Best path given existing hours?

[bricabrac]

I'm willing to give it a try.

One area where I'm a bit confused is when I should actually enroll, or if I should actually enroll at TESC. I know at a minimum that I will need a letter from someone at the school stating that my proposed tests will be applicable to my planned degree. And I won't qualify for any tuition reimbursement without actually being enrolled in the program- as far as I can tell from our company literature on the tuition-reimbursement program.

I'm sharing my experience to hopefully give you (and others) room for dialogue with your Manager/HR Department.

Education, if interested, can be included in your personal goals for yearly review. It is an excellent method to benefit both the employee and the company. It ensures the company will support your educational goals, and it provides a measurement for your review process. The company retains highly motivated employees and benefits from your growth. This is also usually the lot easily approved for a quick bump in salary and/or promotion; at least in my industry/experience it has been.

At my company you had to enroll and register for at min one/max three courses per semester. They would reimburse my upfront tuition cost (TESCs annual enrollment fee) on the next pay period, but you were not reimbursed for courses until the grade report was received. (Min C grade required for reimbursement.)

If you have an expense account and a good relationship with your Supervisor/Manager, you can ask if s/he would approve of expensing the exams. I was able to expense:
- Exams (CLEP/DSST/TECEP),
- Miscellaneous fees (eg technology, grad, parking), and
- School supplies (eg software/hardware, home office supplies).

My reimbursement plan included: tuition, registration fees, lab fees, and textbooks. The limits per year: 8 courses, Bachelors 15k, Masters 20k. Executive eMBA programs have no cap, but only directors or above can apply. (The applicant was required to have a certain number of direct reports to qualify.) The preferred program is 170k for 2yrs. All travel expenses included, both domestic and international.

[sanantone]

They will not pay for Clep exams or Aleks or Straighterline subscription and tests, however I was told that they would pay for exams at the institution where I am attending, if I can get a letter from the school stating that the test was used to satisfy degree requirements. Basically, I have to pick a degree at one of the schools- get my company to approve it, and any courses or challenge exams at that school that are used to fulfill the degree are reimbursable. That being said, I'm not at all opposed to paying out of my own pocket for these tests if doing so will help me go faster.

I'm not sure if I'd be able to take the courses at one school to apply to the degree at my "approved program" school- but again, I am willing to pay for these on my own in the interest of speed. (The position I want will be posted in 6-9 months, which gives me a tight window in which to qualify as an internal candidate).

Gina

It sounds like you can possibly be reimbursed for TECEPs. TECEPs are more difficult, but you try completing as much of the degree as possible using them. You sign up for TECEPs just like you would any other TESC course. You have the 12-week term to take them.

[ajs1976]

@bricabrac - great post. the only thing I would add is to get and give specific details of any requirements. At a previous job, my manager and director supported my plans to return to school for a Technology Management degree but at almost the last minute, the director couldn't sign off on the plan when he realized they were business courses and not IT courses. I'm not making that mistake again. This time at the new job, I submitted a detailed rough draft of my proposal months before it is needed.

@GinaFL - Two thoughts. Have you considered the business programs at WGU? The self paced structure might be a good fit for your 6-9 month window and the flat tuition rate might fit into your reimbursement limit if you can finish in one semester. Have you considered focusing on completing an associates from TESC or COSC on your way to a bachelors? That way if you do not complete the bachelors within your timeframe you can say you have completed the associates and are working on the bachelors.

[GinaFL]

I think that might be a good idea to also have the associates degree in case I fall short at the finish line.

[bricabrac]

@bricabrac - great post. the only thing I would add is to get and give specific details of any requirements. At a previous job, my manager and director supported my plans to return to school for a Technology Management degree but at almost the last minute, the director couldn't sign off on the plan when he realized they were business courses and not IT courses. I'm not making that mistake again. This time at the new job, I submitted a detailed rough draft of my proposal months before it is needed.

ajs1976,

Luckily in pharma, if you so choose, there is a pretty large choice of areas you can transfer to which keeps your work life interesting. In my case my Manager (SrVP) and his boss (President) were both very open to my goals. Basically, I already had the experience and only needed to check a box at the undergrad level. So me being who I am - checked a few. ;-) If I did not have the experience, the program would have been tailored to the job/department. At the masters level it is more career growth/path specific. I wanted to stay in the same area so chose a degree that, along with experience, would qualify me for a directors position.

Bachelors degrees are a requirement for salaried employees. Hourly wage staff are not required to have a degree but it is best if you do. If not, work hard the first year, impress your supervisor and have the company foot the bill for your degree. It's the only way to achieve career growth.

The beauty of the industry, especially in my area, is you do not have to stop at one degree, you can continue tacking on the credentials. They will actually support certain individuals to go as far as the employee would like to go. Of course, in this case your performance is expected to exceed expectations. They don't tend to allott company or department funds, time and support to average employees. Overachievers (exceeds expectations) tend to get whatever they want but their lives are usally dedicated to the job and academic demands.