Community College credits to BS?

[TPierce89]

Hello, I am a new member looking for general guidance. I graduated High School in 2007 and went to a local community college in 2007-2008 before leaving to pursue work. I have been in Law Enforcement for 13 years and the longer I work, the more I regret not pursuing a degree. While perusing the job opportunities outside LE, many require a BS degree to be considered. I would like to obtain a basic BS degree that would fulfill this need so I can explore opportunities that are more relevant to my interests. Aside from my career in LE, I also was a senior Android Developer for a software company in Chicago for 5 years. I know this doesn't translate into credits, but I may be able to easily pass some of the lower-level IT courses if I need to jumpstart my credits. Here is the template with my current information:

Your Location: Alabama, USA
Your Age: 34
What kind of degree do you want?: Batchelor of Science
Current Regional Accredited Credits:

School Name Total Credits: # Shelton State Community College
Class Name, Credits, Grade

ACR 209 Commercial Air Conditioning Systems, 3, A
ACR 210 Troubleshooting, 3, B

EMS 140 PREP&Prehospital Operations, 2, B
EMS 141 Assess & Traumatic Injuries, 3, B
EMS 142 Med Emerg & Ped Care, 3, B
EMS 143L Bas Clin Comp Lab, 1, A

ENG 101 English Comp 1, 3, C

18 Credits Total

Any certifications or military experience?

CI099 Basic Computer Skills for Law Enforcement (3 Hours)
CI100 Identifying and Seizing Electronic Evidence (2.5 Hours)
NASRO Certification (40 Hours)
Crisis Intervention Team Training (40 Hours)
Law Enforcement Academy Certification

Budget: Under $2,000 or as cost effective as possible.
Commitments: I work full time and have children at home, but aside from that I will be able to study.
Dedicated time to study: 2-4 hours per day max
Timeline: Finishing the courses required for the degree as fast as possible would be ideal.  
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: I am not aware of any available financial assistance.

[ItsNeverTheLionsYear]

It sounds like you're trying to get out of LE. What kind of job are you looking to get into? That will inform our recommendations on what kind of degree you should get.

[bjcheung77]

@TPierce89, Welcome to the board, in addition to that extra detail of what future career path you're going for, if you're looking at a quick one-two punch and get the degree as cheap, easy, fast as possible, I suggest getting the Pierpont BOG AAS with an emphasis of your choice, ladder that to the UMPI BAS with a different minor, you can also take the 4 classes that go towards the MAOL just in case you want the Masters later. You should work on the balanced mix/match trifecta of certs, degree, experience, it seems you've got the certs/experience and missing the degree options...

[TPierce89]

It sounds like you're trying to get out of LE. What kind of job are you looking to get into? That will inform our recommendations on what kind of degree you should get.

Well, I am interested in atmospheric science, history, archaeology, and engineering. I know that is incredibly broad, but I was hoping to get a BS and leverage that into a job as a researcher / scientist in one of the fields I enjoy. I hope that helps. I went to trade school after high school and I’ve been able to provide for my family well, but I never really made an effort to do something that interests me because I always thought the barrier to entry was too high (4 year degree). I had children young and focused all my time and energy into them, but now I’m at a point in my life where I’d like to find a career for me if that makes sense.

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@TPierce89, Welcome to the board, in addition to that extra detail of what future career path you're going for, if you're looking at a quick one-two punch and get the degree as cheap, easy, fast as possible, I suggest getting the Pierpont BOG AAS with an emphasis of your choice, ladder that to the UMPI BAS with a different minor, you can also take the 4 classes that go towards the MAOL just in case you want the Masters later.  You should work on the balanced mix/match trifecta of certs, degree, experience, it seems you've got the certs/experience and missing the degree options...

Thank you for this!  I wasn’t sure if I would qualify for the BOG AAS but I will begin that process tomorrow.

[davewill]

It sounds like you're trying to get out of LE. What kind of job are you looking to get into? That will inform our recommendations on what kind of degree you should get.

Well, I am interested in atmospheric science, history, archaeology, and engineering. I know that is incredibly broad, but I was hoping to get a BS and leverage that into a job as a researcher / scientist in one of the fields I enjoy. I hope that helps. I went to trade school after high school and I’ve been able to provide for my family well, but I never really made an effort to do something that interests me because I always thought the barrier to entry was too high (4 year degree). I had children young and focused all my time and energy into them, but now I’m at a point in my life where I’d like to find a career for me if that makes sense.

Real jobs in research require a graduate degree. A BS would only qualify you as a lab assistant. If I were really serious about becoming a research scientist, I'd do two years in community college, then transfer into an in person BS program, with plans to go on to at least a Master's degree.

The methods we talk about here, using alt credit to accelerate a bachelor's degree, don't really apply well to hard science degrees. The required coursework isn't available. Also, to get into a good research program, you'll want solid recommendations from your undergrad professors.

One exception would be Computer Science. A Bachelor's in CS is readily available using alt credit, and you can move on to several online Master's programs at good schools. From there, you would transition to an in-person PhD program. I know of a few people who were able to do so starting from Georgia Tech's OMSCS. They got hired as TAs during their master's, and participated in research opportunities, which set them up to get into a PhD program.