36 yr old International Student with 0 credits and work experience

[AnandB]

Your Location: India
Your Age: 35 (36 next month)
What kind of degree do you want?: A degree to get a job in IT sector in US/Canada
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 0
Budget: Max of 20k USD, prefer to save as much as i can
Commitments: 2 cats, mother, wife and a 4yr old daughter but i can focus solely on working/studying because of their support.
Dedicated time to study: 1-2 hours/day if i join Amazon Customer Support job. 6 hours/day at-least if not working.
Timeline: Max of 2 years
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None
Target: Get an entry level job after 2 years or sooner if possible.


Hi,

Past couple of months have brought major changes in my life and now i am in a position similar to 18 years ago when i finished my high school but worse and old. I went to study at Uni of Auckland for 3.5 years between 2004-2007 but am a dropout with nothing to show for it (no credits). Since then i have been involved in my father's transport business and other endeavors but these are not something i can much use on my resume. I even had a US green card (through grandmother) from 2008-2018 which got expired as i couldn't leave the business and move to US. But now all this has come to bite me and i have to find work/job to take care of my family.

I am good with computers. I studied basic java when i was in HS and my degree at Uni of Auckland started with Bach. of Business and Information Management which i later switched to Bach. in Science (Computer Science) but due to my reasons i never finished it. I studied .Net, VB, SQL, back then which i used to love but never got to advanced levels for any of them. All of this is more than 15 years back and i probably need to refresh my high school math first of all.

My cousin is working in Amazon Customer Support (chat) and she says i can easily get the same job (chat or voice depending on their assessment test) which i plan to do for now while i plan for the future. Since i am basically starting over i prefer to move out of India for my daughter's future. My sister lives in US and i have extended families both in US and Canada. I am thinking of Canada as i can get faster PR there and can move my family there quickly too.

I have been reading online and watching resources past week, one of which led me to find this forum. I need advice on how to proceed from here. My target is to get an entry level IT job after 2 years at a maximum. I was initially planning to move to Canada next year and do a diploma or something along with some certifications and hope to get a job. But i watched some videos how I can get an accelerated degree using Study.com credits from TESU in 2 years. Specifically this recent video from Josh Madakor:
Online Degree in Under 2 Years (OUTSIDE THE U.S. OK!) - TESU+Study.com

So i wanted some clarifications about this:
Can i do this completely while sitting here in India? Or i can move to US on student Visa and do this from there?
Most of all after i get a degree like this can I get a a job in US while sitting here to be to able to move on work visa?
Is there something similar i can do for a Canadian University? Canada preferred because of relatively easy PR.

Thanks for your help.

[ss20ts]

You attended the University of Auckland for 3.5 years and did not earn any credits? That doesn't make much sense.

Online programs that we talk about on here will not grant you a student visa in the US. If you came to the US on a student visa, you wouldn't be able to work. You need to do some serious research on immigration in the US and Canada. It is not easy. Far from it. Your best bet maybe to complete your degree and get a job with a software consulting firm in India which would allow you to work in the US.

[AnandB]

You attended the University of Auckland for 3.5 years and did not earn any credits? That doesn't make much sense.

Online programs that we talk about on here will not grant you a student visa in the US. If you came to the US on a student visa, you wouldn't be able to work. You need to do some serious research on immigration in the US and Canada. It is not easy. Far from it. Your best bet maybe to complete your degree and get a job with a software consulting firm in India which would allow you to work in the US.

I never checked if i got any credits for the courses i did because i never needed them again. I might have to contact and ask if they will provide any now because i simply left in the middle and its been 15+ years now. And they were mostly early semester courses and not advanced ones so after such a long break i wish to start over again to get the basics right.

You are right about student visa, i forgot about not being able to work on student visa. But my earlier question, if i get an online degree from TESU while sitting here, what are the chances of getting a job in US because of a US degree and move there on work visa?

[LevelUP]

You can do the entire TESU while in India. If you do the flat-rate tuition, you can keep total costs around $6000.

The computer science degree at TESU is easier to get than the IT degree and is a better degree.

https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan

(The double degree in BSBA CIS is optional)


With TESU, you'll need RA credits, so definitely transfer in your university credits you earned 15yr ago.

I would apply to TESU, transfer in your credits, and see what you have left to do.

