Seeking Feedback on Career Transition: From Firefighter to Remote Work/Digital Nomad

[LevelUP]

Image in attachment, too.

* It is not updated. So, take care about the use of this plan.

(I had a LOT of problems with this thread today and the problem could be the Image I was trying to post from COPY and PASTE)

The image you tried to post was a link to an HTML page that contained the image.  You need to post the file path of the image which is https://i.imgur.com/xu6t2WD.jpeg  (you get the file path by right-clicking, then selecting copy image address)

Opening a parenthesis about the budget is important, especially for people who don't live in third-party countries.

Today: 1 dollar = R$ 6,19, without talking about taxes to convert.
The minimum national salary in Brazil is R$ 1.518,00 (U$ 245)

I think I need to explain it because there is a difference in culture but also in purchasing power just because you are in another country.  

This situation I think can be similar to other 3rd-party countries, so it is important to insert this here because if in the USA you can make nearly U$ 10K / month as an Uber Driver, this is NOT the same condition you will earn in other countries.

Uber or DoorDash can typically pay around $4,000 a month on the high end if you put in a lot of hours.  But I see what you mean by saying you don't need much skill or education to earn a good salary in America.
https://therideshareguy.com/how-much-do-...vers-make/

If you can adopt a somewhat minimalist lifestyle and control your housing costs—whether through house hacking or by having been fortunate enough to purchase a home or condo for $20,000 during the housing crash—it’s possible to live frugally and save money. This approach, often referred to as "Lean FIRE," is one way to thrive in America. The alternative is working relentlessly until retirement.

My Vision for the Future
I’m interested in starting “part-time” remote work for an American or European company to gain experience and adjust to the lifestyle. My ultimate goal is to live as a digital nomad, working while traveling, and adopting the “flag theory” to minimize income taxes. For this reason, I do not have interest to have a GREEN CARD. 


Priority Areas:

1. IT:
   This is where I started, serving as a Systems Analysis manager.I obviously need to update some skills. It’s a field that still pays well, especially for experienced professionals.It allows remote work.I enjoy it because it rewards competence and results. It has meritocracy embedded.I could also obtain some certifications that the market values and that I don’t yet have, especially in AWS, Linux, Data Analytics, and Cybersecurity.I don’t have a degree from the U.S., but I believe I could earn one in less than 6 months, as I already have knowledge in many subjects since I taught them.
   
2. Law:
   In the United States, for example, I could take the bar exam in New York and Florida and start practicing federal law.The problem is that I would need to be in the U.S., and as I mentioned, I’m not interested in staying in any country for more than 3 months a year.I’m unsure if remote work is possible in this field, especially since most cases are digital nowadays. However, if it means being tied to one country, it wouldn’t be worth it.
   
3. Accounting:
   In the U.S., I would need to pass the CPA exam or another similar certification. The good thing is that I can take it in my country. I would arrive in the U.S. already certified.I’m not sure if remote work is possible, but I believe it is.
   
4. Administration:
   I have extensive experience in this field, both in public administration (e.g., public procurement) and private administration.I also have a Master’s degree in this area.I know American companies value both experience and diverse backgrounds.
   
5. Fire Protection Engineering (NFPA):
   A very specific niche, but all buildings and large corporations need professionals concerned with the safety of their greatest asset: the people inside their buildings.I believe I could find opportunities here, but what bothers me the most is the lack of remote options.
   

To live a digital nomad style, you could do one of three paths:

1. Work for Someone Else (Remote Job)
   
2. Freelancing
   
3. Entrepreneurship
   

You seem to have excellent communication and leadership skills, so pursuing a path in business consulting could be a great fit. Marketing could also be a strong option for you.

The challenging part will be choosing a path and giving it a try.

[artem]

I read that is a long time UoP is trying it. So, It can take more 10 years. 

I like the cost of it especially if you bring 90 credits from elsewhere. 
For me, it is not cheap, yet. Especially for a 'free university'.


How much do you pay until now? How much will you pay until the final of your degree?

Tks!

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Acquiring an accreditation is not a quick process. The third visit was considered as final, so we will see the results soon.
NA is also not so bad. You can always transfer to RA for the last year. And many universities accept NA bachelors for RA masters.

Currently, I have a scholarship in UoP, so it is free for me. 
Also, UoP gives free access to Oracle Academy so you can get some valuable industry certificates while studying.

