Reminded of the value of this process!

[mongoose65]

Hey folks. I am now 12 credits away (3 cleps) from a BA Lib Stud from TESC (30 credits away from EC, but that's another story and despite varying reports, TESC customer service has been extremely good to me). I have debated (agonized about) trying to obtain a GPA, changing majors, etc but remembered that I really just wanted to get a degree as quickly and inexpensively as possible. I should have it done in 9 months (33 to 120 credits) with many thanks to these forums.

Anyway, although I am fortunate enough to have a decent job, I have received 3 job listings in my field in the last 2 weeks emailed to me. Each one I am almost perfectly qualified (or overqualified) for and am interested in. EACH ONE HAS A BACHELORS DEGREE AS MINIMUM REQUIREMENT.

So to me this process has already proved worth it even if it hasn't changed my life in any tangible way. It has already improved my chances for new and potentially better opportunities.

I always said I'd love to get my degree if I can do it "fast, cheap and without all the red tape." That is about to happen.

Many thanks to all those on these forums and for all those on the journey!

Like I said before. We're pioneers. In ten years, this type of degree will be as common as B&M's are today!

Best,
Mike

[marianne202]

Congrats! It is hard work and so worth it when you finish. I have kinda been in the same boat. I'm working on my BSHS at EC and thought I could finish quickly but they don't offer all their classes each term so it will take me until next May to finish. I decided to go ahead in the meantime to do a down and quick BSLS at EC or BALS at TESC. TESC would probably be less work, but be more expensive and take longer and I won't get a GPA either. That worries me about getting into graduate certificate programs, but if that becomes and issue I will just have to wait until I finish my BSHS at EC and apply again. We have to do what is best for us at a particular given time in our lives. This worked for you now to get what you need...a degree to hang on the wall and put on your resume. Don't play the what if game with yourself because you waste time and energy you could focus on something else. Now you can decide if you want to move forward with a career change or further education both of which your degree will afford you, regardless of the GPA. Good luck in your future endeavors. This process has proved what you can do when you put your mind to it! Pat yourself on the back for a job well done! Thanks for inspiring those of us still working on our degree that we can do this and to keep working!

[94steve]

I used to rationalize going to a B & M. More new GI Bill cash, name brand recognition, an actual GPA, etc. So I continued to procrastinate and think about going to a B & M "someday."

Then one day I got real and said to myself, "You can test out of this whole thing and be able to put the damned BA or BS with a major in whatever on your resume. Who cares about that other stuff. Get on it and stop jerking around."

So then I went on a tear and took about 8 tests over a 2 or 3 week period. Now I'm prepping for some math CLEPage, mmmm yum!

[alleycat]

Nice to hear your story Mike. This reminds the rest of us why we are doing what we are doing. I also have to second what Marianne said about second guessing ourselves. It is just such a waste of time doing that. You are there and you are almost done. Also isn't it nice to see job posting and know you atleast have the geniune qualifications to apply for that job? It is life enhancing to say the least.

Good luck on your final 12 credits.

[LatinTea]

Just doing this changes our lives in ways that may not be evident to even ourselves, but there are latent changes. Hey, there's one for me. Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but 'latent' is a new word for me. I just took the Sociology test and so now I have changed too, even in this small way.

Back to what I was saying. Those jobs you mentioned, one of them could lead to some very tangible changes in your life! But there is also a subtle feeling of empowerment that we experience just with the journey. I feel it. I am 50 years old and never got a degree for various reasons. Seeing the road ahead filled with learning is exactly what I needed at this point in my life. Now, I appreciate it more and it feeds a longing I've always had.

As for the type of degree, just yesterday I was trying to pinpoint what exactly I wanted to do with the rest of my life AND what degree would work best. It always came back to Liberal Arts. My husband has explained to me (and he's been an engineer that's been involved in the hiring process from time to time) that the college name on the degree does not matter, the gpa does not matter, and if you used testing to obtain the degree does not matter....what matters is the person being interviewed. So, get your degree soon; you can always get another one later!

[Epiphany]

I used to rationalize going to a B & M. More new GI Bill cash, name brand recognition, an actual GPA, etc. So I continued to procrastinate and think about going to a B & M "someday."

True true. I wasted a long time trying to figure out how to get a degree from college X Y or Z. If it weren't for BAIN4WEEKS and this website, I'd still be trying to figure it out.

[94steve]

I started gearing up to CLEP out of 45 credits for my AA at the local CC and in the process of learning about CLEPS, finding study resources, etc. I found bain4weeks.com, testingoutofcollege.com, the free university project, and wikiversity. After passing CLEP numero uno I was hooked. I bailed on my local CC followed by B & M ambitions and started studying and CLEPing.

Friday I think I might go and take College Math and Intro to Psychology. Depends on how work is. If not I'll nail those two down next week at some point. Ahhh, the joys of testing out and not attending college on somebody else's schedule...

[argentnox]

I definitely agree that it is nicer to take college at my own pace. In my classes, I always find myself ahead of everyone else, bored, and waiting for the professor to give us the material to move on. I usually have my entire week's work and my test (I take online classes) done within the first couple of days. If multiple weeks' work is available, I usually have it all done in the first week. That leaves me waiting for everyone else to catch up. With the discussions, people tend to wait until the VERY last day to post. The problem is that we are supposed to reply to others (participation grade), so it makes it very hard to do so when everyone waits so bloody long to post!

With the exams, I can study the material and take the test in a mere week to three weeks. I not only know enough to pass the exam, but I know enough to pass it WELL and understand the material. In fact, I am pretty darn sure I retain more knowledge from the tests than I do from classes. With the tests, I have to take it all at once. With classes, the material is broken up into sections. I only have to remember bits at a time. Quite frankly, I do not have to study as hard, especially since some of my grade is coming from assignments. With DSSTs and CLEPs, I find myself remembering the material months after the test, and knowing how my brain works, if it has lasted that long, it is not likely to go away anytime soon.

I do know that some things are best learned in a class setting (such as information pertaining to labs), but I really do not see why colleges make such a big deal about credits by exam. A study has even shown a correlation between people who test their way through some credits and doing better in school later on. Whether that is because the people who take the exams are naturally more inclined to do better (maybe more driven individuals?) or because the exams better prepare them is not sure, but the correlation is there nonetheless.

[LatinTea]

A study has even shown a correlation between people who test their way through some credits and doing better in school later on. Whether that is because the people who take the exams are naturally more inclined to do better (maybe more driven individuals?) or because the exams better prepare them is not sure, but the correlation is there nonetheless.

Do you have access to that study? A website perhaps?

Thanks!

[B Smith]

Great job Mike. I can tell you from personal experience your degree will help. I know I got my first job because I took the time to earn my BS in business (my boss was blunt and told me that he could not have hired me otherwise). My BS in Elect Eng Tech has also been a huge boost to my career.

Not one has cared that my degree was from EC.