Starting school from scratch. 17 years in the construction industry with no degree

[elitewebmedia]

Hi guys, I just got approved for FAFSA and would like some guidance on the next steps. I’m ready to work on some credits via sophia, study, etc. I don't have a high school diploma in the US or any credits so, I'm starting from scratch.

I've been in the glazing industry for over 17 years with no degree and wanted to pursue a degree in something related like engineering. I only found two institutions with construction engineering programs relevant to my line of work: for hands on work, civil engineering at Liberty University-130 credits @ $390-400; for climbing the corporate ladder, engineering management at ASU-120 credits @ $710. Both programs around 3.5-4 years. The first obstacle was the admission without a High school diploma. I only have my diploma from Colombia 22 years ago. I'm a US citizen but haven't had any formal education in the US. So, is it worth it to get my international diploma translated and evaluated by the universities or just get an GED? 

I understand that in order to be below $10k per year, I may need to consider other avenues and change my major altogether. if that's the case, then computer science, software engineering or even the accelerated IT bachelor/master at WGU. Honestly, after all my research, I'm more educated about the process but at the same time, very confused. I was aiming for the more prestigious colleges  without knowing the other great online regional accredited schools available. Any guidance on a realistic roadmap would be greatly appreciated.


Your Location: Florida, United States.

Your Age: 42

What kind of degree do you want?: Undecided. This is my rationale but really want to know what you think. Based on intro above, I believe I have three paths:
#1: Grow within the design and architectural team. Based on my construction and engineering experience a degree in civic or architectural engineering would be ideal. I found engineering degrees at ASU and LU, but admissions, cost and length are issues for now.
#2: Transition into the exec team. Since getting into engineering is problematic at this time, I would consider a business admin or management degree from a college that I can hack credits into. Maybe WGU or any of your recommendations.
#3: Career change into what I really wanted for years. Computer engineering, software engineering or any VR/AR development degrees. SO, it comes to experience vs opportunity for higher paying career. Will it make sense to stay in the construction industry and climb the ladder or will I be better compensated in the IT industry at entry or mid level?

Current Regional Accredited Credits: N/A

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: N/A

Any certifications or military experience? N/A

Budget: Pell grant approved=$7,300. FAFSA loan approved for $9,500 max (to be repaid). I'd like to go the cheapest route possible and only use the Pell grant money but will consider using the FAFSA loan amount. Don't want to get into too much debt.
Question about FAFSA: Will the $7,300 Pell grant money be replenished every year cycle after I reapply? Or, is it just a one time deal?
After reading the terms for the Pell grant, I found out that the grant can only be used for bachelors but, will the accelerated IT bachelors/masters WGU degree be acceptable since is one accelerated program?

Commitments: Wife and kids. I currently work full time and can study full time in the evenings/weekends.

Dedicated time to study: I can study as much as is needed during the night or weekends. I estimate at least 2 hours every week night and on the weekends, around 5 hours each day, for a total of 20 hours. I can do more is needed to get a few extra credits.

Timeline: Finishing the courses required for the degree as fast as possible would be ideal. I would like to finish within 1-1.5 years (12-18 months)

Tuition assistance/reimbursement: N/A

[jg_nuy]

Pell Grants are for undergraduate studies (bachelor's) and cannot be used for graduate studies. You should be able to use one year's worth of Pell Grant to finish at UMPI. Typically, students can finish in 2-4 terms at UMPI, which works out to $3400 to $6800 in total. Some students can finish in 1 term.

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The UMPI Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA) with project management and information systems would set you up well and could be done in under a year - you can transfer in 90 credits into the degree plan and do 30 credits at UMPI, mostly in your major:
https://www.umpi.edu/yourpace/academic_p...anagement/

This page has degree plans to peruse for other good options: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Category:UMPI

WGU is a good option if you prefer exams over writing.

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For the general requirements, you can maximize Sophia - you can either do the monthly membership or buy a 4-month membership for $299 if you think you will need a while: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/UM...ts_Roadmap

You need a total of 40 general requirement (GEC) credits:

• English Composition 1 for requirements 1A and 1D
  
• Workplace Writing II is recommended over English Composition 2. This will cover requirements 1B, 2C, 4B.
  
• Business Communication for requirement 1C
  
• Intro to Ethics for requirements 2A, 2B, 4C, 5D.
  
• Visual Communications for requirements 2D.
  
• Art History II for requirements 2E.
  
• You can take College Algebra or Intro to Stats for requirements 3A and 3B, but you may just want to take MAT 140 at UMPI - required for the business degree.
  
• Human Biology for requirement 3C and Human Biology Lab for 3E - good idea to take them together.
  
• Environmental Science for requirement 3D.
  
• UMPI orientation (a couple of hours on your first day) will take care of requirement 4A.
  
• Introduction to Sociology for requirement 5A.
  
• US History I for requirement 5B.
  
• You can take Spanish I or French I on Sophia for requirement 5C.
  
• US Government for requirement 5E.
  