If you're considering transferring credits, you'd better go with Sophia, as it allows 20 courses to be transferred for free.
There is a fee for transferring credits to UoP.

[davewill]

Far be it for us to discourage someone who clearly wants to get a degree. I can see how getting a CS degree might make a little sense if you're looking to go into software development, especially if you can do so without spending a lot.

I still mostly agree with @bjcheung77 that you could simply ladder into a master's program from where you are (after getting the certs). However, if you do want the CS bachelors, the fastest is going to be TESU. You'll have to get your transcripts evaluated, and probably take some ACE courses on top of the certs, but that really depends on a lot of things.

UoP could work for you as well, but I disagree that it would be easy to find an RA masters that takes the NA bachelors. However, that point is moot for you as you already have a foreign bachelor's, which will cover that requirement.

[DragonDF]

@LevelUP

Thank you for explaining. I tried to search for the reason or how to upload images here and I could not see it.

Uber or DoorDash can typically pay around $4,000 a month on the high end if you put in a lot of hours.  But I see what you mean by saying you don't need much skill or education to earn a good salary in America.
https://therideshareguy.com/how-much-do-...vers-make/

The link you sent is from 2021/2.
At this moment, some States in the USA have laws determining a minimum amount (U$ 32 / h) for Uber drivers. 

12h / day = U$ 384 (in fact it goes from U$ 300 to U$ 450 / day)

Now they are using Hybrid cars spending from U$ 17 to U$ 30 / day with gas. 

I am not interested in being an Uber Driver in the USA. As I wrote, I do not want to live in the USA for more than 3 months / year. I do not wish to have a green card. Maybe this can sound strange to some of you, but I believe in real freedom with less state and less taxes (flags theory).

If you can adopt a somewhat minimalist lifestyle and control your housing costs—whether through house hacking or by having been fortunate enough to purchase a home or condo for $20,000 during the housing crash—it’s possible to live frugally and save money. This approach, often referred to as "Lean FIRE," is one way to thrive in America. The alternative is working relentlessly until retirement.

I do have already a minimalist lifestyle. I live like Elon Musk in a 12m2 space. Yes, I have 2 houses in my country and other places. 
If I were American, maybe I would have more than U$ 5,000,000.00 nowadays. 
It is hard do work a lot and need to work 5x than people from other countries to buy the same products, cars, etc. 
I have a Toyota Corolla. I needed (when the dollar was less expensive) to work 3 times more to buy the same car I could buy in 3 months in the USA. Today maybe I need to work 6 times. The car is the same, but my power buying is less. 

To live a digital nomad style, you could do one of three paths:

1. Work for Someone Else (Remote Job)
   
2. Freelancing
   
3. Entrepreneurship
   

You seem to have excellent communication and leadership skills, so pursuing a path in business consulting could be a great fit. Marketing could also be a strong option for you.

The challenging part will be choosing a path and giving it a try.

I thought about these options.
I imagine a Remote Job could be a good choice to see what the marketing is asking for nowadays. 

I do freelancing here, too, developing websites, etc. 
I think it can be a good option to get Freelance jobs to be motivated to learn new solutions. 

Entrepreneurship can be a good option for the next year. I am thinking about opening an LLC in the USA. 

The USA and Europe bring a lot of new opportunities I do not have at this time.

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...

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Acquiring an accreditation is not a quick process. The third visit was considered as final, so we will see the results soon.
NA is also not so bad. You can always transfer to RA for the last year. And many universities accept NA bachelors for RA masters.

Currently, I have a scholarship in UoP, so it is free for me. 
Also, UoP gives free access to Oracle Academy so you can get some valuable industry certificates while studying.

If you're considering transferring credits, you'd better go with Sophia, as it allows 20 courses to be transferred for free.
There is a fee for transferring credits to UoP.

I agree with you about the accreditation process. But I need to say that it is not possible to say it will happen this year or in the next one. I hope so!

I'll try a scholarship there, too. Maybe this will not be possible, but I will try in 2026 after I have 90 credits to transfer. 

Good to know about Oracle Academy.

What I like about Sophia is the fact you can do as many courses in a month as you can (2 at the same time).

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Far be it for us to discourage someone who clearly wants to get a degree. I can see how getting a CS degree might make a little sense if you're looking to go into software development, especially if you can do so without spending a lot.

