Post-degree options???

[rlw74]

So, if all goes according to plan, I should finish my capstone in June with graduation from TESU in September. I have all the other coursework done. My degree will be in Liberal Studies, Social Sciences.

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with myself after this. I kind of enjoyed the last three months, knocking out courses so quickly (42 credits in 12 weeks). I think I could stay at the same pace for a while and hate to lose the momentum. So I'm considering different options but have many questions -

*Should I try for a second bachelor's at TESU?
*or a degree through another university?
*Would one of the other big 3 give me credit for what I already have and just let me take some extra courses for a second bachelors? I took a ton of Psychology courses and wouldn't mind taking the rest when study.com adds them but I understand all the coursework in the AOS would need to be new at TESU. Plus I would need another capstone??? residency waiver???
*Would I need to apply somewhere before I officially graduate in September or wait till afterwards?

I have considered getting a Masters but honestly, I don't think I can afford it right now. Cost is a big issue in anything I pursue. Plus, I don't have any idea what I want to do career-wise after this. I probably don't need another degree so it would be for personal fulfillment at this point. I have seriously considered teaching but would like to substitute teach for a year before I commit to certification. I've also considered social work because I was previously a foster parent and have some experience in that area. But I'm really open to anything and not in a rush at all.

Any advise would be appreciated!!!

[TrailRunr]

A couple of remarks:

1) I'm not a fan of the liberal studies major in any flavor. If you get a liberal studies concentration, I believe it's part of a certificate which most HR will not count. Nowadays, many jobs require a short list of specific BA majors rather than a BA degree in anything, and the liberal studies is as general as it gets. My first BA is in something similar to liberal studies, and it's as worthless as a high school diploma when applying for jobs that require specific degrees. If you're going through the trouble of getting a degree, might as well as be something specific. If you pick a specific major to get a job, then you could double major in something else as well for personal enrichment or a backup career field.
2) Second bachelor's degree are almost always a terrible idea. It's usually for a major long after you graduated with your first BA in the wrong major where you can't easily pick up at the master's level without a lot of prerequisite courses. Most of the time, you should be moving up, not sideways. Instead of picking up a 2nd BA, you should change your major.
3) Since money is an issue, you will be required to complete another capstone for $1500 for the second degree. I have no idea if you need another waiver fee payment though. Another reason to change your major.

Here are the remarks on my TESU eval for my 2nd bachelors:

01/15/16 SECOND BACCALAUREATE DEGREE (PLEASE READ DEGREE RQMT INFO BELOW) Students who wish to earn a second baccalaureate degree must complete a minimum of 24 additional credits in the area of study/core beyond the date the most recent degree was completed. Courses completed beyond the date all prior degrees were completed will be labeled as "NEW". Capstone
courses can be considered as 3 NEW credits under this policy. The University will not award a third baccalaureate degree. Graduates of TESU who are returning for a second degree should note that the
capstone courses LIB*495 (for the TESU BA degrees) and APS*401 (for certain BSAST degrees) are degree* specific and therefore will have to be retaken and will count towards the required NEW credit.

Based on University policy, all general education requirements, other than those labeled as "DEGREE REQUIREMENT" will be satisfied based on the completion of a first bachelor's degree from a regionally* accredited US institution. Adjustments to the evaluation will be made to reflect this once all transcripts have been received. Our records indicate that you earned a Bachelor of Arts in ..........

[cali86]

Wow that's pretty negative considering a liberal studies degree is far from
Worthless depending on where you plan on going
With it. I plan to get a teaching credential but it serves as a ticket to many other master degree programs as well sure you may have to take some prerequisites but I think you could do a lot with this degree if you wanted... Congrats by the way i am taking my capstone in May and will be earning this same degree with September graduation as well. I have a lot of business courses someone suggested the idea of moving on to a masters in business degree if I need something else and would rather do business so that is an idea.. I do agree that you should pursue a masters not another Bachelors as it would be back tracking there are many awesome people on this forum who could probably help you plan one out.. but my advice is think about what you want to do make sure it will open up the doors you need.

[TrailRunr]

Any job that accepts any BA degree will also accept a specific BA degree. But many jobs require a specific degree, which won't work with the liberal studies major, which means your BA Lib Studies is equivalent to a high school diploma. Neither are going to get the job. All this talk about a second BA degree indicates confusion and a lack of direction with career with the OP.

A common strategy here is to figure out what the final career goal(s) are and then work backwards to figuring out what degree to get. This wandering aimlessly with no career direction while saying college is a good idea is how folks in traditional schools end up $200k in debt with a BA in the arts working at Starbucks.

