Community College credits to BS?

[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.