I still mostly agree with @bjcheung77 that you could simply ladder into a master's program from where you are (after getting the certs). However, if you do want the CS bachelors, the fastest is going to be TESU. You'll have to get your transcripts evaluated, and probably take some ACE courses on top of the certs, but that really depends on a lot of things.

UoP could work for you as well, but I disagree that it would be easy to find an RA masters that takes the NA bachelors. However, that point is moot for you as you already have a foreign bachelor's, which will cover that requirement.

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Data Analytics: if possible for less than U$ 1K - 2K and less than 6 months (when I had 90 credits to transfer.

Master's program, 2 options: 
1. Direct: without a Bachelor's degree. (Cheaper option)
2. After the Bachelor's degree (I'll lose at least 6 - 12 months more in this option).

My big problem with Master's is: how much will I earn more to finish it?
I am thinking as a TI teacher not a person inside a company that loves to pay a plus U$ 10K salary just because you have a Master's degree. 

 The reason I asked you is because I think you have more experience in the USA and European markets than me. I have none.



TESU:
I started to watch more YT videos and the Wiki and posts here about it. 
It is more expensive than UoP.
Maybe I could finish faster there than in the UoP.

I could see that you (all) do not like UoP very much. It is difficult to read about it here in this forum. 



NEW SALARY:
I am planning to get a part-time remote job in 2025 gaining in dollars or euros. With this new salary, I can pay for the cost of the TESU and UoP fees in just one month of work. 


Thank you!

[DragonDF]

Hello DF's members,

I am thinking about asking about the University of the People so you can bring me more experience.

But before I searched the internet and other old posts here, people talked about this National accreditand University. 

It's an Israeli University, right?

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_the_People

[color=var(--color-emphasized,#101418)]Facilities
[color=var(--color-subtle,#54595d)][[/color]edit[color=var(--color-subtle,#54595d)]][/color][/color]
The "main campus" of the university is a facility in Pasadena, California.[22]
University of the People Education Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary[23] which provides support services to the institution.[24] The subsidiary is registered with the Israeli Corporations Authority[25] and maintains an office in Tel Aviv, Israel.[26

Accreditation:

Accreditation

• University of the People is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission.
  
• The Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency.
  
• The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). 
  

IA explaining:

[color=var(--m3c11)]Yes, the University of the People (UoPeople) was founded by an Israeli entrepreneur: 

[/color]

• Founder
  [color=var(--m3c10)]Shai Reshef, an Israeli entrepreneur and educational philanthropist, founded UoPeople in 2009. Reshef had previously worked in international education for over 20 years[/color]
  

After thinking about it these last few days and realizing that even using some acceleration strategies, I would have to pay for several credits and be forced to participate in subjects that I taught. It's not very interesting.
The undergraduate course in Computer Science lasts 4 years and even if I hacked it, I would lose at least 6 months to 12 years of my life searching for credits.
I already have several degrees. I have a focus in the market and how companies will look at my Résumé. 

The Master's course in Computer Science is shorter, around 12 months, and allows me to transfer 50% of the credits, making it a 6-month course and half the price.

I could still try to finish it in 3 months so that I would have a degree in the United States at a higher level than the undergraduate degree in the IT area.

I would like to know about other cheaper options for Master's in Computer Science or Master's in Data Analysis that allow international students and be ONLINE. I'll need to take 50% of the credits yet.

[/url]Can I transfer credits to the Master of Science in Information Technology program at UoPeople? 

[url=https://www.uopeople.edu/programs/online-masters/information-technology/#xcollapse5][color=rgba(18, 18, 18, 0.8)]Yes. Students pursuing a Master’s degree can transfer up to 18 credits (equal to 50% of the program requirement) from another accredited institution toward their UoPeople degree.  
[/color]Link: https://www.uopeople.edu/programs/online...echnology/

I saw that there is a National College Credit website (link: https://www.nationalccrs.org/course-credit-directory) with several members.

Were there other American Universities similar to UoP? National or Regional Accredited?

[ss20ts]

I don't know where these numbers are coming from for the US. Uber drivers don't have a set salary and their earnings vary drastically from area to area. Even within the same state their earnings will vary dramatically. Also you need consider how much they owe in taxes as they are not employees so they now have to file quarterly tax forms along with payments to the feds and state. They do not have healthcare. They do not have vacation or sick days. They do not have workers' comp. They can't get promotions or raises. They are responsible for wear and tear on their vehicle and keeping it spotless - all of which can be very costly. The price of gas varies from state to state and that's on them as well.

