Hey guys - first off thanks for taking the time to read through this. I've reached that point in my career and in order to move up I need a degree. My goal is to get my Bachelors but I absolutely need my Associates by July next year.
This is how I've been planning to go about it. I'm looking into Excelsior's Associate of Science in Technology w/ focus in Computer Technology. Here is the degree chart: Excelsior College | Program Details
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I'm planning on testing out on all the Gen Ed (Arts & Sciences) Courses which account for 30 credits. I also have numerous Industry Recognized IT Certifications (Cisco, CompTIA) that I am planning on transferring over for credit which is outlined on their website here: Credit for IT Certifications - excelsior.edu
I then plan on taking whatever credits I have left at my local community college (online) to save on cost and then transfer those credits over to Excelsior to complete the degree.
Does this all make sense? Before I enroll, I'm planning on knocking out all the CLEP & DSST exams so that when I enroll I can use the OneTranscript (OneTranscript for credit consolidation - excelsior.edu) and provide all the CLEP, DSST, IT Certifications, etc for the consolidation of Credits.
I'd really like you guys to provide feedback on this plan. Thanks a lot!
Considering the existing IT job market, i'd get the BA/BS. Many jobs are going to be saturated with applicants with the Bachelor's. If you consider the AS as a steppingstone to that goal, then great.
When you enroll, be sure to ask your advisor about OneTranscript. I do not think that EC students are required to pay the extra money to use that special service. They should be able to tell you if all of your credits will be added to your regular EC transcript, since you will be a student at that time.
What does "...need a degree" mean? Do you need "a" degree, or an IT degree? If the former, and I can't speak to the latter 'cause what I know about IT can be put on the head of a needle with room for angels to dance - there are associates degrees that could be knocked out with tests alone. That can be done as quickly as you can study, and pass tests. Good luck.
Oh, and this is from a gal, not a guy.
TESU BSBA - GM, September 2015
"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." -- Earl Nightingale, radio personality and motivational speaker
kparadine Wrote:Considering the existing IT job market, i'd get the BA/BS. Many jobs are going to be saturated with applicants with the Bachelor's. If you consider the AS as a steppingstone to that goal, then great.
Good luck.
Thanks for the response but I'm not actually looking for a new job. I'm a Senior Network Ops Engineer and have been in this position for years. In the end I am going to get my bachelors but I need at least an associates by next year July to get a Promotion. That's why I'm shooting for one in the short term.
NAP Wrote:When you enroll, be sure to ask your advisor about OneTranscript. I do not think that EC students are required to pay the extra money to use that special service. They should be able to tell you if all of your credits will be added to your regular EC transcript, since you will be a student at that time.
Alright - that sounds good. I believe it also depends on how you enroll with EC. I think you may be correct if I enroll as a mutli-source degree. Then EC should act like a credit bank. I'll be sure to check, thanks.
LaterBloomer Wrote:What does "...need a degree" mean? Do you need "a" degree, or an IT degree? If the former, and I can't speak to the latter 'cause what I know about IT can be put on the head of a needle with room for angels to dance - there are associates degrees that could be knocked out with tests alone. That can be done as quickly as you can study, and pass tests. Good luck.
Oh, and this is from a gal, not a guy.
Yep - I wish I could choose one of those degrees and test out completely. But due to the requirements for the promotion I need a degree with a focus in my career field. That's why I have to take an IT related major. But I'm definitely testing out of everything I can! Thanks for the input.
Your enrollment fee at EC will last one year or until you finish your degree (whichever is shorter). Since you have a set deadline, would it make sense to enroll sooner rather than later? This way you will have access to your advisor and make sure everything is lined up for you. How many courses do you think you will need at the community college? Were you planning to use financial aid for those courses? If so, you'll need to be sure that being enrolled at EC doesn't interfere. (I didn't use financial aid, so I'm not sure how that process works.)
NAP Wrote:Your enrollment fee at EC will last one year or until you finish your degree (whichever is shorter). Since you have a set deadline, would it make sense to enroll sooner rather than later? This way you will have access to your advisor and make sure everything is lined up for you. How many courses do you think you will need at the community college? Were you planning to use financial aid for those courses? If so, you'll need to be sure that being enrolled at EC doesn't interfere. (I didn't use financial aid, so I'm not sure how that process works.)
That's a good point. At first I actually wasn't too sure if I should enroll now or later and which would be better. I'm planning on testing out all the of the Gen Ed (Art's & Sciences) first and then enrolling to EC & transfering everything in (Exams and Certs) since those are a given. I'm not planning on doing financial aid, I'm just going to pay for everything up front. I'm not planning on taking any classes at EC (except the required capstone course); I more so want to use it as a "Credit Bank" and take the needed classes online from my local community college that I'm already enrolled in <- This way I can get away paying $100 per credit instead of the premium $390 per credit at EC. Once finished with those I'll transfer the rest in to complete the degree's requirements.
I don't think it will take me long to knock out the 30 credit units of Gen Ed through Exams. I'm pretty aggressive when it comes to studying/test taking. Once I'm done with that, I'll enroll. Then the adviser would be able to take everything I have and let me know what else is needed. To estimate - I will probably receive upwards of 15+ credits for the IT certifications. I was "quoted" for 24+ credits at a few colleges I was considering so my estimate of 15 is on the low end. The degree completion credits is set at 61 for EC so I would probably end up taking between 3 - 5 classes which I plan on knocking out all at once.
With this plan; if everything goes the way I think it should - I'll be able to get this done with no issue before July next year.
The main thing I was curious about was if this sounds right to you guys; the way that I'm thinking. I have an idea how this process works based on reading/researching on here and other sources plus speaking with the schools directly... so I think I should be good. Just mainly wanting another set of eyes in case I'm missing something. Thanks again!
If you are going to be paying cash, it is okay to be enrolled at EC and take exams and courses through other places. That is what I am doing now, too. It is nice to have access to an advisor and make sure everything is going to work out well.
Be sure to plan a few weeks for the application process, if you haven't started it already.
NAP Wrote:If you are going to be paying cash, it is okay to be enrolled at EC and take exams and courses through other places. That is what I am doing now, too. It is nice to have access to an advisor and make sure everything is going to work out well.
Be sure to plan a few weeks for the application process, if you haven't started it already.
You're right. I don't plan on this taking me over a year to complete so I might as well start the admission and enrollment process now to get it out of the way. I'm going to sign up to Instant Cert Academy ($20 a month) and start the CLEP/DSST exams now while I begin the Admission & Enrollment process. Thanks for the input man. I looked through some of your threads - very helpful. Good luck in pursuing your degree!
Getting the unofficial evaluation when you apply should answer some of your questions before you enroll. You can also send your test scores to them for free when you take the tests.
Let us know if you have more questions and keep us updated on your progress. I hope to be graduating with you!
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