Tired of my lack of degree holding me back- please help me plan fastest completion!

[pipitavivita]

Hello fellow lovely people,
as many of You can relate, life got in the way of my education.
I've been working full time since age 17, and made the most of it, however my lack of degree has negatively impacted my career and therefore the overall trajectory of my life. From being passed over for promotions, earning less than peers who had less experience/worse performance ratings and most recently limiting my visa and green card options since I was not eligible for the visa and green card types which my job would otherwise warrant.
Not having a degree always made me have imposter syndrome, and to work extra hard since I should be grateful for the job I have. It kept me from having the confidence to apply to different companies and roles since I couldn't make it past the initial CV screen. 
Though I worked 12–14-hour days, I tried to finally make some slow progress over the past 5 years while I was in the US. I did CLEPs, enrolled in a community college, and ultimately figured I'd enroll in a flagship's online bachelor (University of Florida, University of Arizona/Arizona State, University of New Mexico, University of Alabama were the ones I was looking at) down the line. 
Well, I'm finally fed up. I do not want another 5 years to pass and still be without a degree, 2 steps forward and 3 steps back. I want it as quick as physically possible, so I can move on to better things, like a graduate degree and a better job.

When they were working my visa, the formal company who evaluated my work experience said it equates to a BS in Finance (I actually worked the most and managed Accounting adjacent teams but close enough). So, a degree in Business, Accounting or Finance would make most sense, however and this might sound silly, I was never intending to choose either as a major if my original transfer plans would have worked out because of the math requirements. I suspect I have undiagnosed dyscalculia, and honestly per Khan Academy I'm on a 3rd grade level at best, so frankly passing any math course is a tall order. Calculus, even Business specific seems like a pipe dream.

With that said, I am open to any major and have let go of "school prestige" as long as it is a regionally accredited school. Only one criterion, I'd prefer to avoid Interdisciplinary/general studies and declare a more concrete major. I much rather prefer tests to essays (while my wall of text might be contradictory, I do have writing and essay anxiety), so I'd exclude UMPI which is essay heavy.
Thank you SO MUCH in advance for reading, and any help provided!!!


Your Location: International

Your Age: 30s

What kind of degree do you want? See above, fastest as long as it isn't interdisciplinary/general studies

Current Regional Accredited Credits: 49 with CC and CLEP combined

Dallas College  GPA 4.0  31 CR

Intro to World Religion              3 CR  A
Biology for non-science majors  4 CR  A+
Fine arts appreciation               3 CR A
Beginning German 1                 4 CR  A
General Psychology                   3 CR  A
Intro to Financial acctg             3 CR  A
Voice and voice ensemble classes (was pursuing music major at one time so besides GPA boosters they are pretty worthless): 11 CR  A

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 18 CR

Principles of Management   3 CR
Federal Government           3 CR
United States History 1       3 CR
United States History 2       3 CR
Intro to Sociology               3 CR
Western Civilization 1         3 CR


Any certifications or military experience? N/A

Budget:   Preferably under 10K

Commitments: Work (lighter now), small child under 1 

Dedicated time to study: 4-5 hours a day

Timeline: ASAP, would like to finish by September 2024 for visa reasons

[allvia]

With Sophia math course options there is no reason you cannot earn a Business Degree. I would avoid accounting as a major if there is any chance you have dyscalculia, but plenty of other business AOS options. Your long working hours make me learn towards recommending TESU for a BSBA, over UMPI for a BABA (both are RA US State schools). However, UMPI might still be a good choice, just take an extra term or two which could put you back on par with the TESU cost.

[bjcheung77]

My recommendation is the same, the TESU/UMPI degree offerings are your best bet. You can transfer in up to 90 credits for UMPI and 114 for TESU, you should make a spreadsheet for both and compare the two. You can complete the Sophia.org classes that hit the requirements needed for both if you've not decided which one to go for... Sometimes you really need to look at all areas of the degree, not the written assignments/essays.

Just a note, even though TESU allows you to transfer in more credits, the capstone alone would be much more writing than UMPI's residency credits alone (30 credits residency of 10 classes). That's how your 'hard essay writing' at UMPI is compared to Excelsior/TESU or others that have capstones... UMPI is still 'easier' even though it has written assignments. Take your time accumulating credits while you decide...

