(05-23-2023, 04:10 PM)rachel83az Wrote: You need exactly the same sciences and other Gen Ed courses for a BALS and a BACS at TESU. Exactly the same. The difference is in the Area of Study. And nothing is stopping you from using extra AI/CS classes for the electives or AOS electives.
They both might be awarded as a "Bachelor of Arts", but there is a huge difference in utility between a Bachelor of Arts - Liberal Studies and a Bachelor of Arts - Computer Science. If your interest is in the technical side of things, you're potentially crippling your future job prospects by only getting the BALS instead of the BACS.
Nope. I don't have to take chemistry, biology, or a few more humanities courses. I took the IBM cybersecurity class and now am taking computer architecture, intro to python, software engineering, retaking English 2, then artificial intelligence, data structures, and the capstone, and that's my degree. I will have never taken a higher math than college algebra and will not take ANY science course.
The BALS is not labeled as such. It just just labeled as a bachelor of arts. The company I work for has preference for majors but it's not mandatory. Any degree is a shoe-in for a promotion. At that point, I'll also be in grad school for something more specialized, so I'll end up with a master's in the field of interest. Even with a bachelor of arts, I'm assuming a master's in computer science or something like that will have recruiters overlook the bachelor's in liberal studies.
(05-23-2023, 04:38 PM)bjcheung77 Wrote: @Randyb100, I didn't bother voting, as it'll most likely go toward the 'last option' like LevelUP's choice... My recommendation is to follow your current signature path as that seems like a very doable option. You pretty much know where you want to end up but have some other directions you want to test the water with... It's all good whichever way you go as the journey for everyone is different.
You've got a certain match/mix of certs, degree, experience to place on your belt, these will go towards similar industries you want to get into or extend your knowledge in... You don't have to specifically get a degree with a certain major to get into that field, especially when the industry you're going into are pretty close, from AI, Cybersecurity, IT, etc. Continue using Amazon and their tuition assistance until you finish that Masters...
They don't give tuition assitance for masters programs, but they will continue giving me $5250 a year at the bachelor level. That means that next year I can always just take whatever classes I need to get a bachelor in computer science and have it completely paid for.
I need to rush into grad school solely because of the loans. It's a now or never deal, with never being 5+ years from now. I can always take a second master's degree later, anyway.
And yeah, I know it's a big mish-mash of skills but that's how the job market is. I wanted to go into tech but couldn't land a decent job. The decent jobs I got were in warehousing and trucking, so I went with that. They required no education, but my education landed me a supervisory role and will potentially land me a manager role. I applied a few days ago for a level 4 assistant manager spot at a warehouse I used to work at, and it doesn't require a bachelor's degree. It'll be 50K+ a year, and that's not bad here. I don't live in SF or NYC so that goes a lot farther. My rent is $1400 a month or so.
TCC - AAS in Information Technology & AAS in Website Management, May 2015
Coursera - IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Certificate, April 2023
TESU - Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science, June 2024
UMGC - Master of Science in Digital Forensics, Expected August 2026
Arizona State University - Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Expected October 2025
Dallas College - Certificate in Private Investigation, Expected May 2025
*JFK School of Law (National University) - Juris Doctor (planned)
Coursera - IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Certificate, April 2023
TESU - Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science, June 2024
UMGC - Master of Science in Digital Forensics, Expected August 2026
Arizona State University - Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Expected October 2025
Dallas College - Certificate in Private Investigation, Expected May 2025
*JFK School of Law (National University) - Juris Doctor (planned)