Possible Career with online degree?

[Dragon]

Ok so I have a question for all of you who have succeeded in earning your degree with one of the big three. I know they are accredited and are well known, but once you graduated did you have difficulty getting a job? Specifically, in a government position?

I am looking at my options and am currently attending a public university but I don't have the time to commute out there or the money to take a lot of classes in order to graduate at a decent time. Are online degrees really given a chance in the world or is there still bias?

[rebel100]

There are thousands of schools out there that are only locally or regionally known. Will you reap the benefit of coming from an Ivy or even a school with a national reputation from sports...no. But you will be coming from a properly accredited State School (COSC and TESC). 99% of the people you meet won't even know it was online. I have had three serious interviews since earning my BS from COSC...I was offered 2 of the positions. I just don't think there is much to worry about here.

Many kids in B&M schools are taking partial loads online. Many schools are ramping up their online offerings. These trends will only increase in the future. I believe that very soon people that don't take classes (at least some) online will be the minority.

[durandtheman]

I don't know why this isn't put on this forum often, but I'm finishing my degree at Excelsior and have been working at a job with a Fortune 500 company with out a degree. I received Full-Time BEFORE I even got my AA from EC.

I was originally a temp, and worked so well they hired me on full time. Now I'm considered a senior in my position, and I still haven't finished my degree. This job was given through a recruiter.

Recruiters are great. I don't know why more people don't use them. For recruiters, you DO NOT HAVE TO PAY THEM ANYTHING (run away fast if they ask for $$)! They only get paid when you do, and they get paid straight from the corporation. For example, you get paid $20/hr for your work through the recruiting agency, the recruiting agency may be receiving $50+ for your work from the company itself!

The reason so many companies trust recruiters is due to their track records. If a recruiter sends bad employees to a company, that company won't return and ask for more. If a recruiter constantly sends great candidates to a job, the company will continue to seek them for their temporary needs. Recruiters act as a blind interview. They won't send you to a position you are not qualified for, and want to find you work because they will get paid when you do!

I can't stress how great recruiters are. Find on in your area and talk with them, ask what sort of openings they have available. It could definitely be worth your while!

[MRHTOAD76]

Both above posts are excellent. I don't really understand why people think it is really any different. Unless you graduated from one of the big Ivy league schools or are trying to land an exact position at a Fortune 500 it doesn't matter. Even then with no real world experience ,having a degree in xyz will not guarantee you the job. Pick any degree , Psychology degree will not let you start practicing at the medium to top firm with no real world experience, Computers, you can have whatever degree in IT and will not be hired in as the only or the head Systems Admin with no experience, Business degree, Nobody is going to have you manage their business just because you have xyz degree and have never run a company. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it seems too good to be true, I can understand that but in the grand scheme of things 90% of the time it won't matter. I can't speak for all government jobs of course and I realize some have stricter regulations than others ,but the only people that can answer that is that office or state since it will vary.

Most of the people I personally know who work for the government graduated from B&M schools their bosses had never even heard of. In my own personal opinion the only time that will matter is if the school you chose was your boss or the HR person's Alma mater and then they could possibly have a preference for you.

[Prloko]

I hear some corporate recruiters know the Big 3 well as "fast track" degrees and look poorly on them. I wouldn't worry too much about that though because like was stated before, in about 5 years, online degrees are going to be the norm and your hiring managers will start to come from online schools themselves. As far as government positions, if you have experience (especially veterans), they could care less where your degree came from as long as it is accredited. I'm in government contracting and a degree is a box checker for my job (60-120k p/yr).

Keep in mind that one of the greatest benefits of the old B&M schools (especially large state schools) are the networking opportunities and the on-site recruiters. Of course this comes at a great financial (and personal) cost. On the contrary, UoP, as bad as a rep as it has, is building HUGE alumni rolls and these people will eventually be your boss (two of them were already my bosses and were doing very well financially).

If you have experience and are just looking to check a box, an online school isn't going to hurt and the Big 3 will get you there the fastest. If you are starting over, or have no experience in your field, the schools reputation and specialized accreditation (AACSB, ABETS, etc) in that field will make a big difference.