[pipitavivita]

With Sophia math course options there is no reason you cannot earn a Business Degree. I would avoid accounting as a major if there is any chance you have dyscalculia, but plenty of other business AOS options. Your long working hours make me learn towards recommending TESU for a BSBA, over UMPI for a BABA (both are RA US State schools). However, UMPI might still be a good choice, just take an extra term or two which could put you back on par with the TESU cost.

Thank you for Your reply! I thought for any Business degree even Management/HR/General business Calculus is a prereq. Are Sophia math courses that accommodating? I pretty much wrote off majoring in Business because with Math I think maybe a statistics course or some very generic math course is all I could maybe pass with a low C with a lot of effort.

---

My recommendation is the same, the TESU/UMPI degree offerings are your best bet.  You can transfer in up to 90 credits for UMPI and 114 for TESU, you should make a spreadsheet for both and compare the two.  You can complete the Sophia.org classes that hit the requirements needed for both if you've not decided which one to go for... Sometimes you really need to look at all areas of the degree, not the written assignments/essays.

Just a note, even though TESU allows you to transfer in more credits, the capstone alone would be much more writing than UMPI's residency credits alone (30 credits residency of 10 classes).  That's how your 'hard essay writing' at UMPI is compared to Excelsior/TESU or others that have capstones... UMPI is still 'easier' even though it has written assignments.  Take your time accumulating credits while you decide...

Thank you for the feedback. I do want to clarify a bit on my comment concerning essays. I know it is not possible to avoid it entirely, but since I was undecided on a major and seeking feedback on it as well, I wanted to mention in my intro that I'd rather pick something that has more subjects where Your grade is determined through tests/quizzes than essays only. Checking the forums it seems like with UMPI nearly every grade is determined by written assignments that is why I said that is probably out of the running comparing to some other options.

Because of the math issue which is honestly the more concerning one rather than essay writing (with essay writing I might not get the best grades but feel I could pass, with even basic level math that is a big if), the more pressing question is what major could work so I could complete a degree quickly.

[rachel83az]

When they were working my visa, the formal company who evaluated my work experience said it equates to a BS in Finance (I actually worked the most and managed Accounting adjacent teams but close enough). So, a degree in Business, Accounting or Finance would make most sense, however and this might sound silly, I was never intending to choose either as a major if my original transfer plans would have worked out because of the math requirements. I suspect I have undiagnosed dyscalculia, and honestly per Khan Academy I'm on a 3rd grade level at best, so frankly passing any math course is a tall order. Calculus, even Business specific seems like a pipe dream.

What company? Was it American? If so, do you actually have a paper that says that you have the equivalent of a Bachelor's degree? If so, that'll cut down on what you need to do right now. If not, that's okay.

Thank you for Your reply! I thought for any Business degree even Management/HR/General business Calculus is a prereq. Are Sophia math courses that accommodating? I pretty much wrote off majoring in Business because with Math I think maybe a statistics course or some very generic math course is all I could maybe pass with a low C with a lot of effort.

The two main schools we recommend here are UMPI and TESU. For their Business degrees, UMPI requires Algebra and their Business Math course. This course is basically "Can you read a spreadsheet?" kind of stuff. It might be a little difficult for someone with dyscalculia, but not impossible.

TESU, for their Business degrees, requires 3 math classes. Algebra, Statistics, and something they call "Quantitative Skills for Business". Both Algebra and Statistics can be taken through Sophia.org; other students with similar math difficulties have said that Sophia's Statistics & Algebra courses were the easiest math courses they've ever taken. It also helps that Sophia's entirely open book. You don't have to try to memorize formulas or whatever, you can simply reference the previous materials when answering quizzes and taking the exams (Milestones). Quantitative Skills for Business is easier still. This class comes from CSM Learn. Can you read a bus time table? Can you read an invoice? Convert between kilometers and meters? It's a long-ish course by virtue of having a lot of content, but even for people with discalculia it's (relatively) easy. All you need to be able to do is basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Even with a 3rd grade math level, you should be able to at least muddle through Sophia and CSM Learn.

