Brand New - Want to finish my degree- not sure how this works- Looking for answers...

[mrs.b]

The best starting point is always you. If money, time, and little logistical details were not a factor, what would be the career that would make you happy to get up and go to work every day? You can get a degree in 'a little of everything' but it isn't going to mean much once you get into more stringent job requirements. What we can do is help you identify an end-goal degree based upon your ultimate "I want to be that!" career, then find an intermediate Associates degree, to help you in the immediate future in getting out of a job with an irresponsible employer, from a school that is regionally-accredited so you will not box yourself out from employers that have those restrictions.

That said, because I feel obligated to, I really encourage you to reach out to the WHD of Department of Labor as well as your state's DOL office...and think about that class action suit (only if you file a claim with WHD or state DOL first, for protection). Filing a complaint with DOL protects you from retaliation under Whistleblower regulations. If you are certain you are being shorted, and can obtain some sort of proof of that, you can not only recover your wages, but potentially also those of your coworkers who are just as scared. Does that mean you cannot get fired? No...a truly irresponsible employer can choose to do the wrong thing, but if they do it during or any time after an investigation without overwhelming evidence that you deserved it, they will be in serious trouble and will be required to compensate you in return. You wouldn't let someone repeatedly break into your house and steal food, and that is essentially what your employer is doing. ...And all that said, before I found my career path, I worked some jobs with a similar employer. Have you looked at temporary agencies to request temp-to-hire options? That's actually how I got in with my current employer and eventual position. More and more, employers are putting entry-level positions that lead into good career paths out there to try out candidates. It could be a solution to solve your short-term junky job problem, maybe get you a better wage, and also either lead you into something you can see yourself doing that you had not thought of, or let you get a good picture of different career paths to test the waters and find a direction.

P.S. If you do consider reaching out to DOL, one of other tidbit to help them sweat your employer is check their mandatory postings, and snap a quick photo on your phone of any that are out of date to provide. Not only must they have all the mandatory postings, but they must be in the correct year. Check here for the correct postings and update points. It is one of the more common violations, and if your employer is being irresponsible in wages, they're likely missing the easy-to-overlook compliance spots. Likewise, do you work with chemicals? Your employer must have MSDS sheets on every potentially dangerous chemical you may come in contact with; if they do not, or they do not have updated MSDS on every chemical, it is a violation OSHA can and will nail them on...and you can make that complaint anonymously to further sweat them. A few anonymous complaints, if you're scared to bring direct attention, will bring unwanted government attention that should be enough to make them snap to, or incur obscene fines. Responsible employers sweat OSHA, WHD, or OFCCP (all branches of DOL) visits...and when one group finds too many faults, they often alert their counterparts to take a look. Irresponsible employers are in for inspections and record reviews that would make them wish for the fiery inferno to claim them. Most think employers are the only ones that hold cards to make others' life miserable, but employees have so many tools at their disposal that most do not use. DOL hired a bunch of inspectors last year that are looking for things to do...