Life after UOPeople

[ChloeandMax]

First my quick review on University of the People

Pros:

• It checks the Associates and Bachelor's degree box for me
  
• Got two degrees in 3 years
  
• I graduated without any debt
  
• "Most" recruiters and headhunters won't care
  
• Its connection with Sophia was a game changer for finishing
  

Cons:

• The support from advisors is minimal and sporadic
  
• Peer review is the horror you heard it to be
  
• (and this is a "me" problem) I am almost ashamed to tell anyone that I got a degree from there & won't put it on my LinkedIN 
  
• I wanted to be proud of this moment and I'm not (again, a me problem)
  
• The quality of education I got seemed a bit subpar and I "did" the work and have a 3.6 GPA. Sub par in that the materials and information were extremely dated and with the speed in which information and business shifts, so much of what they had us studying was obsolete. 
  
• There is NO school spirit (merch or otherwise--I asked, and asked about a total rebrand)
  

Moving forward---
Need advice on what school could I receive my Masters (MBA) that won't cost an arm and a leg, BUT is balanced by a more reputable brand.  Would love to hear some of your experiences.

[Vle045]

Do you have a short list of schools you are interested in? some may not take an NA bachelors. i am not sure though. what is your end goal? That could influence your school choice.

[davewill]

I would list it with pride on my LinkedIn. I certainly do my TESU BACS. My philosophy is that if you act ashamed of it, people will pick up on that. If you act proud, then they will also pick up on that.

[newdegree]

Western Governors University MBA would be a good option if you can complete the classes in one semester (six months) for $4775. If not, a cheaper but longer MBA would be Hellenic American University. Their cost is $3000, and it takes about a year to a year and a half to finish it. The school does not have a big recognized name but holds regional accreditation.

[LuckyLion44]

First my quick review on University of the People

Pros:

• It checks the Associates and Bachelor's degree box for me
  
• Got two degrees in 3 years
  
• I graduated without any debt
  
• "Most" recruiters and headhunters won't care
  
• Its connection with Sophia was a game changer for finishing
  

Cons:

• The support from advisors is minimal and sporadic
  
• Peer review is the horror you heard it to be
  
• (and this is a "me" problem) I am almost ashamed to tell anyone that I got a degree from there & won't put it on my LinkedIN 
  
• I wanted to be proud of this moment and I'm not (again, a me problem)
  
• The quality of education I got seemed a bit subpar and I "did" the work and have a 3.6 GPA. Sub par in that the materials and information were extremely dated and with the speed in which information and business shifts, so much of what they had us studying was obsolete. 
  
• There is NO school spirit (merch or otherwise--I asked, and asked about a total rebrand)
  

Moving forward---
Need advice on what school could I receive my Masters (MBA) that won't cost an arm and a leg, BUT is balanced by a more reputable brand.  Would love to hear some of your experiences.

You should chat with Metro State University in St. Paul MN. Look into their Individualized Degree Prorams and see if you can use prior learning assessment to get ahead quickly.

[Znow]

First my quick review on University of the People

Pros:

• It checks the Associates and Bachelor's degree box for me
  
• Got two degrees in 3 years
  
• I graduated without any debt
  
• "Most" recruiters and headhunters won't care
  
• Its connection with Sophia was a game changer for finishing
  

Cons:

• The support from advisors is minimal and sporadic
  
• Peer review is the horror you heard it to be
  
• (and this is a "me" problem) I am almost ashamed to tell anyone that I got a degree from there & won't put it on my LinkedIN 
  
• I wanted to be proud of this moment and I'm not (again, a me problem)
  
• The quality of education I got seemed a bit subpar and I "did" the work and have a 3.6 GPA. Sub par in that the materials and information were extremely dated and with the speed in which information and business shifts, so much of what they had us studying was obsolete. 
  
• There is NO school spirit (merch or otherwise--I asked, and asked about a total rebrand)
  

Moving forward---
Need advice on what school could I receive my Masters (MBA) that won't cost an arm and a leg, BUT is balanced by a more reputable brand.  Would love to hear some of your experiences.

There is this shirt: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Univ....IJ6L0.XYZ

[ChloeandMax]

First my quick review on University of the People

Pros:

• It checks the Associates and Bachelor's degree box for me
  
• Got two degrees in 3 years
  
• I graduated without any debt
  
• "Most" recruiters and headhunters won't care
  
• Its connection with Sophia was a game changer for finishing
  

Cons:

• The support from advisors is minimal and sporadic
  
• Peer review is the horror you heard it to be
  
• (and this is a "me" problem) I am almost ashamed to tell anyone that I got a degree from there & won't put it on my LinkedIN 
  
• I wanted to be proud of this moment and I'm not (again, a me problem)
  
• The quality of education I got seemed a bit subpar and I "did" the work and have a 3.6 GPA. Sub par in that the materials and information were extremely dated and with the speed in which information and business shifts, so much of what they had us studying was obsolete. 
  
