Considering a BA in Math from TESU. I may need some help with plan/funding.

[Brownie82]

Hello! I'm back to ask for a bit of guidance with my educational plans. I apologize, I'm not the best writer and for some reason I'm also long-winded. But, I hope I get my point across

Here's my current situation: I am not currently working, but I'm collecting alimony for the next year and half. I just finished a web development bootcamp and I'm hoping to find a part-time job soon. I honestly don't care too much for programming. Learning and doing my personal project was a drag, but learning while re-learning Java to mod Minecraft with my son, was fun. Too bad I can't get paid to do that. Anyway, since programming is technically my only skill, I would like to stick with it until I get more education. Afterwards, I'm hoping that a can get a position that programs less than 25% of the time, if any.

Anyway, I pay off a huge bill next month and will be able to put aside $100/month for paying for tests and saving. In a few more, I'll be finished another bill so I can devote about $200. I figured I can start small with $20-40/month sites, then work my way up to the bigger ones or CLEP tests. Due to *tons* of bad decisions and possibly my undiagnosed ADHD (bouncing around from for-profit schools, changing majors like some people change underwear, racking up tons of debt and using a bunch for living expenses. I was sooo dumb, back then banghead), I'm left with about 175% of my Pell Grant and less than $2,000 available for any loans.

When I first found this board, I was really thinking about getting my Biology degree. Since then I researched potential jobs and salaries, which isn't that great. When I first started school, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I still do, but won't be able to go through that in my current situation. I wanted to do Penn Foster's Vet Tech program, but even with the highest salary I could find I still couldn't afford anything. I settled on my second love, math. I got all the way to calculus in high school and I figured its the most complicated subject that I can sit through, unmediated - which means a lot.

I thought about WGU's Math degree, but I really don't like kids. I stumbled back into my love of science and math by getting a bit too excited about helping my sons (4 and 6) with their homework and taking nature walks and explaining all the things that I remembered. If I liked kids I think that would be a perfect career. But, I figured general math would do me well and as I move up in the classes, I can figure out what I like to concentrate on. A math degree may open up a lot of pathways and potentially on of my next employers may pay for my Master's! (crosses fingers) which is my ultimate goal.

Anyway, I'm really concerned about funding my UL math classes. I've been following this worksheet and I there are about 16 credits that I'll be taking from TESU. Those are the UL Math, the capstone and the cornerstone - about $8K. It may be a little less because I think there is a college geometry class one of the cheap sites, now. I was also looking at APU, which I can do for under $3K, I think.

Anyway, here are my classes that I've taken so far. I have over 120 attempted credits(!!), but only a few that are transferable. Now that I look back at my transcript, I got a lot of Ds. Also I took tons of technology courses that are now over 10 years old, which I cannot use anymore.


PGCC:
Intro to Culture Anthropology
English Comp 1 and 2
Intro to Speech Communication
Intro to Philology
Intro to creative writing - D
Trigonometry with Applied.. -D (MAT-134, I have to look up the full name)
General Psychology - D
Early Modern History - D
Human Growth and Development - D


SCC:
Java 1 (2013)
Intro to Entrepreneurship


Thanks for reading so far. I just started this journey, so I was wondering if I was on the right track.

[dfrecore]

First, I would try to determine what type of job you can get with a math degree. Since you don't like kids, and teaching is out, you need to determine how it will "open up a lot of pathways." I have no idea, but I'm hoping you do.

Next, if you think this degree is going to cost you $8000 just for the 5 UL courses, Capstone & Cornerstone, and you can't take out loans (which I don't suggest), and you only have $100/mo to go towards the degree, why would you pick a degree you can't afford? Again, just asking, you may have a reason, but I'm just not seeing it - or how you would pay for it. And, you need to find a place to take Calc III & Linear Algebra as well, those aren't available through sources on this forum.

Next, TESU will accept some D grades, so you need to put those on here as well. Modify your original post to include those, and put the grade in parenthesis next to the course.