My recommendation is the same, the TESU/UMPI degree offerings are your best bet.  You can transfer in up to 90 credits for UMPI and 114 for TESU, you should make a spreadsheet for both and compare the two.  You can complete the Sophia.org classes that hit the requirements needed for both if you've not decided which one to go for... Sometimes you really need to look at all areas of the degree, not the written assignments/essays.

Just a note, even though TESU allows you to transfer in more credits, the capstone alone would be much more writing than UMPI's residency credits alone (30 credits residency of 10 classes).  That's how your 'hard essay writing' at UMPI is compared to Excelsior/TESU or others that have capstones... UMPI is still 'easier' even though it has written assignments.  Take your time accumulating credits while you decide...

Thank you for the feedback. I do want to clarify a bit on my comment concerning essays. I know it is not possible to avoid it entirely, but since I was undecided on a major and seeking feedback on it as well, I wanted to mention in my intro that I'd rather pick something that has more subjects where Your grade is determined through tests/quizzes than essays only. Checking the forums it seems like with UMPI nearly every grade is determined by written assignments that is why I said that is probably out of the running comparing to some other options.

Because of the math issue which is honestly the more concerning one rather than essay writing (with essay writing I might not get the best grades but feel I could pass, with even basic level math that is a big if), the more pressing question is what major could work so I could complete a degree quickly.

The math issue... probably isn't one. I would strongly recommend going to Sophia.org, signing up, and start working on Algebra. After that, do Statistics. If you're able to pass one and not the other, you'll need to go to UMPI. If you're able to do both, you can opt for TESU.

However, as far as TESU vs. UMPI is concerned: TESU's capstone is about 20-30 pages of content on one topic. Some people struggle to write long, so this isn't a good fit for them. UMPI, on the other hand, typically has about 20-30 pages of writing spread out over about 10 classes. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. But a lot of this isn't "just" essays; there are various spreadsheets and other projects as well. However, you need to be able to ideate for about 10 papers or projects. Some people have problems coming up with ideas and would rather write one long paper, meaning UMPI wouldn't be a good fit for them.

BTW, you say only that you're international; what language(s) do you speak? This could be important if you do decide to go with UMPI after all.

[bjcheung77]

@OP... "Because of the math issue which is honestly the more concerning one rather than essay writing (with essay writing I might not get the best grades but feel I could pass, with even basic level math that is a big if), the more pressing question is what major could work so I could complete a degree quickly."

Since your initial post mentioned something other than general studies (I would guess that means a basic check the box, liberal arts/science studies isn't for you either, even if it has concentrations or minors). Then your best bet would be the UMPI BABA or the TESU BSBA, you can get a specific AOS if you wanted or a specific concentration at UMPI.

[pipitavivita]

When they were working my visa, the formal company who evaluated my work experience said it equates to a BS in Finance (I actually worked the most and managed Accounting adjacent teams but close enough). So, a degree in Business, Accounting or Finance would make most sense, however and this might sound silly, I was never intending to choose either as a major if my original transfer plans would have worked out because of the math requirements. I suspect I have undiagnosed dyscalculia, and honestly per Khan Academy I'm on a 3rd grade level at best, so frankly passing any math course is a tall order. Calculus, even Business specific seems like a pipe dream.

What company? Was it American? If so, do you actually have a paper that says that you have the equivalent of a Bachelor's degree? If so, that'll cut down on what you need to do right now. If not, that's okay.

Thank you for Your reply! I thought for any Business degree even Management/HR/General business Calculus is a prereq. Are Sophia math courses that accommodating? I pretty much wrote off majoring in Business because with Math I think maybe a statistics course or some very generic math course is all I could maybe pass with a low C with a lot of effort.

The two main schools we recommend here are UMPI and TESU. For their Business degrees, UMPI requires Algebra and their Business Math course. This course is basically "Can you read a spreadsheet?" kind of stuff. It might be a little difficult for someone with dyscalculia, but not impossible.

