What comes after B.S. ? Help a lost person.

[MyRightHandIsBi]

A couple years ago I decided to speed run my education because I want to make more money. My motives are pure. The following is where I'm at:

A.S. Liberal Studies in Paralegal Studies, Middlesex Community College, Lowell, MA (3.3 GPA)

A.A.B. Business Management with Cyber Security Focus, Eastern Gateway Community College, Steubenville, OH (4.0 GPA)

B.S. Business Management, CUNY SPS, New York, NY (unknown GPA, graduating Spring 2024)

CompTIA A+, Net+, Sec+
NALA Certified Paralegal
NFPA CORE Registered Paralegal

Work background in manufacturing, medical devices, tax prep, and criminal defense

I will graduate from CUNY next year and I want to know what my best move is. Obviously strangers on the internet can't tell me what direction to take my life, but I'm open to suggestions.

Do I get my MBA? Do I get another bachelors? UMass Lowell has MBA programs that are only 30 credits and cost less than $20,000. Is UMass a good name? Is their name $7,000 better than SNHU's?

Is there a different path to making more money? I'm not afraid of computers, I'd love to get into tech, but I can't leave my legal job to spend time starting my career over at helpdesk level.

I could get another bachelor's, but it would need to be somewhere that takes a lot of transfer credits. I also don't want to spend $9k on it like I am at CUNY. I would like to stay in law, but I have heard that BSLS degrees aren't worth it. I don't know of any programs for that or where to start.

Basically what are good options to make more money?

Thank you all for any advice. I have learned a lot reading this forum.

[Johann]

You're a Paralegal and you want to stay in law? Would a Master's degree in  Legal Studies (or Paralegal Studies) help your career? First one I found is Washington University (St. Louis) school of law. It's distance learning, of course. There are plenty more; some require a JD. Others, including this one, don't.

You have a Bachelor's degree and experience with criminal law. I'm sure you could get into a Master's in Criminal Justice program, if it would help meet your goals.

I'm leaving out the possibility of Law School and a JD, because I don't have any knowledge on which to base  recommendations.

BTW "What comes after BS," you ask? Generally - more BS.  It's usually BS, MS and PhD. BS, More of Same, and Piled Higher and Deeper.

[bjcheung77]

@MyRightHandIsBi, Welcome to the board, congrats on completing your Associates (both of them) and your pending completion of the BS in Spring 2024.  It's great you've got a few certs and also a 'Work background in manufacturing, medical devices, tax prep, and criminal defense".

Obviously, as strangers without knowing you more, we can't advise you nor tell you what to do until we get a fuller overview of your scenario, you've got a very good introduction post but it's missing most of the content on the addendum/template here:  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

UMass Lowell MBA is AACSB, SNHU MBA is ACBSP.  Again, we don't know your overall picture without that addendum/template informing us many more important details. We don't know what subjects you have interest in, other than IT, and what was mentioned above. Your budget, commitments, subject interests, study habits, tuition assistance, support system (family/school/work) and many more play a role...  

Right now, it's similar to asking which coffee you should get without knowing the details of what you want in the coffee.. Have you spoken with your close family or friends and asked them for advice? What did they say? Your brain has two sides, the right side may think differently than your left, advice is just that, you decide on what is brought/provided to you...  Good luck, have fun, and please update us with more info.

[MyRightHandIsBi]

@MyRightHandIsBi, Welcome to the board, congrats on completing your Associates (both of them) and your pending completion of the BS in Spring 2024.  It's great you've got a few certs and also a 'Work background in manufacturing, medical devices, tax prep, and criminal defense".

Obviously, as strangers without knowing you more, we can't advise you nor tell you what to do until we get a fuller overview of your scenario, you've got a very good introduction post but it's missing most of the content on the addendum/template here:  https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

UMass Lowell MBA is AACSB, SNHU MBA is ACBSP.  Again, we don't know your overall picture without that addendum/template informing us many more important details. We don't know what subjects you have interest in, other than IT, and what was mentioned above. Your budget, commitments, subject interests, study habits, tuition assistance, support system (family/school/work) and many more play a role...  

