Author Topic: Education?  (Read 6748 times)

fredcanfly

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Education?
« on: August 11, 2015, 05:21:27 PM »
I am currently one of those whose income is about $25,000/yr, and I am supporting a family of four on that (and managed to start saving $100/mo a few months ago).  My wife is who really makes that kind of thing possible, as she grows a lot of our veggies and herbs, cooks most things from scratch, and loves every minute of it.  Now that's said, I don't want her working (and neither does she), as her value at home is quite a bit higher than the minimum wage she could garner.  However, I need to increase my income, and although MMM has some options for those without college, I would prefer just to get an education and start making better money on that.

My GI Bill (I am a Veteran) will pay for most any school, but I do have a bit of a time crunch if I would like to see my kids every once in a while.  Also, as I would prefer to be able to get college knocked out as quickly as possible (so I can start really saving for retirement), I am considering going to Western Governor's University and getting an IT Security degree (I have A+ and Net+ and a passion for Cisco products from my former job in the Air Force).  This would accelerate my ability to get a high(er) paying job and allow for more management-type opportunities as I can say I graduated from college.

Does anyone have any experience with this University?  They seem legitimate, but the way they structure classes and tuition is like nothing I have ever seen before.  Just wondering if anyone knows anything about them, or could point me to some pitfalls that I should be looking out for.  Thank you so much for all of your help!

Retired To Win

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Re: Education?
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2015, 07:23:05 PM »
If the reason for seeking an education is income, why don't you consider studying a trade instead?  It seems to me that electricians and plumbers do very, very well without the investment of both time and money required to seek a college degree.

asiljoy

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Re: Education?
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2015, 09:40:28 AM »
Best way to figure out if they're legit is find their alumni program and go to a gathering or contact a graduate. Talking to people who already went is invaluable. If you have time, I'd look for people who already have the job you want and take them out for coffee. hearing their stories/how they got there can be enormously helpful. But from my seat, IT Security seems like it'd be a good bet, especially if you already have some experience in this area and have a career path mapped out.

As far as tuition, the University of Minnesota structured tuition in a similar manner(the flat rate per semester thing). The U had it so that anything over X amount of credits was free. It was awesome and they did it to encourage people to get done on time vs spending 5 years or longer getting a BA.

MDM

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Re: Education?
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2015, 09:54:01 AM »
This school may be perfectly fine.  The word "online", however, has negative connotations so you should investigate who hires the graduates, in what locations, and for what pay.  Good suggestion toward that end from asiljoy.  Also check with their "career services" or "placement" (there are various names for this) office to get information.


 

TheRabbit

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Re: Education?
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2015, 02:50:51 PM »
Also check for accreditation. It is extremely important!

AZDude

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Re: Education?
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2015, 03:14:49 PM »
Back in the day when I was somewhat stupidly considering a graduate degree, I looked at Western Governors, but I figured that a degree from an unknown online school would probably be worth about as much as roll of toilet paper.

Use your GI Bill on something more concrete. If you like IT, then get a BS from the local university. Working and going to school will be tough, but thats where you are now.

mxt0133

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Re: Education?
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2015, 03:35:23 PM »
Anecdotal story:  My brother was in college for Nursing until he had a cadaver course and ran out throwing up.  He then changed majors to Psychology, which he knew he wouldn't be make a career out of, he just choose it as that is what most of his courses he had already taken would transfer to be able to graduate in time.  In the mean time he took a bunch of IT certifications, A+, Microsoft Certifications, Networking certifications, ect.  He then graduated and applied for any job he could get, he work for an insurance company as an adjuster just for the pay check.  After a few more certifications he got a job at IBM, then some start-up, after a few more Cisco certifications he is now a network architect at a major telecomm.

So although you don't necessarily need a degree to start in IT, if you want to move up will need a minimum of a Bachelor to qualify if you plan to work for any Fortune 1000 company.  Since you have the GI bill I would start college and work towards a BA/BS degree while working on some certifications to get a job in the industry.  From there just continue to work and take classes part-time. 

It might take you 5-6 years but it can be done.  Something my former co-worker did.  He was already a senior developer but didn't have a degree, went part-time while working full-time with a wife and two kids.  Graduated at 43 with a BS in Computer Science.  Was it worth it career wise, I have no idea?  But it was a person goal and if you want it bad enough it can be done.  You just won't be watching much TV or going out every weekend.

deborah

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Re: Education?
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2015, 05:46:03 PM »
Many people in the computer industry - particularly the areas you are looking at - don't have degrees. Certification is much more important. Having said that, there are some degrees that incorporate certifications as part of the course. I'm a bit surprised that you don't have CISCO certifications already, given what you have done. With the certifications and the experience you already have, I would think you could easily get a job in the area.

I worked in that side of the computer industry for many years but have been retired for a few years, so maybe I am a bit out of date about needing a degree and the ease of getting a job.

big_slacker

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Re: Education?
« Reply #8 on: August 13, 2015, 06:42:15 PM »
Hey man, I'm a CCIE Security. Also a college dropout. Income is mid 100's, I'm constantly amazed and grateful this field rewards us this well without the need for traditional education.