Finally, if I were you and had a limited budget to do this on, I think I would start with the free courses (Insurance Ethics, TEEX, NFA), and the cheapest (ALEKS being number 1) and get all of the credits you can that way. THEN, do as many Shmoop courses as you can for 1-2 months. Then, you will have some money in your school fund, and you can figure out the best Saylor courses to take. Oh yeah, and apply for the Guardian Scholarship for Study.com, you can get 6 free courses that way as well. Do that now, because it normally takes a few weeks to get it. You can use Study.com to pass courses, as well as study for Saylor courses if you want. Save up your money for when you need it, because at some point you're going to run out of free/cheap courses, at which point you'll need to start paying for them.

I don't think the Shmoop Geometry class has been reviewed by TESU and determined to be UL yet, but I may be wrong. Study.com has a Geometry course, and TESU's equivalency is MAT-260. They may end up giving the same thing to Shmoop's course. So I wouldn't count on that being a cheap way to get an UL course into the mix. SecularCourses.com also has a College Geometry course, but it hasn't been evaluated by TESU yet that I know of. So when you get to that point, you need to be enrolled at TESU and ask them to pre approve the course into your plan and see what they give as an equivalency.

The last thing to think about - look at some other degree plans, at COSC, TESU & WGU. Is there another way to apply your love of math? A business degree with an Accounting/Finance concentration? A Cybersecurity degree? A degree in Data Science and Analytics? Something in IT? Not all of those are really math-y, but might scratch the math itch that you have, and for less than the math degree might cost you. Not saying you can't get the math degree, just saying you may want to do some additional research before deciding on anything.

[sanantone]

If people with math degrees aren't teaching, they often end up working as statisticians, actuaries, and computer scientists. Computer science is basically applied math.

Do you have any interest in healthcare involving people? Have you thought about bioinformatics or healthcare informatics? The coursework will be a combination of statistics, biology, and the business side of healthcare. WGU changed the name of its health informatics program to health information management.

BS Health Information Management Courses

[Brownie82]

Thank you for the response When I said open pathways, I mean that while reading the "Why major in Math?" page or similar on some school's pages, it mentioned that it can be applied to a many industries. Also, since I'm programming now I was thinking just continuing with a few technical courses since I may be able to get into a role like Business Analyst or management - something that may not involve a lot of programming. I didn't want to go full into CIS or MIS, etc because I didn't want to be stuck with only those types of jobs because that's not my strong suit. I hope that makes sense to someone other than me

I've been thinking about statistics or actuary careers as well, but I'm not 100%. I have an actuary course on my list at Edx. I also took an accounting course that was interesting.

As to why I picked a degree that I can't afford. Well, I'm still looking for a part-time job. So, I'm hoping that between that and a payment plan and the remaining bit of my financial aid, I will be able to pull it off. Also, I know I need a degree, but I didn't want to just get one to say that I have one. I'm getting old and have a family that I need to take care of. Because of my bad decisions early in life, I really want to put myself in a position to do something that like instead of something just for money. Also, as much as I love learning, I'd really want to get this done so I can start to enjoy some of my other hobbies. Again, I hope that makes sense outside of my head. I may be wrong in this thinking though, I don't know. But, I will take this time while I'm collecting my free credits to think about other degrees.

But for the mean time, I'm definitely following your advice on the free credits. I've edited the OP.

[SolarKat]

So I read 2 competing interests in your original post...first, the time/money value. You have alimony for a rather short period of time, but not a lot of resources due to debt, etc. Second, the interest factor - you're still thinking what you want to be when you grow up. (And that's fine. I turn 50 this year, and I'm still sussing it out. But I'll NEVER be old enough to eat beets, ever. Mom was really wrong about that.)

To deal with the time/money factor, I'd look at getting a degree credential through the fastest, cheapest way possible. In what part of the country are you located? Even an AS/AA is a start (there's a thread about a free AA/AS...don't recall the details, but worth considering on your way to bigger things). If you're in an urban/technical area, the bachelors may be required for better jobs (in the Boston tech space, it's considered the new 'high school diploma'). But plan to get *something* by the end of the alimony period.

The interest factor is a bit more tricky. Since you're still kinda wavering, I agree with the PP's suggestion to get the free and super cheap credits first. Saylor, ALEKS, the Guardian Scholarship, TEEX, Sophia's 1cr Developing Teams class, The Institute's Ethics class, perhaps some NFA/FEMA (not sure what they have, as I've not looked myself...but check out the Wiki links for this forum for ideas). While you're amassing credits, browse degree paths from a variety of sources - the Big 3, plus B&M schools that have programs of interest. That might give you some ideas for your path.

