I'm very confused about online classes through certain schools. Back in 2005 I was taking online classes and checking every avenue that I could find. I could find very few that were legitimate and accredited. When I found ones that were accredited, they were horribly expensive. I emailed various HR department heads at various companies and asked them how they feel about people with online degrees. I was told by them all that they are not worth the paper they are written on.
Has this truly chanced? Do any of you have a good experience with earning a degree online and going on to put that degree to work?
Whether it's University of Phoenix or a brick and mortar school the degrees rarely pay for themselves. That's the problem with our education system and why I have not gone back. People are always suggesting that I take early childhood education. If I had any desire at all to open an actual daycare center I would. I would need a degree in order to qualify as a director. But, the amount of money that a person is able to earn simply does not justify the cost of the education. I could just as easily hire someone else with a degree to be the director if I had access to the funds to open a center. So I don't know if I would go to school for anything related to education unless it was to teach elementary school. I love the kids I work with. But the thing I love most about my career now is being here for the moms that need me. I have little interest in institutionalized education and working with children in that setting. I always come back to the point that I can not even live on what I could earn working in a daycare setting. So why go into debt to live below the poverty level? That's CRAZY.
Pheonix University is TERRIBLE. The degrees they offer will NOT in most cases pay the student back for the money spent. I have read many articles about how deeply in debt the people come out and how hard it is to find a job in the field they went to school for. The degree is accredited, but I believe in the past most HR people have said they don't value that degree. I don't know when or if that will change. But even when they do get a job, it's YEARS to pay back the loans.
The ONLY reason I would go to school is to build up my mind. I truly don't have any desire to leave my in-home daycare UNLESS I could figure out how to pay for a law degree. Law is the only thing I've gone back to many times over that I would like to do. Correspondence law is really only possible for California...possibility again maybe someday. I was actually approved to go to Law School via correspondence in California. I went for 6 months and had to quit because of money and my husband losing his job. I hope someday the world accepts online degrees and I do think we are moving in that direction.
I would not go to a specifically online school. The community colleges that I have gone to have online degree programs which seem to be okay. I have taken quite a few online classes and some have been great and some have been bad. I am now at a 4 year university and the price of an online class is just crazy!!
There are a couple fairly legitimate "e-schools", but even then, most employeers will choose a graduate from ANY public or private college than an Eschool.
MOST (an in every single one I've ever come across) real colleges (community or university) offer their classes online. Some degree programs you can do entirely online, the ones with lab work (arts and sciences... like ceramics or nursing) you can do about half of your degree that way. AND then you get all the FUNDING through state, federal, and private scholarships, grants, loans.
Online only schools/degrees are pretty much worthless.
Most colleges and universities (including community college) offer online classes, but you must also show up in person for some of it. And the online classes are even harder than being in class because 1) they are compressed, a lot of work expected in a shorter amount of time and 2) you don't get as much peer/teacher support because you are for the most part, on your own.
There are also evening classes, that's what I did when my kids were little.
Based on your previous post, why not go for an associates degree in early childhood education? Seems like that makes the most sense since you don't plan on giving up your daycare :)
my husband got his degree with national university online. He is now working and if he didn't have that degree, he wouldn't have the job he has now. It did cost a lot though and we are paying for it now
Do not use university of phoenix. He started out there and after a year of taking stupid classes, he switched to national. National wouldn't not accept any of the classes he took from phoenix because it is not an accredited school. So, he had to start over from scratch.
You need to find a school that has an actual campus associated with it. The degree itself will not state whether you earned it online or physically in class.
I know you are very secure in your faith. Check out St. Leo University out of Florida. It is a Christian based school and you must take two religion courses, but other than that, it is strictly courses toward your degree. My husband got his bachelor's there and three months later landed a six figure income job. They didn't give a hoot that it was an online degree because it came from an accredited college.
They have many programs, and some could really help you boost your income within your home daycare, things such as an early childhood education degree.
I will say I am not sure about the cost because the GI Bill paid for it and I know the classes were priced so that no military student had to pay tuition out of pocket.
I am going to answer you again! =)
There are TONS of websites and "schools" that claim you can "get your degree here fast and cheap!!" ... Those websites I would not trust and would not be legit.
