Post ChatGPT degree planning and completion advice (minimal effort-non proctored)

[Saulbaba]

Zero prior Credits. Only HS diploma. Looking for advice. 
Direct masters possible?
 
Hello Everyone,

It's been over two years since I received all those amazing recommendations from you about pursuing a bachelor's degree. I have to admit, I didn't take any steps toward earning credits and eventually, it slipped my mind entirely. However, about six months ago, I went through a particularly challenging period in my life that compelled me to reevaluate the importance of education.

Currently, I'm working a job that pays $50,000 annually. While I'm grateful for the stability, I aspire for more than just a helpdesk position. My goal is to obtain a degree, but I must confess that I've never been a strong student, and I'm seeking a path that doesn't demand a lot of effort—preferably something non-proctored.

Being 35 years old, I often feel left behind when I compare myself to my peers. With this new perspective in mind, I'm reaching out for your advice on how to pursue a degree. How has the emergence of tools like ChatGPT changed the landscape of education? Is there a way I can use it to fast-track my way through a degree, any degree, that is both affordable and quick, and could eventually lead me to an MBA?

Additionally, I've heard about master's programs that don't require a bachelor's degree, based on performance-based admissions, like those available on Coursera. However, they still seem to require a bachelor's as a prerequisite. I came across a Scottish program at Heriot-Watt University that caught my interest.

The ultimate aim here is to make a slight upward financial move in my life. I would appreciate any suggestions you might have.

Thank you all in advance for your help.

[davewill]

I can't say I recommend getting an MBA without a bachelors to job hunt without a lot business experience. It would be different if you told us you were working in middle management, but hitting a ceiling without a degree. Then the MBA might make sense. As an entry level applicant, you'll just look really weird with only an MBA.

I'd do the work to get a UMPI business degree and start looking to move up. Using ChatGPT to write your papers would be cheating of course, and is a quick route to embarrassing yourself if it makes clumsy errors. You can certainly use it as a tool, but be very careful how you use it. The last thing you'd want is to trip some AI detection and be accused of cheating.

[Hotdogman1]

You posted the same/similar message 3 times.

bjcheung77's response from your initial thread over 2 years ago:
"@Saulbaba, Welcome to the board, I nearly banned your account as there was a report directly beneath your private message.  I thought you were a spam bot as you created a duplicate post in another thread which I have since deleted, and you also private messaged me along with the administrator of the board with a copy/paste of the same thing you have above...  

Here's the thing, we're all volunteers helping many members, sometimes you're in a rush to get the most out of this board, but please be patient, we're all here to help you in due time.  You're giving us unnecessary work to clean up duplicate/multiple posts when you can follow the template and last post addendum in the Degree Planning Advice thread here: New to DegreeForum? How this Area works!

Basically, provide us all your details (not personal info) and we can help you when we have more info.  You're rushing things and you'll overlook many different was to get things done cheap, easy, fast and with proper guidance.  My advice right now, is take your time to review other posters questions in the same Degree Planning Advice threads.  Again, be patient, update this thread with your details and if you have any further questions, update this tread again with your questions."
https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...fer-credit
 
It seems like your circumstances have changed so you should probably post an updated addendum.

[xspect]

Here's my perspective: I've observed students struggling with comprehensive exams and proctored tests because they had become too dependent on AI tools. A key issue is that students often can't identify when AI tools are providing incorrect information or making things up (hallucinating).

Godspeed on your educational Journey.

[ss20ts]

Professors have tools to check for AI usage and will reject papers with AI usage. And if you're using AI to write your papers you're not learning anything. You also need to cite your work using peer reviewed scholarly journals.

[LevelUP]

The hardest step is always the first one.

I suggest stopping overthinking and trying out Sophia Learning for free. You can start by taking the first free lesson in any subject that interests you. Additionally, you can download PDFs of all the course materials for free.

By completing the first lesson and reviewing the material, you'll get a good sense of the course's rigor and how much time it might take to complete.

[bjcheung77]

@Saulbaba, My recommendation again is the following, review your previous thread...
1) $299/4 months Sophia.org for 90+ credits transfer to UMPI for 1 session at $1700
2) UMPI BLS in 1 session to finish off 30 credits, 2 if you have commitments or life happens
Total cost: $1999 for 1 session, if you need a second session, it'll be $3699 for a Bachelors

[Saulbaba]

The hardest step is always the first one.

I suggest stopping overthinking and trying out Sophia Learning for free. You can start by taking the first free lesson in any subject that interests you. Additionally, you can download PDFs of all the course materials for free.

By completing the first lesson and reviewing the material, you'll get a good sense of the course's rigor and how much time it might take to complete.

Thank you for the kind words. I do understand first step is to start accumulating credits. But just so confused and anxious. That i don't take a wrong step.

@Saulbaba, My recommendation again is the following, review your previous thread...
1) $299/4 months Sophia.org for 90+ credits transfer to UMPI for 1 session at $1700
2) UMPI BLS in 1 session to finish off 30 credits, 2 if you have commitments or life happens
Total cost: $1999 for 1 session, if you need a second session, it'll be $3699 for a Bachelors

Could you kindly provide me with some relevant links that would be beneficial for me in planning my degree? Your assistance in this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Could you please elaborate on why you recommend BLS over BABS? I am also quite anxious about writing papers. However, to confirm, UMPI seems like the most suitable option for my situation, relatively speaking. Any additional insights you may have would be greatly appreciated.

Regarding direct admission MBA programs, what are your thoughts?