30-something, no post-HS education...

[BradF1979]

How can I get started? I know simple question, but its not really that simple, its overwhelming. I think I should start with Aleks.com or Straighterline or FEMA courses because I haven't been in school in 15 years, but I need some help... what's the best course of action to take?

I'm interested in an MIS or maybe even TESC CS (BA) degree...

Thanks...

[burbuja0512]

How can I get started? I know simple question, but its not really that simple, its overwhelming. I think I should start with Aleks.com or Straighterline or FEMA courses because I haven't been in school in 15 years, but I need some help... what's the best course of action to take?

I'm interested in an MIS or maybe even TESC CS (BA) degree...

Thanks...

Hi and welcome! Don't worry- you can do this and you'll find a ton of support here!

Perhaps you can give us just a bit more information to help you plan.

Probably the first question would be: what is more important to you, time or money? None of the Big 3 degrees are expensive when compared to traditional B&M schools, but would a hundred dollars difference here or there matter? Are you up against any deadlines? For example, has your employer told you that you need your diploma NOW?

Also, how self-disciplined are you and are you the type that gets really nervous before a test? Your amount of self-discipline will be the absolute key to your success in an un-supervised, mostly test-based plan. If you don't think that you're really able to force yourself to study and stick to a schedule with no one monitoring, the CLEP plan might not work very well.

Regarding the Straighterline vs. ALEKS question, IMHO, I highly recommend ALEKS over Straighterline to do first. Actually, I would not do either first, I would try to take a CLEP or DSST first.

You can't complete a degree plan with ALEKS and SL; they're there to fill in the blanks for subjects that you can't or don't want to test out of, so since the bulk of your degree could be CLEP/DSST tests, I would start there to get a feel for it before going further down the testing road. Pick a CLEP or DSST in a subject that interests you or one that you already know a lot about. OR if you don't see one that immediately jumps out at you, begin with one that has a very high pass rate such as Analyzing & Interpreting literature.

We see a lot of people come here, start off their plan and then graduate, but there are probably MANY more people that show up with all the best intentions and then never come back. I don't want this to happen to you, so prepare yourself and commit. I can say that being in your 30's, NOW is the time to do it. You've probably got a decent amount of career experience under your belt, so maximize your earning potential, but don't be fooled by how easy it sounds to "test out" of a degree. It's a much wiser, quicker, and cheaper path than a traditional B&M school, but it won't be easy. However, it is very possible as long as you make a plan and stick to it!

[LaterBloomer]

Brad1979, you've already taken the first step. You found this forum, and asked for help. Don't worry about not having been to school for 15 years; it will probably work in your favor. It's likely that you now have a level of maturity that you didn't have as a teenager. Also, work and life experience can make some of the tests you'll face - if you decide to go that way - easier than it would have been for you at 17 or 18. Good luck.

[Yenisei]

What are your plans for a degree, i.e., what sort of work are you trying to get and/or what sort of career do you currently have?

[ryoder]

I would recommend a BSBA General Mgmt or BSBA CIS at TESC due to the ability to test out of most of it.

To see if you like business study, start with an easy CLEP like the Principles Of Marketing CLEP book by REA. Buy the book, read it from cover to cover, do all the practice tests and learn the answers to the questions you answered wrong.
Then schedule the exam.

Try not to spend too much time on this forum at first. It can be distracting. Between you and your degree are many many hours of reading, studying and testing so it is best to get started right away.

I already had a bunch of gen ed credits but I finished my BSBA.CIS in <6 months at TESC.

[mrs.b]

Personally, I'd go with burbuja's suggestion. Get a measure of how you feel about testing by working at a CLEP or DSST exam first. You do not need to be enrolled in a school or send your scores to a school to take one - you can send the transcript later - but it will give you a good measuring tool to see if you're equipped for the testing method a lot of folks on this forum go with, or if you're just not a tester.

If you are a tester, there are a ton of threads throughout the forum that detail plans to test out of the majority of degree requirements at the various schools. If testing is not your thing, you'll want to select your school based upon course costs and availability.

Some folks are great with testing, while others are not. I can't stand testing and limit it to only those courses where time, money, or availability through other means is not feasible. I used to be great at testing when I was younger, but I just no longer excel at it. If I committed to a full test-out program like many here have, I would have already quit. By going with mostly courses (TESC Comprehensive tuition makes that affordable) and only peppering in tests where I must, it's entirely doable, and I'll still finish almost as quickly as some of the testing programs (60 credits planned/earned from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012).

Either way will work, but you need to get a measure of what is going to be easiest and best for you. By trying a test first, you'll have better information to decide your best route to take that will give you the best chance of sticking with it to earn a degree.

[dblhelx]

THis past January I started after MANY weeks exploring this site as well as many other online options.

I started with 53.5 community college credits, the last of which I completed in 1997. Been a LONG time since I cracked open a book!!

I just simply started and dug in. Enough thinking about it, I just tried a CLEP to break the ice.

Undoubtedly there will be a learning curve as you hash out your process. It just takes some time. But before you know it you will have established your groove.

So I started January first, took two weeks of studying for my first CLEP, which turned out to be overkill, and then BAM!!!! Passed my first one and from that point on I was hooked! Within a month I tested out of over 30 credits.

Took two semesters at TESC....semester one I took 9 credits. Semester two I took 6 credits (one class) along with 9 credits at UC Berekely online, ALEKS algebra, and NUMEROUS fema classes.

I studied every night. I studied and did homework on weekends for MANY hours each weekend day. I did homework on my lunch break. You see the pattern here. But I wanted to dedicate myself to graduate NOW and not drag it out. So within 6 months of starting I am now done and will have my degree this December. I missed the July deadline to apply by a day so I had to wait until now to apply. TESC messed up and I was short 1 unit so I just hammered out another FEMA in an hour.

Just get started. As soon as you do the feeling of confusion and being overwhelmed will begin to subside.

[ryoder]

dblhelix - you are my kind of guy.
Why go the slow and steady route when you can buckle down, learn your stuff and knock it out quickly?

I will never forget the feeling I had when driving out of the testing center at USF in Tampa, the school I left after 3 years of taking classes semi-full time, having passed my first CLEP, macroeconomics with a 72. I took the top off the Vette that day and played some Notorious Big and drove out of that campus in style having slayed the dragon

[dcan]

FYI for TESC the CS degree will be difficult to test out of, if it is even possible. For a test-out path the BSBA CIS can be comparable depending on what you study, and can be tested out.

[BradF1979]

Thanks for all the replies... In High School I remember not doing any of the daily or assigned homework yet passing tests pretty handily (3.8 GPA) by just paying attention in class to what as being talked about...

The CIS at TESC sounds like a good plan... I think I'll start with the Interpretting Literature CLEP and see what happens.

Where do I take CLEP tests? I'm assuming a university in my area?

Is there a list of CLEPs I can take that will benefit me in getting the CIS at TESC or is there just a bunch of research I have to do to figure out what CLEPs will count for credit and which will not.

Do I need to go ahead and apply to TESC now? Or just start taking the CLEP?