BA Psychology / BSc IT Related field

[boblax]

Hello, I've been researching information for the past 6 months and there are still a few questions I have regarding TESU that I hope people can help me answer here (as well as some personal questions that maybe I can get some advice on).

I'm a french citizen, in my late thirties, currently living abroad. I have autism spectrum disorder that made my life trajectory difficult, as a result I only have my high school diploma (baccalaureat) and no higher education degree. In 2019 I completed a programming school in France that delivers the equivalent knowledge of a Msc in software engineering (not comp sci, no maths /stats / etc, purely coding) but does not deliver a degree. I did manage to find a job after that as I'm decent at coding, but due do my personality the corporate environment has been challenging to navigate, not to mention France being less in tune with neurodiversity than somewhere like the US for instance. I pivoted into freelancing and then went founder mode but failed multiple times. Currently I have enough money through some investments that I made so I'm in no immediate need of a job and can support myself for the next couple of years without the need for an income.

So. Basically I want to get a degree. First of all, for my self esteem, second, because I'm planning on relocating to an Asian country (I like the culture), maybe China since I've started learning Chinese as well, and it's basically impossible to apply without at least a bachelor. Getting an online degree like WGU and TESU came up, the former doesn't accept international students so I decided to apply to TESU (my application is currently being reviewed).

There are three fields I'm mainly interested in. The first is obviously programming, it's not exactly my passion but it's something I'm good at and I enjoy doing. However I really dislike the corporate environment, and the competition (I'm autistic so my self esteem is down the drain and I don't think I can compete with emotionally adjusted people or people with excellent track record from FAANG and stuff), plus I'm old and ageism is a real thing in tech, not to mention my spotty work history with freelancing, failed startups, etc. Then I'm interested in is psychology. For obvious reasons, I've had my fair share of mental issues and I've learned quite a lot when it comes to mental illnesses, counseling, and so on. The last one is finance. I mentioned investing, I've learned a lot about macro and US politics in the past few years via some trading I've been doing in the US stock market (as well as digital assets), it's a field I genuinely enjoy. Macro, probabilities, risk, these are things I'm super interested in and I think I might be decently good at.

So far I've signed up on Sophia and completed a few classes: US History I, Microeconomics, Microeconomics, Intro to Stats. I'm currently working on US History II and College Algebra (which I also quite enjoy but seems more like middle school level?). I'm also currently taking the Foundations in Cybersecurity from Coursera, and I'm interested in a couple other ones, like Cloud Cybersec, Project Management, and Data Analytics.

Currently I'm undecided on which degree I want to do. BA in Computer Science is an obvious choice considering my previous experience, but like I mentioned I don't like the competitiveness and I think the job market is absolutely saturated to death right now. I was considering something closer to Data Science since I like risk and finance, but unsure if it's something I like, statistics are okay but not exactly something I'm a huge fan of. Cybesec / Cloud are things I've also considered, as well as a BA in Psychology.

Couple questions:
1/ I have my IELTS academic, got 8.5, as well as my high school french diploma, I believe that is enough to enroll or are there additional things I need?
2/ Is it possible to do two Bachelor or to reuse the credits? I think I'd like to do something IT related (cybersec, comp sci or data science) as well as the BA in psychology, but only if I can use the credits outside of the area of study in both degrees. Also.... is there a point in having two bachelor (other than the actual knowledge) or is it functionally useless?
3/ After the bachelor(s) I will most likely want to do an MSc, haven't researched yet, but is TESU a good choice? What about a PhD, which probably opens more door?
4/ I don't really understand TEL Learning, it seems to give RA credits but works like a normal uni? I see they offer Chinese and using Oklahoma Christian University for the transcript gives 4 credits but do these work for TESU? I have a pretty good Chinese level so this class should be easy for me and would reduce the amount of credits I have to take at TESU.

Now, the actual big question I have, is how to organize the learning in order to transfer as many credits as I can (90 ACE + a couple RA) in order to remain flexible with my choice of degree as well as possibly doing two bachelor. My goal would ideally be to do courses related to the three main areas I'm interested in (cybersec, data analytics and cloud) and use them as gen ed / electives if I'm not taking said major. Additionally, I'm pretty bad when it comes to remembering stuff and regurgitating it, being autistic, my brain works better when it comes to first order principle, logic and stuff, which is why I'm good at maths and programming and awful at something like history, as a result the open book exams of Sophia are a godsend when it comes to things like history, so I would want to take the TESU credits and exams in things that I can pass, like python programming etc (being a software dev this should be trivial).