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For the Business major, the following additional classes can also be done on Sophia:

• Introduction to Business
  
• Financial Accounting
  
• Business Ethics
  
• Microeconomics
  
• Macroeconomics
  
• Project Management
  

On Study.com, you can do the following:

• BUS 220: Managerial Accounting -> Study.com Accounting 301: Applied Managerial Accounting
  
• BUS 244: Management Information Systems -> Study.com Business 303: Management Information Systems
  
• BUS 240: Change Management -> Study.com Business 304: Leading Organizational Change
  
• BUS 415: Operations Management -> Study.com Business 312: Advanced Operations Management
  

You can also complete your free electives on Sophia, which will be any classes that you have not already done for the GEC nor the major.

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If you have a foreign HS diploma, you will need to have it evaluated and sent to UMPI. ACEI is likely the simplest way: https://acei-global.org/

If you don't have a high school diploma or equivalent, your first step will likely be to complete your GED.

[elitewebmedia]

Thanks for the awesome info. The UMPI (BBA) with project management and information systems sounds excellent. It's more on the admin side but I think it's a great start to pursue a management or entry exec position. For now, I'm doing the GED exam preparation. Can I do some Sophia credits in the meantime? or, they ask for high school diploma, GED or something that prevents me from registering?

[jg_nuy]

You can do Sophia any time. No diploma requirements.

[elitewebmedia]

Great, thanks.
For GED training, do you recommend any websites. I found classroom.usahello.org and it looks good so far. The GED official site only offers paid training.

[bjcheung77]

@elitewebmedia - Welcome to the board, great introduction post with the addendum and template, along with questions to get the ball rolling... Hmm, great advice from jg_nuy, I was pretty much going to suggest either the UMPI PM & IS or another concentration, depending on what you're looking to ultimately get (and to add the freebie AALS).

Another option would be the TESU BACS and BS/BSBA combo, at TESU, you can get 2 Associates, 2 Bachelors, and 4 certificates.  As I mentioned in this thread here, you can do a double major for the BACS, and a double AOS for the BS/BSBA, along with 2 associates, this would be more energy, money, time, but will be closer to your goals.

Here's the thread to review where I mentioned the above: Going back to school at 29 for CS with only freshman year of college completed (degreeforum.net) In regards to your GED, I would skip it in favor of doing the Pierpont BOG AAS with an emphasis of your choice, this is to get admission to UMPI/TESU without the need of a high school diploma.

Most of the time I've been recommending the Pierpont BOG AAS > UMPI BAS with a minor or two/three and 4 classes that can go towards the MAOL later > finally finish at UMPI with the MAOL.  If you complete the Pierpont BOG AAS before October 4, it'll only cost you $350 plus transcripts (plus $25 for 1 credit ASU UL, $75 for 1 month of Sophia.org with coupon code).

[elitewebmedia]

@bjcheung77

The Pierpont option sounds very interesting. I already registered and did the ID verification.


So, just to be sure I dissected the wikis correctly, the following would be my next steps:

#1: Work on RA/NA credit ASU Business Technology Fundamentals.

#2: Register with Sophia, follow "Course-taking strategy" and "Course order" to optimize the process.

#3: Complete the 15 Gen-ed credits from the Pierpont C&TC wiki: "BOG degree requires 3 credits in communications, 6 credits in math/science, 3 credits in social sciences, and 3 credits in computer literacy for a total of 15 credits". Complete 29 more credit for a total of 44 credits. Do I select the remaining 29 credits from the AoE wiki? 

#4: Complete 15 AoE credits from Aoe wiki, or non-specific credits to bring total to 60 credits. Non-specific credits will still come from the AoE wiki?

#5: Apply for BOG asap and send in credits as I work on Sophia. Or, wait until I have all 60 credits? Not sure what phase to apply in. 



One thing that concerns me is the October 4 deadline. Is it realistic to finish before that? If, I take longer will the financial aid kick in?
Should I include the financial aid info on this application from the start just in case I need to use it? Will the financial aid be locked in to Pierpont for this term or can I use it as well for UMPI 2024 fall-2 or 2025 spring-1?

Thanks for all the help

[bjcheung77]

Here's a post and thread you want to review, including the links: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...quirements
Note: In order to 'hack & save' this degree, plus get you started with UMPI, your instructions are going to be the following.
Skip financial aid for Pierpont, you want to pay out of pocket, at the end of the journey, you're getting paid to go to school...
Review this thread for more details on Fin Aid: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...-breakdown
This page explains how you'll get paid to go to school: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ths?page=7

1) Invest in a second monitor for multi-tasking and review open-book materials from ASU & Sophia.org/Study.com
2) Complete the ASU 1 credit class for RA credit, while waiting for grade, work on Study.com classes at the same time
3) Sign up for Sophia.org after the 3 Study.com classes have been completed and waiting for assignment grading
4) Complete all the Sophia.org classes that do not have writing assignments or touchstones first
5) Apply to Pierpont & UMPI today, apply for Pierpont graduation today, send transcripts when done