Where I live Uber drivers aren't earning $4k a month. $4k doesn't go very far when you consider how much they have to pay in taxes and vehicle maintenance and gas. Rent here will easily cost you at a minimum of $1500 for a 1 bedroom plus utilities. Don't forget your first and last month's rent plus security deposit so you're easily looking at over $4500 just to get an apartment here.

Oh and don't forget that you need a valid state driver's license and auto insurance that covers your vehicle and occupants which is not a standard policy so it too will cost more.

[DragonDF]

More Info I got here in this forum about University Of the People of Israel:

Use @housecat (link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ing?page=2) 

Oooof I feel the vibe here, I've haven't attended Excelsior University, but that isn't a glowing review, makes sense though. Interesting for me!  

With respect to University of the People, basically it's a real scam, uopeople.reviews lifts the veil to reveal it's not even a USA school, it's siphoned and run through its Israel company University of the People Education Ltd.

It's a complete mess as documented in the section "The for-profit Israeli company that doesn't pay any taxes in the US" and the leader is quite enigmatic as documented on https://www.onlinescams.uk/shai-reshef a fake Nobel-prize winner, a previous convicted scammer. Also this reviews page clearly outlines the "quality" or lack thereof in the education.

More problems include fake computer centres built for Haiti (doesn't exist), fake news and reviews proliferation, tuition-free degrees which cost admin fees which are still too much for the quality, it's run from a POBox in the USA and the employees are mostly located to Israel and market to Palestinians (that's why they have an Arabic website) and employees grossly underpaid, working under fake identities. You can imagine the quality you get from that... No graduation ceremonies. Wikipedia and Reddit bombardment, fake scholarships and partnerships, and the lack of proper accreditation.

With other options available, I would say steer clear of UoPeople.

More views about the University of the People?

Updated: https://www.onlinescams.uk/uopeople-univ...le-reviews

[DragonDF]

I don't know where these numbers are coming from for the US. Uber drivers don't have a set salary and their earnings vary drastically from area to area. Even within the same state their earnings will vary dramatically. Also you need consider how much they owe in taxes as they are not employees so they now have to file quarterly tax forms along with payments to the feds and state. They do not have healthcare. They do not have vacation or sick days. They do not have workers' comp. They can't get promotions or raises. They are responsible for wear and tear on their vehicle and keeping it spotless - all of which can be very costly. The price of gas varies from state to state and that's on them as well.

Where I live Uber drivers aren't earning $4k a month. $4k doesn't go very far when you consider how much they have to pay in taxes and vehicle maintenance and gas. Rent here will easily cost you at a minimum of $1500 for a 1 bedroom plus utilities. Don't forget your first and last month's rent plus security deposit so you're easily looking at over $4500 just to get an apartment here.  

Oh and don't forget that you need a valid state driver's license and auto insurance that covers your vehicle and occupants which is not a standard policy so it too will cost more.

I agree with you that the salary is not the same in all states. The YT videos I watched are from people working from 6am to 8pm or something like that. 14h x $32 = $448. I think they need to pay 15% in taxes if I am not wrong. 
As I wrote I do not have an interest in getting a green card. 
I'll live as a digital nomad as a software developer (one of my acknowledgment areas) visiting new places. 
Maybe 2 months for each country and paying NO TAXES. 

In Brazil I need to pay 27,5% of my salary to the government. Everything you buy there are taxes inside. In the final of the month the Government got 50% of your salary. It is something like in Canada where people lose 40% of their salary to the state. 

About Uber drivers there is another problem: the risk of life. 

Have a nice week!

[LevelUP]

In Brazil I need to pay 27,5% of my salary to the government. Everything you buy there are taxes inside. In the final of the month the Government got 50% of your salary. It is something like in Canada where people lose 40% of their salary to the state. 

Have a nice week!

5 Stages of Grief

[DragonDF]

...

5 Stages of Grief

I am at the last level: 'Tax is theft. The state is my biggest enemy.
heheheeh

I think I'll be there until I die.



After I read the University of the People reviews like a scam Israeli company I won't use it as an option for a Master's degree. 

As I already have a Master's Degree, I do not know if I need another one to get a REMOTE JOB. I will try to apply for a few jobs to see what they are looking for. If I do not have the experience they want, I will try to make the course or certification. 


Now I can understand why some of you do not like giving UoP as a first choice. It does not have a building in the USA. It uses a PO box.