finally deciding to go for it

[staceydiane]

Hi y'all.

I originally started college almost 32 years ago, after quitting high school to be homeschooled and to go to community college.  I only lasted about a semester before dropping out there, too.  Now that I am in my late 40s, I am a lot more serious about my education (and I don't have a kid living at home.)

My career goal is somewhere in the social work/counseling/psychology field.  I am currently doing a year of AmeriCorps working as a case manager aide.  

Even though I was homeschooled after dropping out, I don't have a diploma.  My parents never made me one.  They both passed away, so there's no way they could make me one now or make me a transcript.  I got into AmeriCorps with my Sophia transcript and my community college transcript.

I'll be using my AmeriCorps education award at whichever of the Big 3 I decide to attend.

Anyway, here's what I have so far.

Stacey

Your Location: New Jersey, USA
Your Age: 49
What kind of degree do you want?: Associate's, then Bachelor's, and probably a Master's
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 3

School Name Total Credits: Houston Community College, 3
Class Name, Credits, Grade: US History After 1877, 3 credits, C

Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits: 18

Provider Total Credits: Sophia, 18 (others in progress on OnlineDegree.com)
Class Name, Credits, Grade: 
Intro to Psychology, 3 credits, A
Intro to Sociology, 3 credits, A
US History Before 1865, 3 credits, B
Environmental Science, 3 credits, C
Art History 2, 3 credits, C
Approaches to Studying Religions, 3 credits, A

Any certifications or military experience? Certified Birth Doula, 2015

[rachel83az]

If you want an Associate degree, I would suggest Pierpont's FREE BOG AAS: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Pierpont_C%26TC

Not having a diploma could potentially be an issue. You might need to get your GED, but I'm not sure if that's necessary for Pierpont.

If you want a Psych degree, either TESU or Excelsior would work. But! I would first figure out what Master's degree you want. For instance, some might require certain courses and/or a certain number of graded credits. If you need a specific number of graded credits for your chosen Master's degree, you'd probably want a UMPI degree: https://online.umpi.edu/programs/ Probably either a BLS or a BAS.

[Vle045]

Good luck! I don’t have any advice on a degree plan… but I would definitely suggest giving School Psychologist a look. I work in K-12 Education and we are in desperate need of more School Psychologists.
What ever you decide, the best of luck to you! This is a great place to get advice on degree plans.

[carrythenothing]

studyingfortests finished a degree at TESU and is now in an MSW program: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...orum-peeps

Take a look at this post by studyingfortests comparing different master's degree options: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...#pid357998

[ss20ts]

I would get an associate degree before moving on. Here's why. Most schools are going to want a copy of the high school diploma. If you have an associate degree, a lot of schools won't ask. UMPI requires one for anyone who doesn't have a degree. The Pierpont associate degree is really easy to get and get quickly. I would check to see if Pierpont will require a high school diploma. If they do then I would start studying for the GED and take it ASAP.

You should check your state regulations regarding the education and degree requirements for the social work/counseling/psychology fields. Every state is different. In some you can get a bachelor's degree in liberal studies and then a grad degree. You also need to check on licensing. A BLS with a minor from UMPI can be done relative quickly. We've seen folks on here graduate within 6 months and they started with 0 credits. It's work, but it is doable.

[allvia]

How were you able to become enrolled at Houston Community College if you didn't have a GED or Diploma (Home-schooled version or otherwise)? Since you have already attended college (even if for just the three credits) you will likely not have to produce proof of HS completion, since you have college credits to transfer.  No matter what school you end up at you're automatically a transfer student due to your prior CC (this is good news for you).

[staceydiane]

Thanks, y'all!

I definitely I want the Associate's Degree first, so I am going to check out Pierpont.

@Vle045, I currently work in an alternative school and I love it. I'm more like an unofficial school counselor than a case manager aide, lol. I never thought I'd like something like this.

Stacey

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How were you able to become enrolled at Houston Community College if you didn't have a GED or Diploma (Home-schooled version or otherwise)? Since you have already attended college (even if for three credits) you will likely not have to produce proof of HS completion, since you have college credits to transfer.  No matter what school you end up at you're automatically a transfer student due to your prior CC (this is good news for you).

Houston Community College is open-admission, even without a GED or diploma.  I also attended Santa Monica College in California, but I had to drop out there before the semester was over.  They didn't need any proof of graduation, either.

That's good news that I'll be a transfer student.

[rachel83az]

No, you are NOT automatically a transfer student anywhere you go because you do not already have an Associate degree. This is why ss20ts and I both mentioned Pierpont. Once you have an associate degree, then you don't have to worry about your HS diploma or GED again. Your prior CC credit makes it less likely that you will get asked for proof of graduation, but it's not guaranteed.

[ss20ts]

How were you able to become enrolled at Houston Community College if you didn't have a GED or Diploma (Home-schooled version or otherwise)? Since you have already attended college (even if for just the three credits) you will likely not have to produce proof of HS completion, since you have college credits to transfer.  No matter what school you end up at you're automatically a transfer student due to your prior CC (this is good news for you).

This is definitely not true with many schools. UMPI requires a high school diploma or an associate degree. Most schools require one or the other. You can be 70 years old and they still want a high school diploma. I graduated from high school in 1993 and my transcripts are in storage. It took months before Covid to get them sent somewhere. I can't even imagine what a nightmare that would be today. Thankfully I now have a bachelor's degree and my associate degrees. Hopefully I'm never asked for it again!

[Vle045]

Oh! Then you are in the right place to possibly have a future internship or something like that. I worked at an Alternative school about 10 years ago. It’s a lot of hard work and takes some very special people to do that work. :-)