I highly recommend if you have a passion for network/security engineering to get working on the certs first and start getting good experience in the field. Especially if you still have clearance from the AF, you can go to work for one of the VARs or consulting companies.

Depending on what path you want to take I can give you some advice on what resources to use, how to balance certs vs experience and how to advance quickly. Feel free to message me.

hudsoncat

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Re: Education?
« Reply #9 on: August 14, 2015, 02:29:45 PM »
Western Governors University is legit from the stand point that they are accredited (important!) and non-profit (important in my book). That said, if you are interested in online classes, plenty of brick and mortar universities/colleges offer a lot of online classes. I work for a college, we have entire degrees you can earn without stepping on campus at all. If the degree route is the route you want to go, I would look into local options. Even if you have to take a class here or there in person, there is a good chance you could take large parts of your degree online. WGU isn't a terrible choice if you look at your options and think what it offers will work best for your situation, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

I would encourage you to take the advice of others about the certification route as well, I know a handful of people doing very well in the tech field without a degree/associates degree only plus the right certifications. I would not encourage you to look at any of the for-profit, frequently unaccredited 'colleges' out there promising big money in the IT field "with just one year of education!"

MrMoneyMaxwell

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Re: Education?
« Reply #10 on: August 14, 2015, 03:18:33 PM »
Fred,

As a USAF vet and someone that survived off of the GI Bill for college I can tell you that there are a lot of universities willing to take that GI Bill. That being said, you can do what I did and also work for the University's IT department part time to gather work experience. My experience and former USAF job was probably different, but I was able to make it work and get part time (20 hrs/week) as a student employee. I have not had personal experience with WGU, but I can say that most schools will accept veterans just based on them being veterans and able to pay full tuition.

Personally, I just went to the best engineering school that accepted me when I finished my enlistment. It's worked out pretty well so far. I would suggest doing the same thing (within geographical limitations). While I worked in that U's IT department, half of the employees were prior student employees that were hired on with pretty good benefits and reasonable salary.

Pete

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Re: Education?
« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2015, 10:02:07 PM »
You could look at getting an engineering degree (even from a 3rd rate school) and use your vet preference to apply for a Government job at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The pay is rather nice and your military time gets added for calculations of years in service for retirement. In a few years you could be working from home thus seeing your family more.

socalteacher

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Re: Education?
« Reply #12 on: August 16, 2015, 12:18:28 PM »
My wife just got her MA in Ed from Western Governors. It was all online. It was accredited and bumped her over on our salary scale. She found that the counselors were very helpful and the technology side of it was set up very well. The best part was that she could work at her own pace and that the pricing was basically 3k for as much as you can do in 6 months. She busted her ass and did the entire 18-24 month (suggested time frame) in just under 7 months. Her classes were basically a pass/fail system where you had to prove your competency in an area before you could move on. Some classes took her 4 weeks while some she could complete in 1 week as she already had tons of knowledge and experience in the area of study.

I had gotten the same MA in Ed as she did from a traditional university and would say that what she learned was on par with the level I received. I actually preferred her program as it was 100% online and she did not have to deal with all the discussion boards and group work where you have to count on other people to do their part of the work.

I would say this type of learning is not for the lazy person because you have to set the time aside to get the work done. If she would have done the work in the suggested time frame it would have cost her 9-12k total.

Cost wise I paid $11,000 for my MA and she paid $4200.

lemonlyman

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Re: Education?
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2015, 02:06:33 PM »
I just got my accounting degree from WGU. Cost me $5780 over a year, but I got a nice $7,000 salary bump. Being able to complete work at your own pace is great. I saved money on tuition and captured opportunity cost by having my degree so much sooner than a traditional school.

eyePod

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Re: Education?
« Reply #14 on: October 29, 2015, 02:28:55 PM »
If the reason for seeking an education is income, why don't you consider studying a trade instead?  It seems to me that electricians and plumbers do very, very well without the investment of both time and money required to seek a college degree.

Plumbers kind of have a literally shitty job. And it's a lot worse when it isn't your shit.

If I did it over again it'd be programming.

civil

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Re: Education?
« Reply #15 on: October 29, 2015, 02:55:11 PM »
I know some people who went to WGU. They liked it. But my question is, does it work with GI bill? You don't know how many credits you'll finish in a semester, so how do you know if you're full time for BAH??

NMdeskjockey

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Re: Education?
« Reply #16 on: October 29, 2015, 04:11:57 PM »
Long time lurker, but wanted to chime in on this!  I also recently completed an accounting degree from WGU and had pretty much the same experience as socalteacher's wife.  I will say, if you do not have some experience in the field you're shooting for and/or are not extremely comfortable learning on your own and/or have no prior college experience, WGU may not be for you.

As far as the GI Bill goes, my vet sister looked into them briefly and was worried she would have to come up with the tuition upfront before getting reimbursed.  She has a Caddy and a Nissan Armada in the garage of their 2500sqft house by the way....

Again, if you're already working in your field, the WGU degree is probably fine as far as employer credibility.  The degree is issued from their Salt Lake brick-and-mortar campus so it's not obvious it was online if the employer isn't familiar with them.  If you're looking to break into a field, I honestly don't know how it holds up.  If you're a motivated individual, you can't beat the bang for the buck though.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!