[Personherebb9]

Your Location: India
Your Age: 35 (36 next month)
What kind of degree do you want?: A degree to get a job in IT sector in US/Canada
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 0
Budget: Max of 20k USD, prefer to save as much as i can
Commitments: 2 cats, mother, wife and a 4yr old daughter but i can focus solely on working/studying because of their support.
Dedicated time to study: 1-2 hours/day if i join Amazon Customer Support job. 6 hours/day at-least if not working.
Timeline: Max of 2 years
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None
Target: Get an entry level job after 2 years or sooner if possible.


Hi,

Past couple of months have brought major changes in my life and now i am in a position similar to 18 years ago when i finished my high school but worse and old. I went to study at Uni of Auckland for 3.5 years between 2004-2007 but am a dropout with nothing to show for it (no credits). Since then i have been involved in my father's transport business and other endeavors but these are not something i can much use on my resume. I even had a US green card (through grandmother) from 2008-2018 which got expired as i couldn't leave the business and move to US. But now all this has come to bite me and i have to find work/job to take care of my family.

I am good with computers. I studied basic java when i was in HS and my degree at Uni of Auckland started with Bach. of Business and Information Management which i later switched to Bach. in Science (Computer Science) but due to my reasons i never finished it. I studied .Net, VB, SQL, back then which i used to love but never got to advanced levels for any of them. All of this is more than 15 years back and i probably need to refresh my high school math first of all.

My cousin is working in Amazon Customer Support (chat) and she says i can easily get the same job (chat or voice depending on their assessment test) which i plan to do for now while i plan for the future. Since i am basically starting over i prefer to move out of India for my daughter's future. My sister lives in US and i have extended families both in US and Canada. I am thinking of Canada as i can get faster PR there and can move my family there quickly too.

I have been reading online and watching resources past week, one of which led me to find this forum. I need advice on how to proceed from here. My target is to get an entry level IT job after 2 years at a maximum. I was initially planning to move to Canada next year and do a diploma or something along with some certifications and hope to get a job. But i watched some videos how I can get an accelerated degree using Study.com credits from TESU in 2 years. Specifically this recent video from Josh Madakor:
Online Degree in Under 2 Years (OUTSIDE THE U.S. OK!) - TESU+Study.com

So i wanted some clarifications about this:
Can i do this completely while sitting here in India? Or i can move to US on student Visa and do this from there?
Most of all after i get a degree like this can I get a a job in US while sitting here to be to able to move on work visa?
Is there something similar i can do for a Canadian University? Canada preferred because of relatively easy PR.

Thanks for your help.

Firstly, I would definitely reach out to University of Auckland to get some official transcripts of courses you completed while there. Have those transcripts evaluated by an American evaluator such as ACEI for the equivalent credits. From there I would apply to TESU, send in your (evaluated) transcripts and get an evaluation done of the courses you still need to complete. I would suggest doing TESU's BA Computer Science program, since it's one of the easier ones to get credits for.

Then I would set up a degree plan (List of courses still needed and then courses you can take through Study/other sources). At TESU, you can transfer in a max of 117/120 credits (if you pay the residency waiver fee and as long as 30 of those credits are RA credits (if you can get a transcript evaluation from uni of Auckland this shouldn't be an issue)). Alternatively, you can transfer in 104 credits and then complete 1 final 3 month term at TESU, that would cost you a bit less than doing the residency waiver route. 

Please review the forum's wiki for a rough degree plan for TESU's BA CS: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...ience_Plan

My advice: reach out to university of Auckland first for those transcripts. Once you have them, reply again on this thread and we would be able to help you from there.

Answer to your question:
1) Yes you can do this in India and no, online universities are not legally allowed to grant student visas to international students.
2) Yes, you will be able to get a job in the US with a degree. Disclaimer: the job should be a visa sponsorship job; try racking up relevant work experience, since work experience is in most cases more valued than any degree; be prepared to get rejected A LOT. A lot of people are wanting to move to the USA and many international applicants fight for those visa-sponsorship jobs so be prepared for that, getting a degree from the USA does not guarantee you a job in the USA.
3) I'm not aware of any competency-based universities in Canada. However, to me at least, it seems like Canadian universities are fairly respected and well-received in the US and visa-versa.