This is my current plan:
Sophia - US History I (HIS 1130)
Sophia - US History II (HIS 1140)
Sophia - Microeconomics (ECO 1120)
Sophia - Macroeconomics (ECO 1110)
Sophia - Introduction to Critical Reasoning (PHI 1300)
Sophia - Public Speaking (COM 2090)
Sophia - Principles of Statistics (STA 2010)
Sophia - Precalculus (MAT 1290)
Sophia - College Algebra (MAT 1210)
Sophia - Writing for Success I & II (ENC 1010, ENC 1020) -> this one I'm not sure about, seems sophia also english comp 1 and 2, not sure which ones can be used
Coursera - Cybersecurity Professional (CYB 1200, CYB 1999, ITS 2610)
Coursera - Cloud Data Analytics Professional (CIS 3110, CLD 4300, CYB 4500)
Coursera - Data Analytics Professional (ITS 130, ITS 231, ITS 199, COS 206)
TEL - Chinese? Not sure if accepted for TESU but that could give me an easy 4 RA credits

This would give me 63 credits while satisfying some majors for cloud, cybersec and data analytics depending on which one I want to go with. Rest will be converted to elective, then I have some gen ed in the mix. The remaining credits would be filled 20+ credits from TESU in the core area of study, and more gen ed stuff from Sophia / Coursera / Study.com.

Would appreciate any advice.

[bjcheung77]

Welcome to the board, great initial post to get the ball rolling and started in the process of degree planning. You should still fill out the addendum and template in order to provide a bigger picture of your scenario, as it's missing a few pieces of key info I'd like to review: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

What I propose is a double major, BA Comp Sci and Psychology. You need 30 RA credits, 15 TESU credits for residency purposes. You don't need 20+ credits at TESU, you want to transfer the max from Study.com for upper level requirements into the Comp Sci/Psych majors, and anything that isn't available through Coursera, Sophia, or other ACE/NCCRS providers.

[boblax]

Thank you for your reply, here is the template:

Your Location: France
Your Age: 38
What kind of degree do you want?: Double major, BA Comp Sci and Psychology
Current Regional Accredited Credits: 0
Current ACE, CLEP, or NCCRS Credits:
Sophia Credits: 12
Introduction to Statistics 3, 96% or A
US History I, 3, 96% or A
Microeconomics, 3, 95% or A
Macroeconomics, 3, 95% or A
College Algebra, 3 (ongoing)
US History II, 3 (ongoing)

Coursera:
Cybersecurity Professional, 9 (ongoing)

Any certifications or military experience? No
Budget: Doesn't matter, would rather get good value but if I can save a lot of time I'm not against paying for it
Commitments: None
Dedicated time to study: 4-5 hours per day, so about 30 hours per week on average
Timeline: 12 months would be ideal, but no hard deadline
Tuition assistance/reimbursement: Not that I'm aware of

[LevelUP]

I would check whether credits from your programming school can transfer to TESU. You can also complete TECEPs at TESU for RA credit, which are exams for college credit.

Since you already have programming skills, a computer science degree is a strong choice. You can use that degree to move into almost any technical field, as long as you continue learning the necessary skills. You can also add certificates in data analytics, cybersecurity, or project management through Coursera and other providers. I would not worry too much about getting a very specific technology degree.

Psychology is interesting, but it does not provide much career value on its own. The best return on investment is business administration. You could focus on finance, since you mentioned interest in it, or marketing, which can be very helpful for entrepreneurial success.
https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...st-Version
https://www.bestcolleges.com/blog/is-dou...-worth-it/

The most important thing is to focus on one thing at a time so you do not get sidetracked:

1. Your main computer science degree
   
   
2. A second major if you plan to double major. A business administration degree combined with computer science would count as two separate degrees.
   
   
3. Then, use an unlimited Study.com membership to explore other interests, such as psychology.
   
   

Realistically, your ideal lifestyle could be becoming a digital nomad, living wherever you want while still having a solid fallback if things do not go as planned. Focus on choices that move you closer to that goal.

[boblax]

That's a fair point, indeed psychology is just an interest of mine but doesn't really offer that much value.

Actually I'm already a digital nomad :/ I've been living abroad (Asia) since 2021. I've been tremendously lucky to have the success I've had with my investments, so that realistically if I decided to relocate to a cheap CoL country like Thailand or Vietnam I could pretty much retire now. Unfortunately or fortunately, probably thanks to my autism, a lifestyle of sipping cocktails on the beach / partying / playing video games is completely unappealing to me and I want to further my education and try to finally build a normal, rewarding career.

