"Smart" Degree Options for Middle-Aged Non-Manager Type :)

[cookderosa]

I wouldn't count on summers off at a CC. Even a lot of university professors teach during the summer.

This is true, but you can contact any community college in any state and ask about their contract for the current academic year. Here's an example of the first google hit I found: http://seattlecolleges.edu/HR/documents/...eement.pdf

State contracts for full-time faculty are negotiated for everyone and set in place for the entire state. They will stipulate X number of (credit) hours per year (which will be spelled out to the day). If you're feeling "researchish" you can go to any CC in that state, and pull their course schedule. Look at the names teaching the courses, and add up that member's course load- you have to check all 3 semesters (fall/spring/summer) and look for a total. If it takes 3 semesters to hit 15 credits, then they are working year round. If they hit it in fall/spring, they have summers off.

The administration is never on a faculty contract. Expect to work 12 months in administration.

[cookderosa]

This is wonderful for so many reasons. His summers off! Opportunities for advancement!

I was also looking for stories like this, where an "in progress" degree has some weight.

It's because if you wait until you graduate, you've missed the application cycle. It's like when you're in high school applying to college- you have to do it during your junior/senior year in order to be ready for fall start.

[cookderosa]

And that's a great point! And it's something I think to have a good think on.

MBA will always qualify you to teach in the BUSINESS department of a community college. The problem, is that the regular business degrees may only offer 1-2 HR courses, which means there is no full-time dedicated instructor. Those courses will be filled by business teachers (who may or may not have HR credentials) or a part time teacher brought in one semeter at a time.
The point of having the 18 is that you can teach for CCs that have HR concentrations for their business students. THESE programs have a large enough department that they'll hire a full-time faculty member. It pours gas on the fire to do it this way. You can get a regular MBA with no single 18 credit block and teach any business anywhere- but you're not a specialist, and you'll be beat out of specialist jobs by people who do have the 18.
EDIT TO ADD: even with a specialization in HR, as a CC business teacher, you may be expected to teach other subjects if the schedule requires it. They can, according to your contract, plug any holes they have in the schedule that term for the department. They'll have to use full timers first (because of faculty contract) and then they'll ask for adjuncts (non contract) if needed. You might have to teach marketing, intro to business, etc. My field is culinary, but I'd been assigned courses in culinary, baking, nutrition, purchasing, culinary math, etc.

[Nodaclu]

Been quite awhile, so I thought I would update...

I did finish one more class in recent months, but progress has been slow due to my own indecision about why I wanted to do this. Finances have been *ahem* a little challenging as well.

But anyway...onward.

I've decided to follow bjcheung77's advice, and finish the Bachelors in Psychology.

I've switched to TESU, as COSC would not guarantee that the available Study.com Psych classes would apply to their Psych major course requirements.

Instead they would "likely be approved, but would be subject to review and final approval".

Not good enough for me, as I can't risk the time and money to end up having to do any of this twice. (Those types of things seem to happen to me quite a bit, due to assumptions made on my part.)

Because of TESU's agreement with Study.com, those same Psych courses are guaranteed to fill the specific requirements of TESU's Psych degree.

(I know there are other learning options out there - but I'm a TBI survivor with, thankfully, only the mildest of damage and limitations. However, one of those few limitations seems to be learning style, and Study.com's layout matches my ability to learn and absorb information perfectly, so I feel it's wise to do as much as I can in there.)

This shouldn't take any longer than finishing COSC's degree would have, and might be shorter, if I were to run into problems with COSC's application of Study.com courses.

From there, I'm going to once again take bjcheung77's advice, and will likely look at Patten for an MBA. The cost and pace seems to fall in line with my finances and goals.

Next on the advice list, I'm going to take cookderosa's advice, (which bjcheung77 also mentioned) and make sure that MBA has an HR focus. I think I'm done with the corporate world, and it appears to be done with me.

I'm ready to make a big shift, but it also makes sense to use my hard-earned knowledge in HR if I can. I've also had an underlying desire to teach at the CC level that goes back nearly 25 years. So I'm going to pursue an instructor position at the CC level as I near completion of the MBA-HR.

(Jennifer - if it's okay to do so, I will likely reach out via the messaging system. I'd love to chat more about this!)

If nothing else, it's motivating because it's different. I won't be locked in an office from 9-5, letting myself waste away in front of a computer. I'm also past the point of my ego needing to earn a lot of money. As long as I can make a living and enjoy what I do, that's enough for me at this point.

So here we go!

Thank you to everyone who has contributed. There's no way I end up on this path without all of you.

I'll pop back into this thread from time to time with updates.

[cookderosa]

(Jennifer - if it's okay to do so, I will likely reach out via the messaging system. I'd love to chat more about this!)


So here we go!

Thank you to everyone who has contributed. There's no way I end up on this path without all of you.

I'll pop back into this thread from time to time with updates.

Yes! Here we go!! And of course, I'm happy to chat for whatever I can offer.