Just added: Immigration is not easy. Many countries will not allow you in the country without a work/student visa for anything other than vacation, even then they are very strict on who you are able to bring with and they will check if you have enough money at your disposal to sustain you and your family. So honestly, try finding a relevant job in India for the time being, anything IT related, get your degree, have a STELLAR CV and apply to anything and everything.

[emills]

Your Location: India
Your Age: 35 (36 next month)
What kind of degree do you want?: A degree to get a job in IT sector in US/Canada
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 0
Budget: Max of 20k USD, prefer to save as much as i can
Commitments: 2 cats, mother, wife and a 4yr old daughter but i can focus solely on working/studying because of their support.
Dedicated time to study: 1-2 hours/day if i join Amazon Customer Support job. 6 hours/day at-least if not working.
Timeline: Max of 2 years
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: None
Target: Get an entry level job after 2 years or sooner if possible.


Hi,

Past couple of months have brought major changes in my life and now i am in a position similar to 18 years ago when i finished my high school but worse and old. I went to study at Uni of Auckland for 3.5 years between 2004-2007 but am a dropout with nothing to show for it (no credits). Since then i have been involved in my father's transport business and other endeavors but these are not something i can much use on my resume. I even had a US green card (through grandmother) from 2008-2018 which got expired as i couldn't leave the business and move to US. But now all this has come to bite me and i have to find work/job to take care of my family.

I am good with computers. I studied basic java when i was in HS and my degree at Uni of Auckland started with Bach. of Business and Information Management which i later switched to Bach. in Science (Computer Science) but due to my reasons i never finished it. I studied .Net, VB, SQL, back then which i used to love but never got to advanced levels for any of them. All of this is more than 15 years back and i probably need to refresh my high school math first of all.

My cousin is working in Amazon Customer Support (chat) and she says i can easily get the same job (chat or voice depending on their assessment test) which i plan to do for now while i plan for the future. Since i am basically starting over i prefer to move out of India for my daughter's future. My sister lives in US and i have extended families both in US and Canada. I am thinking of Canada as i can get faster PR there and can move my family there quickly too.

I have been reading online and watching resources past week, one of which led me to find this forum. I need advice on how to proceed from here. My target is to get an entry level IT job after 2 years at a maximum. I was initially planning to move to Canada next year and do a diploma or something along with some certifications and hope to get a job. But i watched some videos how I can get an accelerated degree using Study.com credits from TESU in 2 years. Specifically this recent video from Josh Madakor:
Online Degree in Under 2 Years (OUTSIDE THE U.S. OK!) - TESU+Study.com

So i wanted some clarifications about this:
Can i do this completely while sitting here in India? Or i can move to US on student Visa and do this from there?
Most of all after i get a degree like this can I get a a job in US while sitting here to be to able to move on work visa?
Is there something similar i can do for a Canadian University? Canada preferred because of relatively easy PR.

Thanks for your help.

Study.com is extremely helpful for getting credits in a flexible, inexpensive way. You could definitely fit it into your lifestyle whenever fits your schedule. In my experience it's the fastest way to earn credits so I highly recommend it.

[tuckerarabi786]

We both are in similar condition..
But i have 10+ years experience.

What have you planned ?

[AnandB]

Sorry for the late reply guys. I was able to get my transcript from Uni of Auckland (official digit transcript through My eQuals in a few days). I have no idea about what credits i earned, credit transfer, and what RA credit means. To transfer my credits to TESU will i need to get it evaluated first?

Attaching the unofficial transcript:


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[rachel83az]

Yes, you need to get everything evaluated in order for TESU to even look at it.

[AnandB]

Yes, you need to get everything evaluated in order for TESU to even look at it.

So i was looking at your guide of double degree BA CS and BSBA CIS plan and i'm liking it. Couple of questions about how to proceed now:

• Should i apply at TESU first and send my transcripts? Or start doing courses at study.com, etc. Can't find the post but is this correct that i can take admission at TESU but not enroll for a degree, do courses at SDC etc. and send their transcripts and finally enroll and do the remaining TESU courses. Just wanted to clarify the process.
  
• I know the guide is sorted in parts how the degree is at TESU but the correct way is to pick one provider (Metropolia/Study/Sophia etc.) and do all their courses before moving to next, for example all Metropolia courses -> all Study courses -> Sophia etc. to save costs. Am i right on this?
  

Thanks.