after bankruptcy to wait) and then rent it out until it pays for itself while I continue working and living elsewhere, possibly traveling the world or something.

If they didn't want people to do it then IBR and student loan forgiveness wouldn't exist. Chapter 7 bankruptcy wouldn't exist. It would just be reorganization (chapter 13). Business bankruptcies wouldn't exist. Debtor's prison WOULD still exist.

[Vle045]

You should not twist my words nor make assumptions. I never said I was ok with predatory lending. I used to work for a HUD program to help low income families qualify for responsible home ownership and avoid predatory lenders.

You said you are broke. Then you said you aren’t really broke, you’re just going to file bankruptcy so that you don’t have to pay for the debt you chose to create. So, you want to work the system for a free ride basically. That’s messed up. You just brought up bad practices that are out there and are using it to justify your poor choices.

Bankruptcy exists for people who fall on hard times due to something that is out of their control. If it’s due to poor decisions, then you have to go through counseling so you can learn from your mistakes and not repeat it. It doesn’t exist so that scammers can get get a free ride.

Look inward, not outward. Bad business practices of others is not justification for poor personal decisions

[ss20ts]

Bankruptcy and mergers are not the same thing. Not even close. Please don't compare corporate bankruptcy to personal bankruptcy. They aren't the same thing. While FHA may accept applicants 2 years after filing, you will have additional hoops to jump through including much higher interest rates. the court administrator has to provide a letter stating that you can afford the mortgage and they can deny your request as they are in control of your finances. Student loan forgiveness is not what you're making it sound like. There are zero guarantees that Biden's plan will survive the courts. You also cannot discharge federal student loans in bankruptcy court. Please do some real research on this and how it can hurt you for 10 years after you pay off your creditors. It's no joke. Everything will cost you significantly more. You could have trouble getting things as basic as utilities put in your name. Some will require massive deposits. Some companies will want a co-signer. The interest rates will be sky high. You need to think realistically about the long term when it comes to bankruptcy. You'll be paying it for years through the court system. It will impact your employment options as well because it will be on your credit reports. Even once it's discharged it will show up in clearance searches for years. It can really mess up your life. It's not all happy rainbows.

It doesn't sound like you have a real plan for school right now. Like you're still trying to figure things out with school. Don't go into debt and take more classes until you figure out what career you want and what degree you need to get there. It sucks taking classes that are totally useless. It feels like the ultimate waste of time and money.