• There is NO school spirit (merch or otherwise--I asked, and asked about a total rebrand)
  

Moving forward---
Need advice on what school could I receive my Masters (MBA) that won't cost an arm and a leg, BUT is balanced by a more reputable brand.  Would love to hear some of your experiences.

There is this shirt: https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Univ....IJ6L0.XYZ

Thank you--but it was confirmed that that was not their merch nor their branding.

---

I would list it with pride on my LinkedIn. I certainly do my TESU BACS. My philosophy is that if you act ashamed of it, people will pick up on that. If you act proud, then they will also pick up on that.

Thank you Dave. I appreciate that perspective. I have that I earned a bachelors degree, but not where from. I think after I earn my Masters I will list them both. But maybe my feelings on this will change as/if I see more and more people list the degree.

---

First my quick review on University of the People

Pros:

• It checks the Associates and Bachelor's degree box for me
  
• Got two degrees in 3 years
  
• I graduated without any debt
  
• "Most" recruiters and headhunters won't care
  
• Its connection with Sophia was a game changer for finishing
  

Cons:

• The support from advisors is minimal and sporadic
  
• Peer review is the horror you heard it to be
  
• (and this is a "me" problem) I am almost ashamed to tell anyone that I got a degree from there & won't put it on my LinkedIN 
  
• I wanted to be proud of this moment and I'm not (again, a me problem)
  
• The quality of education I got seemed a bit subpar and I "did" the work and have a 3.6 GPA. Sub par in that the materials and information were extremely dated and with the speed in which information and business shifts, so much of what they had us studying was obsolete. 
  
• There is NO school spirit (merch or otherwise--I asked, and asked about a total rebrand)
  

Moving forward---
Need advice on what school could I receive my Masters (MBA) that won't cost an arm and a leg, BUT is balanced by a more reputable brand.  Would love to hear some of your experiences.

You should chat with Metro State University in St. Paul MN. Look into their Individualized Degree Prorams and see if you can use prior learning assessment to get ahead quickly.

Will do!  Thanks for the tip!

[spohara]

You may just be disappointed in academia. They are generally 20 years behind industry or on completely separate tracks. On the CS side, academia seems to teach the fundamentals, and I personally got a lot of alt credits from outdated providers like SDC and Saylor - the software engineering and systems analysis stuff was all woefully out of date. I don't think those things are the focus - more on how computers work and how programming works, and basic OOP which is mostly timeless. In my engineering management program there are a lot of outdated ideas being taught, even in my "agile project management" course. I've talked to others who get an MBA as a checkbox and they all say it is a joke academically (as far as Engineering Management, it is basically an MBA for all intents and purposes, just geared specifically toward technical projects/programs/processes) - even from very reputable programs. That's not to say there is no value - you're going to pick up some timeless fundamentals in business. But you will have fossil professors who teach things that haven't been done in the real world since the 90's. And an MBA isn't going to be incredibly hard. If you're a high achiever, you may feel like it is sub-par even at a highly respected program.

[ChloeandMax]

You may just be disappointed in academia.  They are generally 20 years behind industry or on completely separate tracks.  On the CS side, academia seems to teach the fundamentals, and I personally got a lot of alt credits from outdated providers like SDC and Saylor - the software engineering and systems analysis stuff was all woefully out of date.  I don't think those things are the focus - more on how computers work and how programming works, and basic OOP which is mostly timeless.  In my engineering management program there are a lot of outdated ideas being taught, even in my "agile project management" course.  I've talked to others who get an MBA as a checkbox and they all say it is a joke academically (as far as Engineering Management, it is basically an MBA for all intents and purposes, just geared specifically toward technical projects/programs/processes) - even from very reputable programs.  That's not to say there is no value - you're going to pick up some timeless fundamentals in business.  But you will have fossil professors who teach things that haven't been done in the real world since the 90's. And an MBA isn't going to be incredibly hard.  If you're a high achiever, you may feel like it is sub-par even at a highly respected program.

That is something to think about. Thanks for sharing that point.  I actually run a business (for almost 10 years) and I found myself saying more often than not when reviewing material that "this is NOT how business works in the real world". As I transition out of full time entrepreneurship and back into corporate for my final leg before retirement, the goal is to increase income  as how much you receive in social security is based on lifetime earnings. So, checking these boxes will increase my odds of that but certainly won't teach me much that is new or groundbreaking.

[ChloeandMax]

Western Governors University MBA would be a good option if you can complete the classes in one semester (six months) for $4775. If not, a cheaper but longer MBA would be Hellenic American University. Their cost is $3000, and it takes about a year to a year and a half to finish it. The school does not have a big recognized name but holds regional accreditation.

Quick question--I saw your sig block and wanted to ask about the value add/advantage of having multiple Masters/Bachelors?