The main reason I'm leaning towards psychology rather than business, and I'm not saying it's a better choice, because I know full well how a bachelor in psychology is functionally useless, is that with my personal situation and my work history the likelihood of me being employed in a position that is attractive, rewarding and offers potential growth / upward mobility is almost zero. When I finish my degrees (and that's only bachelor, not even MBA or masters), I'll be at least 40 years old, with almost no work experience to show besides a couple of years as a software engineer in a no name company in France, some freelancing gigs for dead startups, and multiple failed ventures as a technical founder. Not to mention my personal struggles with neurodiversity. Who will in their right mind consider a candidate like me as a strong addition to their team? Most likely no-one.

On the other hand, if I were to get the required credentials to be able to practice as a counselor, or maybe do some clinical psychology, my age wouldn't be a factor, and my neurodiversity could be an asset if I were to specialize in that field for instance.

Ideally? Of course I like finance / business and apparently I'm not too shit at investing as well as having some programming chops so my ideal, dream job would be to work at a bank / hedge fund in a capacity of dev / quant or whatever, but realistically this is not going to happen.

[bjcheung77]

Basically... What you want to do is to mix and match your trifecta of certs, degree, experience. In short... Use the trifecta of cheap, easy, fast to decide which providers would get you the max transfer of credits. You may want to be more flexible as you're looking at a Comp Sci/IT related field to go into... Decide which way may be a better option for you, you can mix/match.

After reading what you've entered in the addendum/template, here's my suggestion: AAS Applied Computer Studies and the BA Comp Sci using the EdX transfer credits with the 90% off scholarship for, Cornerstone and Writing for Success. Associates capstone can also be had, at EdX, but you can't get the 90%, you can get the 15% off though with their regular holiday promotions.

Last but not least, you can do the BSBA right after with the cost of just one extra class, the Business Capstone and around $2K all done (capstone course plus the graduation fee), you'll need to complete an extra month or two of Study.com to bring in the upper level courses for business, you need at least 24 after your BACS confers.

[boblax]

Mmh okay, I found this guide which I assume is what I'm looking for? https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan
I think I'd be quite happy with the associate in maths, bsc in comp sci + bsba overall, I'm having a lot of fun with algebra and calculus atm so might consider deepen my math knowledge.

I'm unsure what EdX is, I've only heard about sophia and study.com. Also I'm not sure where to get the RA credits from, I know that one can only transfer up to 90 credits from ACE things (sophia, study etc), so that's why I was thinking I needed to do 30 credits at TESU.

[wow]

RA credits do not have to all be from TESU. This page offers cheap and free sources of RA credit: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Fr..._of_Credit

This is also a good source: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Ar...al_Learner (not sure if it is open to international students, you'd have to check)

If you have your programming school evaluated by an agency that evaluated them as equivalent to RA credits, that will also count. There is not a wiki page just about Foreign Credential Evaluators (FCE), but this section on the ENEB page offers some info: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/EN...cy_Results

Here is the TESU page of FCE: https://tesu.smartcatalogiq.com/en/curre...aluations/

TESU allows you to earn up to two bachelor's degrees. Comp Sci and Business Administration counts as a double major in a single BS (bachelor of science) degree, so if you wanted, you could also pursue a BA (bachelor of arts) degree in Psychology at the same time; all psychology credits can be earned through alternative sources except for the capstone: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...egree_Plan.

[LevelUP]

That's a fair point, indeed psychology is just an interest of mine but doesn't really offer that much value.

Actually I'm already a digital nomad :/ I've been living abroad (Asia) since 2021. I've been tremendously lucky to have the success I've had with my investments, so that realistically if I decided to relocate to a cheap CoL country like Thailand or Vietnam I could pretty much retire now. Unfortunately or fortunately, probably thanks to my autism, a lifestyle of sipping cocktails on the beach / partying / playing video games is completely unappealing to me and I want to further my education and try to finally build a normal, rewarding career.

The main reason I'm leaning towards psychology rather than business, and I'm not saying it's a better choice, because I know full well how a bachelor in psychology is functionally useless, is that with my personal situation and my work history the likelihood of me being employed in a position that is attractive, rewarding and offers potential growth / upward mobility is almost zero. When I finish my degrees (and that's only bachelor, not even MBA or masters), I'll be at least 40 years old, with almost no work experience to show besides a couple of years as a software engineer in a no name company in France, some freelancing gigs for dead startups, and multiple failed ventures as a technical founder. Not to mention my personal struggles with neurodiversity. Who will in their right mind consider a candidate like me as a strong addition to their team? Most likely no-one.