[videogamesrock]

I've never seen a hiring ad that says High School Diploma, GED, or BA in Liberal Studies. I think you've over shot that one hugely.

[dfrecore]

I worked in HR for years, plenty of companies will take a BA in anything, it's basically a checkbox for many jobs. Even in business, a business degree isn't always required. Any job lower than management level at many places (even accounting).

I do agree though, that another BA is probably not as useful to you as a Master's would be. BUT, my advice is always to go WORK and see what you end up doing, before committing to any other degrees. You may find that you want a master's eventually, but before spending the money, you really need to nail down what you're getting it for. Otherwise, you tend to look aimless.

Just my opinion, I'm not a huge fan of getting degrees just to get them. Knowledge, always; degrees, not so much.

[gorilla_eight]

In general, most jobs that require a degree seem to require any regionally-accredited bachelor's. A Liberal Studies major checks the box and is adequate. Some are looking for something more specific—a BS in Business, or Finance, and so forth—and I have yet to see one that specifically requires a BA in Liberal Studies. So it's not as specifically useful but it is far from worthless.

I'd caution against a second bachelor's and steer you towards a masters. In my industry, at least, a second bachelors is not useful for getting a job, but just for showing that you enjoy the process of education. Nothing wrong with that but also nothing substantially gained. A graduate degree, however, does show a level of commitment and expertise to a specific field and is worth something.

[rlw74]

To TrailRnr who said "All this talk about a second BA degree indicates confusion and a lack of direction with career with the OP." I know it can sound that way without all the details - which I didn't provide, so that is my fault. I had a career - a good one - but I chose to leave it to be a stay-at-home mom for a few years. My previous job required 50-60 hours a week. So even when I go back to work again I probably won't look at the same kind of position. I know I can go back into it without any problem at all and now that I have that piece of paper it will be easier to post for management positions. But, the idea of getting a second BA or Masters is just an added bonus or possibly a step into another career field.

Regarding the liberal studies degree: My previous boss got a general studies degree and it opened the door to pursue something he was innately talented in - sales. The company I worked for would not hire you for sales or management without a degree. He is now a divisional manager and runs 1/3 of the offices in the US for a major insurance company and makes a lot more $$$$ than I'll ever see. Same company wouldn't let me past a sales support role without a piece of paper and they didn't care what it was in. It really was just a box to check. I know it may not be that way everywhere but I'm satisfied with the degree I am getting. I've got almost 20 years of experience in banking and insurance so I know I can get back into that with or without a piece of paper. I've also worked HR before and honestly, the liberal studies majors and the business majors started at the same place and got the same priority.

I think I'll research some more on master's programs. I have about three years before my youngest is off to school and I just don't want to waste this time if I can pursue some additional education. Honestly an additional 24 credit hours sounds like nothing right now. I could do that in a couple of months. And if it's business I could just take the Tecep. But I'll think on it. After 20+ years of not having a BA I am just so thankful to be anywhere close to where I am. I'm literally one paper away from finishing!!!

[TrailRunr]

That context helps a lot. If you are going directly to a MA program without prereqs like the WGU MBA, then yeah any degree will do and the BALS is very fast. If the jobs you typically go for in your previous career just require any paper, then yeah BALS works.

But if you are spending money on another 24 credits with another $1500 capstone without getting a job with your BALS before the 2nd BA, it's better to just change your major. And money is an issue for you and most of us too. I'm really, really struggling with how you would benefit from a 2nd bachelor since it doesn't sound like you are getting a job right away.

Before I completed my TESU degree with the double major, I did a what-if and changed to Liberal Studies and the old BA-NSM. I would be done if I switched to either option. It's real tempting to just switch to the instant degree just to get the paper today. But in the long run, it would be better to switch to the major you want for the 2nd BA and avoid graduating. If you switch to a specific major and enjoy gathering credits, you can get a double major by delaying graduation a little bit more. You can't double major with the generalized BALS.

[sanantone]

If you used a few psychology courses toward your liberal studies degree, TESU may not let you get a second degree in psychology. I was asking about an LDAS degree, but TESU mentioned that I couldn't get a criminal justice degree after a social science degree even though I only used a couple of CJ courses toward the major.

Maybe saying that a liberal studies degree is worthless is a bit strong. However, it would be a complete lie to say that it is as valuable as a more focused degree. There is even data to support that general studies majors tend to have higher rates of underemployment. It hasn't been my experience that most jobs ask for a generic bachelor's. Most of the ads I've seen state a requirement or preference for a major(s).

Sales and many insurance jobs will take any degree. This is not even close to accounting for most jobs that require a degree. Companies are always desperate to fill sales positions. It's one of the least desirable jobs due to the high risk of underperforming and being fired.