TESU, for their Business degrees, requires 3 math classes. Algebra, Statistics, and something they call "Quantitative Skills for Business". Both Algebra and Statistics can be taken through Sophia.org; other students with similar math difficulties have said that Sophia's Statistics & Algebra courses were the easiest math courses they've ever taken. It also helps that Sophia's entirely open book. You don't have to try to memorize formulas or whatever, you can simply reference the previous materials when answering quizzes and taking the exams (Milestones). Quantitative Skills for Business is easier still. This class comes from CSM Learn. Can you read a bus time table? Can you read an invoice? Convert between kilometers and meters? It's a long-ish course by virtue of having a lot of content, but even for people with discalculia it's (relatively) easy. All you need to be able to do is basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Even with a 3rd grade math level, you should be able to at least muddle through Sophia and CSM Learn.

My recommendation is the same, the TESU/UMPI degree offerings are your best bet.  You can transfer in up to 90 credits for UMPI and 114 for TESU, you should make a spreadsheet for both and compare the two.  You can complete the Sophia.org classes that hit the requirements needed for both if you've not decided which one to go for... Sometimes you really need to look at all areas of the degree, not the written assignments/essays.

Just a note, even though TESU allows you to transfer in more credits, the capstone alone would be much more writing than UMPI's residency credits alone (30 credits residency of 10 classes).  That's how your 'hard essay writing' at UMPI is compared to Excelsior/TESU or others that have capstones... UMPI is still 'easier' even though it has written assignments.  Take your time accumulating credits while you decide...

Thank you for the feedback. I do want to clarify a bit on my comment concerning essays. I know it is not possible to avoid it entirely, but since I was undecided on a major and seeking feedback on it as well, I wanted to mention in my intro that I'd rather pick something that has more subjects where Your grade is determined through tests/quizzes than essays only. Checking the forums it seems like with UMPI nearly every grade is determined by written assignments that is why I said that is probably out of the running comparing to some other options.

Because of the math issue which is honestly the more concerning one rather than essay writing (with essay writing I might not get the best grades but feel I could pass, with even basic level math that is a big if), the more pressing question is what major could work so I could complete a degree quickly.

The math issue... probably isn't one. I would strongly recommend going to Sophia.org, signing up, and start working on Algebra. After that, do Statistics. If you're able to pass one and not the other, you'll need to go to UMPI. If you're able to do both, you can opt for TESU.

However, as far as TESU vs. UMPI is concerned: TESU's capstone is about 20-30 pages of content on one topic. Some people struggle to write long, so this isn't a good fit for them. UMPI, on the other hand, typically has about 20-30 pages of writing spread out over about 10 classes. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. But a lot of this isn't "just" essays; there are various spreadsheets and other projects as well. However, you need to be able to ideate for about 10 papers or projects. Some people have problems coming up with ideas and would rather write one long paper, meaning UMPI wouldn't be a good fit for them.

BTW, you say only that you're international; what language(s) do you speak? This could be important if you do decide to go with UMPI after all.

Yes, an American company and I do have a formal paper summarizing the evaluation, I sent you a PM about it. The advice about the math issue is extremely helpful. I will get started with Sophia right away and see how I fare. That is honestly my bigger worry so once that is out of the way I should be able to see if UMPI or RESU is the way to go. 

I speak English (I spent half of my life in the states), Hungarian and basic German. I included the credits completed at my CC, I did Beginning German so hopefully that takes care of the language requirement.

---

@OP... "Because of the math issue which is honestly the more concerning one rather than essay writing (with essay writing I might not get the best grades but feel I could pass, with even basic level math that is a big if), the more pressing question is what major could work so I could complete a degree quickly."

Since your initial post mentioned something other than general studies (I would guess that means a basic check the box, liberal arts/science studies isn't for you either, even if it has concentrations or minors).  Then your best bet would be the UMPI BABA or the TESU BSBA, you can get a specific AOS if you wanted or a specific concentration at UMPI.

Thank you for all the advice, I will take a look at some of the finalized degree plans for the liberal arts/social science ones, but if I could manage to get through these math requirements then the BAs would help me most career wise.

[bjcheung77]

That's great, keep moving along with the degree planning and accumulation of the remaining credits to complete the degree of choice...