Right now, it's similar to asking which coffee you should get without knowing the details of what you want in the coffee.. Have you spoken with your close family or friends and asked them for advice? What did they say? Your brain has two sides, the right side may think differently than your left, advice is just that, you decide on what is brought/provided to you...  Good luck, have fun, and please update us with more info.

I am embarrassed to have omitted this.

Your Location: U.S.A., Alaska, rural with decent internet
Your Age: 36
What kind of degree do you want?: Whatever makes me money. A B.S. in Legal Studies? MBA? Something in IT? CISA/CISSP perhaps? I might also want to go into eDiscovery. I don't know what I want, which makes it hard for anyone to help me, and also hard for me to help myself.
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 129 currently + 27 pending at CUNY SPS, total of 156 by the end of the Spring 2024 semester

Eastern Gateway CC: 63 credits
AAB 4.0 GPA

Middlesex CC: 60 Credits
AS 3.3 GPA

UMass Lowell: 6 Credits
I dropped out because I was 19 and stupid (mega stupid, indescribably so)

CUNY SPS: 27 after I graduate Spring 2024
Unknown GPA but probably high given how easy these classes look

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:

None, but I am open to the possibility if it would benefit me somehow.

Any certifications or military experience?

No military. A+, Net+, Sec+, NFPA CRP, NALA CP, MS-900 365 cert, Certified Personal Trainer with NASM, Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED. All certs are current and I maintain CE requirements.

BUDGET: I am willing to take out loans at $25k/yr tops, would prefer $10k or less. I have 0 cash on hand.

Commitments: One full time job, occasional side work, also I'm probably going to marry this woman soon. I have no support system. I am the support system.

Dedicated time to study: You know CUNY had me do a time sheet for orientation and it turns out I have like 30 hours per week, which is not enough for 5 classes but here we go anyway.

Tuition assistance/reimbursement: The Dept. of Education just killed the free college program my union offered. I was going to complete my B.S. at Ohio's CSU until that happened. Thanks guys, now I am 100% on my own.

Basically, 2 years ago I became far more motivated to get as educated and employable as possible. This is why I am worried about the reputation of the school I choose. EGCC is already mired in controversy, and CUNY is only sorta well-known. I'm not sure if my desire to get an MBA at Umass Lowell is be because it's a great program with a reputable school, or because I dropped out 17 years ago and I feel the urge to correct my mistake.

I work full time at a public defender office. I love my job, but it doesn't pay what I need. Whatever school I attend needs to be online only, it needs to be affordable, (whatever that means) and it needs to be easy enough to complete while I am working full time or overtime. It also needs to help me become qualified for remote jobs that pay well, because there are no good jobs out here unless you're a cop or have been working oil for 5+ years.

I have been hearing about the "test out" types of colleges but that seems like a scam. I'm a great test taker, but would such a degree be seen as legitimate? Also worth noting is that I CANNOT DO CALCULUS. I CAN'T. Pre-Calc is the best I can do. My brain is broken, I drank too much or hit my head or something, but any major that requires CALC 1 or higher is an immediate NO-GO.

I've never been more motivated in my life. I am certain I will complete CUNY SPS on time. I realize now that I have like, what, 9 months to figure out what comes after CUNY? I need to use my time and money as efficiently as possible. I have been pondering MBA programs at UMass Lowell, as well as SNHU and Fitchburg State. I worry about SNHU having a bad reputation with employers, but I don't know enough about school prestige to have an informed opinion on it. A B.S. in Legal Studies could be an option, but I don't know if that's a meme degree, and I haven't explored any schools for it.