University of Phoenix I hear is pretty awesome and definitely legit. National University is awesome and they have actual campuses as well as online classes. Yes, they are expensive, but what college isn't nowadays you know? Almost all jobs say bachelor/master degree at an accredited University, which those two are. I am working and I got my degree from an online University. It is amazing when you have kids or prior obligations that take up a lot of your time and energy during the day.
Hope I helped! =)
I think it depends upon three things: first, the accreditation; second, the degree offered; and third, the transferability of credits.
Some schools say they're accredited, and then when you look deeper into it, they're accredited by some organization that is obviously as bogus as the school. "Accredited by the Really Good School Accreditation Company". Others will be accredited by a legitimate, nationally or regionally respected organization that grants accreditation. Research whomever the school says it's accredited by, and see what other schools they are associated with.
And the degree: if it's education you want to pursue but they offer a bachelor of arts in education, an HR department will know that you did not have classroom experience, as you would have if you had been granted a bachelor of science degree. Things like "Bachelor of Arts in Creative Playtime" just aren't going to be worth it.
And ask if the courses you take would be accepted as transfer courses to a main university. That's a huge giveaway. A legitimate school's course work would be transferable to a traditional school.
I am a community college professor and have taught online for 17 years. I would strongly encourage you to contact your local community college to see if you can get an A.A. degree first through your local college. It will be much less expensive and it will be from an accredited college. You will also have better opportunities when it comes to transferring or getting a certificate from another online institute. You do not mention if you have ever taken any college courses before. The community college option is great if you have not yet taken college courses or if it has been a long time since you have been in school. It will give you the chance to "learn how to learn" again and that means you will be more successful when it comes time to take specialized (expensive) courses online (ones that can get you into a specific career). Many online-only institutes are not ethical when it comes to assessing a student's skills and make promises about future salaries that are not realistic. Be very careful about this and be very careful about anyone who is pushing you to apply for financial aid as the first priority.....many institutes/online colleges are being investigated for financial aid fraud. They hire folks on commission to get the federal financial aid and then the students are hung out to dry because the programs are not effective and the students end up with a ton of debt and a meaningless degree.
One last thing, there is a bias against online classes/degrees. I have had to write specific letters for former students of mine in order to clarify that my online classes are just as strenuous as my traditional classes.
Good luck.
Most large schools and universities anymore offer a large amount of courses online, and often have several degrees you can complete completely online, or at least with only a couple weekend trips to labs on campus. They count the same as an "on campus" degree and work though outreach or distance learning programs. However, they do cost the same as the courses would in a regular class setting. where you save money is that you don't have to travel to school or pay for housing, and you can usually "attend" class at your leisure - which is good for people who have to work.
My mom is 90% of the way through a degree in business administration... which is almost all online... the downside, it has taken her years longer to meet her requirements than if she could have taken a few years of of work and gone to college "on campus". That said, she didn't have to take time off of work!
-M.
Schools like Walden University and Capella are accredited, offer financial aid options, and are gaining a good reputation in the work world. President Clinton just gave the graduation address for Walden this summer.
As with any school, you will need to research the education requirements for the field you want to enter. I am obtaining a PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology through Walden. If I wanted a Counseling Psychology degree, their accredidation would not be adequate for licensing in Minnesota (each state has different licensing requirements) but I/O Psychologists are not licensed in MN.
You need to do the research, depending on your needs.
I think online degrees are becoming more and more acceptable. Like night school. There are so many hours in the day to get everything accomplished and paid for! I used to date a guy before I was married that worked at University of Phoenix and have several teacher friends that actually taught classes through them, so I know it is legit. I agree with the other ladies that have responded, search for real "brick and mortar" schools that offer online classes. I think most community colleges offer classes online now. I think you should go for it!
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I think online degrees are becoming more and more acceptable. Like night school. There are so many hours in the day to get everything accomplished and paid for! I used to date a guy before I was married that worked at University of Phoenix and have several teacher friends that actually taught classes through them, so I know it is legit. I agree with the other ladies that have responded, search for real "brick and mortar" schools that offer online classes. I think most community colleges offer classes online now. I think you should go for it!
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