If you're considering math, data, informatics, anything "applied", take a look at organizations such as IEEE, ACM, etc...just browse their lists of interest groups and see if anything subject area sounds good as an actual area of study for you. Also check out local-to-you job postings at LinkedIn, Indeed, etc...what skills/qualifications are listed for jobs that sound good to you? That might give you some clues about a path. I don't think it's so much about the exact title of your degree as it is about the skills you can demonstrate to your future bosses.

If you're looking at computers, know that there are other avenues beyond pure programming. While not all credit-bearing, Saylor has a Computer Science section with basically a full CS AOS available to study. Poke around there and see if anything looks good - algorithms, AI, machine learning...those are all hot CS areas that can lead to jobs in a variety of industries. Perhaps an undergrad certificate in CS might be a possibility while you're narrowing your BS/BA plans.

But while you're pondering the BS/BA options/questions, ge started on all that free/cheapo stuff ASAP. You don't want to get to the end of the alimony period without a reasonable platform to launch the New You. Ask lots of questions here - the members are an invaluable resource in your journey.

Best wishes!

[Brownie82]

Thanks for the reply!

I'm in Virginia. They have a Workforce program that I'm trying to get into. Its for displaced workers and recently divorced homemakers (that's me! lol). I think I missed the deadline for this year, but I will try again next year. Also, I applied for the Study.com scholarship (crosses fingers).

I also am looking into the State Guard that someone posted. I was in the AZNG, but left bootcamp early due to being pregnant and somehow slipping through MEPS. I got super clingy with my kids and never went back.

[KayV]

Work on ALEKS math starting with Intermediate Algebra as soon as you can, Brownie82. You could take Intermediate Algebra, College Algebra, (possibly replace the D in Trig with a CR grade), and Stats. I would do this ASAP because the current ACE recommendation for ALEKS expires on 3/31/17. So far they have extended it on a month-by-month basis, but you don't want to get caught in a lurch.

By the way, you have "Intro to Speech" and "Intro to Speech Commutation" listed. Could the latter be "Intro to Speech Communication" instead? And are those duplicate classes? You can tell by whether or not they have the same course number. At TESU, it would be the difference between COM-108 Fundamentals of Speech and COM-209 Public Speaking, for example.

[Brownie82]

By the way, you have "Intro to Speech" and "Intro to Speech Commutation" listed. Could the latter be "Intro to Speech Communication" instead? And are those duplicate classes? You can tell by whether or not they have the same course number. At TESU, it would be the difference between COM-108 Fundamentals of Speech and COM-209 Public Speaking, for example.

Thanks for catching that. Somehow I typed it out twice. Maybe its time for some sleep.

[cookderosa]

You won't appreciate my help here- but I'll offer it anyway.

You're making the exact same mistake you made the first time. You haven't defined your goal- you just keep picking degrees. The difference is you might be able to do it cheaper this time, or faster, but the results will be the same.

,Since you are SPECIFICALLY looking for a degree that leads to a job, you have to problem solve differently than most of us here. Most here have the career/job already, and are using the degree to check the box, open doors, and build on existing skills. You need to look at this more like a high school student than a mid-career adult.

You have to pick a field (Healthcare, Business, Farming, Sales, etc.) and within that field, zero in on possible jobs. The distinction between an adult and a teen, is that you don't have time on your side- so the typical way that a teen finds their path (internships, volunteering, clubs, etc.) is nearly impossible with a family to support. So, you have to do your research through reading, talking to others, etc. You can use the Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook page (my favorite) to get a good overview of what's out there and what it's projected to do. This is good for avoiding career fields that are shrinking rather than expanding. You can spend weeks diving into the excellent information they provide: https://www.bls.gov/ooh Of course you can also spend time on job boards and see what kinds of requirements are listed for possible jobs you'd like.

The faster you narrow down possible jobs in your target industry, the sooner you can choose a major. Fill in the blanks!

I want to be a ______________ in the _______________ industry, which requires a degree in ______________________.

[KayV]

What Jennifer said, a million times over, plus the excellent advice from Dfrecore and other posters above.

Do you have any current IT certifications? Those can be worth credits.