On the other hand, if I were to get the required credentials to be able to practice as a counselor, or maybe do some clinical psychology, my age wouldn't be a factor, and my neurodiversity could be an asset if I were to specialize in that field for instance.

Ideally? Of course I like finance / business and apparently I'm not too shit at investing as well as having some programming chops so my ideal, dream job would be to work at a bank / hedge fund in a capacity of dev / quant or whatever, but realistically this is not going to happen.

Your skills matter far more than your age. The fact that you already have several years of experience working as a software engineer, along with freelancing and founder experience, puts you well ahead of new college graduates who have zero real-world experience.

Becoming a counselor or going into clinical psychology is possible, but it’s important to be realistic about the commitment. That path requires significant time, money, and multiple years of graduate education and supervised practice. I’m not trying to discourage you if psychology truly feels like your calling, just be aware that it’s a long, structured road with high barriers to entry.

That said, many people pursue psychology simply because they find it genuinely interesting, and the knowledge itself can be valuable and applicable across a wide range of careers, even outside of clinical practice.

One advantage of degree hacking is that progress can be very fast. Some courses can be completed in a few days rather than months, which makes it tempting to keep adding new directions to your plan.

My main concern is avoiding distraction. Regardless of which path you choose, I’d recommend committing to one primary track and getting it at least 90% complete before seriously pursuing another. That way you build momentum, secure a strong credential, and keep your options open without spreading yourself too thin.

There are quite a few people here on the forum who are neurodivergent, so you’re very much among people who understand these challenges and are happy to help.

[Mint Berry Crunch]

That's a fair point, indeed psychology is just an interest of mine but doesn't really offer that much value.

Actually I'm already a digital nomad :/ I've been living abroad (Asia) since 2021. I've been tremendously lucky to have the success I've had with my investments, so that realistically if I decided to relocate to a cheap CoL country like Thailand or Vietnam I could pretty much retire now. Unfortunately or fortunately, probably thanks to my autism, a lifestyle of sipping cocktails on the beach / partying / playing video games is completely unappealing to me and I want to further my education and try to finally build a normal, rewarding career.

The main reason I'm leaning towards psychology rather than business, and I'm not saying it's a better choice, because I know full well how a bachelor in psychology is functionally useless, is that with my personal situation and my work history the likelihood of me being employed in a position that is attractive, rewarding and offers potential growth / upward mobility is almost zero. When I finish my degrees (and that's only bachelor, not even MBA or masters), I'll be at least 40 years old, with almost no work experience to show besides a couple of years as a software engineer in a no name company in France, some freelancing gigs for dead startups, and multiple failed ventures as a technical founder. Not to mention my personal struggles with neurodiversity. Who will in their right mind consider a candidate like me as a strong addition to their team? Most likely no-one.

On the other hand, if I were to get the required credentials to be able to practice as a counselor, or maybe do some clinical psychology, my age wouldn't be a factor, and my neurodiversity could be an asset if I were to specialize in that field for instance.

Ideally? Of course I like finance / business and apparently I'm not too shit at investing as well as having some programming chops so my ideal, dream job would be to work at a bank / hedge fund in a capacity of dev / quant or whatever, but realistically this is not going to happen.

Your skills matter far more than your age. The fact that you already have several years of experience working as a software engineer, along with freelancing and founder experience, puts you well ahead of new college graduates who have zero real-world experience.

Becoming a counselor or going into clinical psychology is possible, but it’s important to be realistic about the commitment. That path requires significant time, money, and multiple years of graduate education and supervised practice. I’m not trying to discourage you if psychology truly feels like your calling, just be aware that it’s a long, structured road with high barriers to entry.

That said, many people pursue psychology simply because they find it genuinely interesting, and the knowledge itself can be valuable and applicable across a wide range of careers, even outside of clinical practice.

One advantage of degree hacking is that progress can be very fast. Some courses can be completed in a few days rather than months, which makes it tempting to keep adding new directions to your plan.

My main concern is avoiding distraction. Regardless of which path you choose, I’d recommend committing to one primary track and getting it at least 90% complete before seriously pursuing another. That way you build momentum, secure a strong credential, and keep your options open without spreading yourself too thin.

There are quite a few people here on the forum who are neurodivergent, so you’re very much among people who understand these challenges and are happy to help

Not neurodivergent, but I definitely struggle with some things and I know the challenge. Completing school work is my hobby and I get the same thrill completing a class like beating a difficult level. Look what this forum has done to me!!! Now my obsession is school