Dates you need to know and should follow the best you can, send transcripts to Pierpont/UMPI when you're done ASU/Study.com
1) Sign up and complete the ASU 1 credit class right away, it may take only 1-2 days to complete the entire thing
2) Sign up for Study.com today/tomorrow using the link in my bio/signature, you get a month subscription at $75 for 6 credits
Instead of doing all 4 classes that jg_nuy mentioned, you're doing the last 3, the extra exam is $70, finish all 3 in 3/3.5 weeks
3) Sign up for Sophia.org before Sept 15 before it expires exp. 09/16/24 - BTS2024 for 25% off first month 
This is where you complete the bulk of the 90+ credits to transfer to Pierpont and UMPI, two classes open at a time

Note: Oct 4 is the graduation application deadline for Pierpont, you apply at least a week or two early, I would apply for grad today as I mentioned.  Even though you're doing classes for Sophia.org in Sept, you don't need to send them everything by Oct 4, you just need to apply for grad.  You can send the Sophia.org classes once you are done a 'batch' at a time, say 10 classes using Credly.  Try to get everything complete before Oct 15, or third week of Oct and send those in, the latest is end of Oct as they need to go through grad audit beginning of Nov for Dec 2024 graduation.

Please review the Pierpont WIKI here: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pierpont_C%26TC ... Now here's the secret sauce, this is where the calculations or cost come into play where people on YouTube don't tell you and those people who charge $500-$1K with the info we provide on this board, I would skip them as their reference material is out of date most of the time.  As I mentioned earlier, you're getting paid to go to school due to your financial aid, others have tuition assistance or reimbursement, it works the same way.  The calculation goes as follows...

ASU 1 credit course: $25, $15 Parchment Transcript
Study.com, 9 credits $75+70, try to get it done in 3-3.5 weeks
Sopha.org, 1 month $75 after 25% discount with BTS2024 coupon
UMPI 3 sessions at $1700/session, total: $5100 (I'll explain why 3 and not 1 or 2, later)
Total: $5360 for your Bachelors (pending the number of months you need for Sophia.org)
Get this, your Pell grant is a bit over $7300, so let's say it's exactly $7360 - $5360, you're getting paid $2K to get your Bachelors

Here's the kicker, for a few hundred dollars more if you re-use your $2K, if you can finish the UMPI MAOL in 1 session (because you've taken the 3 classes that can go towards the MAOL in undergrad for your Bachelors, to provide you a greater chance to getting this done in 1 session), it will cost you $2300/session, thus, you're paying $300 for a whopping UMPI AALS, UMPI Bachelors, and the UMPI MAOL to finish your journey!  Amazing eh?  Well, not yet my triple tap... there is more in the books!  2 Associates, 2 Bachelors, Masters sounds about right...

Why 3 sessions instead of speed running the 1 session or two? Get more money back if possible, right?  Well, yes/no, just in case, you want to use the money on your educational goals for reference/tracking purposes on that Pell Grant cash, you don't want to use the money on buying an Imac/Ipad or Macbook, etc, if the Fin Aid looks at your records, it's legit to spend the grant fully on your education.  The main reason however is, I want you to get a second Bachelors using those second and third sessions!  UMPI doesn't allow you to graduate two Bachelors at once, it has to be one after the other.

Do the UMPI BAS with PM & IS minors along with the 4 classes that can go towards the MAOL, even though only 3 can be transferred/waived.  Just in case one doesn't go in, you've got another backup.  Your second degree can be a BA in something, Accounting, History, Political Science, Psych, or a BBA with a concentration in Marketing, Supply Chain, or another "management" you're interested in.  You need to get this second degree after the UMPI BAS, it can't be the first degree.  When you apply to UMPI, you need to apply and ask to have two evaluations created, the BAS and the BA/BBA of choice, complete all the requirements for both, but graduate BAS first.

[davewill]

As far as the career change to software engineering goes, I have found that most of the online choices, especially the TESU BACS, is better suited for people who already have skills and just need the degree for validation and job hunting. The problem is that it's hard to teach yourself this stuff from scratch and maybe impossible to do so if you don't have passion for it.

Now, if you're the sort who has been writing software in your spare time, for fun, then I'd say go for WGU or TESU. However, if you have absolutely no knowledge, and just think you might like computing as a career, then this is not the path for you, at least not yet. I would instead start on some very low-cost self-study and see if you have the aptitude.

[elitewebmedia]

@davewill. I totally agree with you. The software engineering path is something that I always wanted to do. I have some technical background but nothing close to coding/programming abilities. A dream is a dream for now. Thankfully, I found this forum and got my feet on the ground, closer to planet earth. For now, I just need an education with a solid foundation. With your help @bjcheung77, @jg_nuy and yourself, I was able to follow an structured roadmap that aligns with my goals at this time. Off course, also all the volunteers and people behind the scene. Maybe, in a few years I can invest more time into coding, programming or something very technical. Let’s see what happens. For now, I’ll just follow recommendations to start the process. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for all the help