You can see that I lack direction and that has led me to seek help here. Once again, THANK YOU for any replies and I love everyone on this forum I have been reading it non stop for months. I just finished that really long ENEB thread from years ago and it was a wild ride, had me on the edge of my seat like a novel, waiting to see what the course evaluators had to say about it. I have learned so much about colleges and higher education in the last few months, my eyes are wide open now. This place has fundamentally changed my understanding of higher education for the better, I get it now.

[dfrecore]

I'm confused on why you're getting a bachelor's in Business, and think that you have to get more education to get a better job? Why not just wait to see what your bachelor's degree will do for you?

It's impossible for any of us to help you when you don't have a goal. I think you should wait to see what happens over the next year before you do anything.

[allvia]

Are you paying out of pocket now to finish at CUNY? Student Loans? Why CUNY? When you look at job listings that interest you, what are they looking for as far as their educational preferences?

You may want to complete part II of the addendum/template that bjcheung77 linked to, the course listing (see: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid335173).  We may know of a better, cheaper and faster option(s) for you.

[bjcheung77]

@OP, you're most likely in the rural outskirts of Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau. How much do you make now? If it's only about the money, you need to compare what you make now and what you can get with your current credentials. Search online and find job (both local and ones you can work remotely 100% in the USA) postings of interest and see how much that position pays.  Missing out on the B.S. at Ohio's CSU may have been a turning point, you should use that as a sign telling you to focus on your current self and studies, so make sure to complete the CUNY SPS degree by Spring 2024 and put the next few months on hold for further studies, I wouldn't wait a year but a few months until you're done with it.

Here's the kicker, since you're swayed in all directions and have a limited budget, you can still accumulate ACE/Alternative credits absolutely FREE for now by doing the Coursera/TADA, TEEX offerings and add these certs/experience to your current list until you're done with CUNY SPS.  Once that is done, you'll have more direction and know which subjects interest you most.  With that in mind, you'll most likely have decided what careers/jobs you would like to continue with, if you need to update your education for an upward move after all this is said and done, look into the HAU MBA at $3K after scholarships, UMPI MAOL if you need it done fast, or the WGU MSML/MBA combo if you want something with overlapping credits.

Last but not least answer the questions from allvia and dfrecore, and the following ones: Have you started your CUNY SPS program yet, how many credits have you completed? What was the max transfer of credit? What is required for residency credits? BTW, do you know another language? As you also mentioned ENEB, for me it was to fill learning or knowledge gaps, I wasn't going to use it to transfer anywhere.  Most of the grad programs that I see for inexpensive are very similar to ENEB but in Spanish or another language.  Again, work on another degree after your CUNY SPS is complete, if you haven't started the CUNY SPS, then skip it in favor for a bachelors from TAMUC, UMPI, TESU, etc.

[davewill]

I don't think you don't need more education, you need to focus on a job or business that makes you more money. I think that most people should take significant time out of "student" mode and in working mode after getting their bachelor's. That's both how you find out your strengths and figure out what you really want to be doing. You mentioned the job market being tough in your area, maybe you have to consider at least a temporary relocation to move up and gain experience in a higher paying field.

I also think another bachelor's degree on your resume won't make you look more hireable, it will make you look odd. Give that business degree a chance to work for you.

[LevelUP]

You might want to consider doing CUNY IT degree if they let you get multiple degrees at CUNY SPS.

All you need is 2 google certs and a few other courses, then you only have to do 5 courses at CUNY SPS.

https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/CU...egree_Plan

Other than that, an MBA is an option. You can do a quick 1yr one or go for a higher prestige 2yr one.

[MrPanda]

You might want to consider doing CUNY IT degree if they let you get multiple degrees at CUNY SPS.

All you need is 2 google certs and a few other courses, then you only have to do 5 courses at CUNY SPS.

https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/CU...egree_Plan

Other than that, an MBA is an option. You can do a quick 1yr one or go for a higher prestige 2yr one.

Great work in the CUNY SPS wiki. It looks a bit like the early days of the PUG, where you could KO lots of courses with certs.