[clydosaurus]

I live in NJ, and know many people who have graduated from TESC. My boyfriend graduated with a degree in biology -- of course he had to take a lot of classes as a non-matriculating student at local universities ($$$$). Without taking testing into consideration, its still a great price for in-state tuition. It doesn't carry any stigma as far as I can tell. Yes, its the school for working adults, but its well understood that "working adults" can't usually attend lectures at 10:20 am and then recitation 3 times a week at 12:15. For me the most stressful part of going to school/working was finding parking and not being late to class. I dunno, maybe I don't look at it the same way since its local. No, it doesn't have a campus, just a really cool old building in downtown Trenton, and there are billboards throughout the Princeton/Trenton area.

[ryoder]

People in PA know about TESC as well since there are billboards and ad campaigns in PA.

I live in NJ, and know many people who have graduated from TESC. My boyfriend graduated with a degree in biology -- of course he had to take a lot of classes as a non-matriculating student at local universities ($$$$). Without taking testing into consideration, its still a great price for in-state tuition. It doesn't carry any stigma as far as I can tell. Yes, its the school for working adults, but its well understood that "working adults" can't usually attend lectures at 10:20 am and then recitation 3 times a week at 12:15. For me the most stressful part of going to school/working was finding parking and not being late to class. I dunno, maybe I don't look at it the same way since its local. No, it doesn't have a campus, just a really cool old building in downtown Trenton, and there are billboards throughout the Princeton/Trenton area.

[Ace_King]

I told a CFO at my company that I was completing my degree online from a state college in NJ. He's from NJ himself, never heard of TESC. As soon as he heard the state in the name he pretty much accepted it. I didn't have to go beyond my way explaining it. A friend of mine also who is from NJ and is a hiring manager never heard of TESC either and he was born and raised in Trenton lol. Both of them did say they didn't like for profit colleges. So that was a plus for me... state college, non profit and the fact that it isn't plastered on commercials 24/7 or radio programs in every city you attend was my decision for TESC. Just like the responses above, you will find over 100+ state colleges in the U.S... I don't think your future employer will know them all. They will appear in the directories as a public (state) college and they'll be considered as equal to any other tier 3/4 state college/university. They are not a "top college" though and won't be weighted as a "top college" would but they do indeed cover the "has an accredited bachelor's degree" box.

[Dragon]

Awesome feedback guys. I've just been doing some browsing in statistics and research about people being hired with online degrees. I think the most recent research I found was in 2010 or 09 and they did say that Online degrees are becoming more popular, but hiring managers are still biased about half the time.

The recruiters and connections I could get from being at my public university is probably the biggest reason I'm staying right now. In my degree plan, there are two internships at government facilities. I don't know how I could get into good internships or make good networks without a public university. Local Police departments do allow you to apply for internships yourself, but I really don't know how they judge candidates.

Any body have any thoughts on how the big three would hold up in trying to land an internship?

[rebel100]

Awesome feedback guys. I've just been doing some browsing in statistics and research about people being hired with online degrees. I think the most recent research I found was in 2010 or 09 and they did say that Online degrees are becoming more popular, but hiring managers are still biased about half the time.

The recruiters and connections I could get from being at my public university is probably the biggest reason I'm staying right now. In my degree plan, there are two internships at government facilities. I don't know how I could get into good internships or make good networks without a public university. Local Police departments do allow you to apply for internships yourself, but I really don't know how they judge candidates.

Any body have any thoughts on how the big three would hold up in trying to land an internship?

When I earned a Police Internship (Cadet was their nomenclature) we did everything that a new hire officer had to do. Civil Service exam, interviews, polygraph, background check, etc... But there was no bearing on where I was going to school, and the school had little to do with it (I did find a brochure on the program after a career fair, but no contacts through the school or anything). I would start by contacting the Departments your interested in, go through the recruiting office, see what's available from simple ride alongs, to explorers, to internships. You don't need a formal program per se, just a foot in the door. This is not about school (everyone at the school is hoping for that same opportunity, lots of competition that way), its about you...making your own inroads...and getting what you want. The real hiring contacts are at the Dept. not necessarily at the local college.

Plus, your already at the local college right? Have your college contacts hooked you up with an internship?

I would also look into State and Federal Internships...these are often more formalized and lead to unique experiences.

There are a lot of ways to achieve your goal...go do it!