LinkedIn Anyone?

[burbuja0512]

@Shotojuku - I have figured out how to make the group private for anyone that would like to do so. It's pretty easy. First of all, when you join a group, you can choose to display the group logo or not. However, when you join a group, it will show up in your news feed. This is probably not a big deal as I rarely pay attention to what other people are doing and assume that most people don't have the time to read their news feed. However, if you turn off your activity broadcast temporarily, it won't show up at all. Many people turn off their broadcasts anyhow when they are looking for a new job - they don't want the members of their current network (especially at their present company) to see that they're connecting with headhunters, so it's very easy to do this.

Sorry to over-analyze this.. lol I spend waaaaaay too much time thinking about LinkedIn. My profile isn't even very good because I intentionally leave it mostly blank, but for some reason there are little things that worry me! I'll go log in and join right now!! I can't wait to network with other group members!

[dewisant]

I have about 4,100 connections on LinkedIn.

[dewisant]

I've worked for the same company since I was 24...that's 26.5 years so far!

[Tedium]

Not at all, but only because no one has ever heard of it. When I first started testing, the few people I mentioned it to were extremely doubtful of the validity. I've done the research and know that there isn't an issue with it. (And had no problem getting into and completing the graduate program of my dreams) However, in the professional world, I don't always get the opportunity to explain it, not to mention that people who spent years of their life and tens of thousands of dollars on their B&M degree can't always be convinced no matter what. I mean there are still people out there who don't think online classes are real!

I wish it weren't like this, and I want to be the one to prove any skeptics wrong, but I'm a bit of a wimp about it, I'm afraid. I would never lie about my undergrad, I just am not sure that I'd want to highlight it in certain situations. However, I am rather evangelical about CLEPs, but only when I am talking to people outside of my professional circle.

Wow, that's surprising to me. Out of curiosity, are your as skittish about the fact that you earned your degree through DL at a school with no physical campus? COSC doesn't make any qualms about that fact or the fact that you can finish most of your degree elsewhere. If someone checks the website, that's the first thing they'll see. Does that bother you as well?

[burbuja0512]

Wow, that's surprising to me. Out of curiosity, are your as skittish about the fact that you earned your degree through DL at a school with no physical campus? COSC doesn't make any qualms about that fact or the fact that you can finish most of your degree elsewhere. If someone checks the website, that's the first thing they'll see. Does that bother you as well?

No problems whatsoever about the location or nature of COSC.. I would not want to have a UoP degree for the reason that it's well-known as an online school, in spite of the number of physical locations and classes it does have. However, I'm not fresh out of college so the undergrad truly is a check-box. If anyone asks, I answer that COSC is a small state college in CT. I think that all of the Big 3 schools are good for this reason.. yes they're online and known for testing, but not outside of a few small online communities. (perhaps military too.. I'm not military, so can't speak to this)

At this point, I don't think that anyone would look at my undergrad as a factor for employment one way or the other based on my rather unique MBA, but I still don't see an issue with it. I strongly believe that unless you've got very specific career goals that can't be met by the Big 3, that they are a great way to save time and/or money. There's no reason to rack up huge college debt on a degree that doesn't strongly set you apart from other job candidates. I probably would have never had the money, time, or interest in pursuing grad school had I finished up my Bachelors at a traditional school. This is all the more reason why COSC was such a good choice.

I definitely don't want it to appear that I am in any way criticizing testing degrees, I'm a HUGE proponent. I've just grown a tiny bit more hesitant to talk about testing... or perhaps I should say less evangelical when I'm not with close friends or people that would directly benefit from knowing about the Big 3. I can compare what I learn studying for a CLEP with what I have learned in many different classes since I have experience with both online and B&M college courses. I can honestly say that there isn't a huge difference in what I've retained, depending on my interest in the subject. The only difference I see is that perhaps college courses do hone your writing skills in a way that CLEP cannot due to the quantity of homework given in some classes, but other than that, it's mostly the same - just cheaper to test out. However, I find it a bit distracting if people in the workplace question your classes or learning style. Overall, it's in no way a reason to deter anyone from testing, it's still the smartest thing to do in most cases. I guess it's just a comment about how uninformed people are regarding CLEP/DSST and how unfortunately it can be easier not to bring it to people's attention when they're not involved in your personal life.

[burbuja0512]

Wow, that's surprising to me. Out of curiosity, are your as skittish about the fact that you earned your degree through DL at a school with no physical campus? COSC doesn't make any qualms about that fact or the fact that you can finish most of your degree elsewhere. If someone checks the website, that's the first thing they'll see. Does that bother you as well?

P.S. he he he.. COSC actually does have a physical building that's on the Central CT State U campus. I've been there

[Tedium]

I definitely don't want it to appear that I am in any way criticizing testing degrees, I'm a HUGE proponent. I've just grown a tiny bit more hesitant to talk about testing... or perhaps I should say less evangelical when I'm not with close friends or people that would directly benefit from knowing about the Big 3. I can compare what I learn studying for a CLEP with what I have learned in many different classes since I have experience with both online and B&M college courses. I can honestly say that there isn't a huge difference in what I've retained, depending on my interest in the subject. The only difference I see is that perhaps college courses do hone your writing skills in a way that CLEP cannot due to the quantity of homework given in some classes, but other than that, it's mostly the same - just cheaper to test out. However, I find it a bit distracting if people in the workplace question your classes or learning style. Overall, it's in no way a reason to deter anyone from testing, it's still the smartest thing to do in most cases. I guess it's just a comment about how uninformed people are regarding CLEP/DSST and how unfortunately it can be easier not to bring it to people's attention when they're not involved in your personal life.

That makes sense, I suppose. My comment wasn't barbed; I was genuinely surprised. There have been some rumblings around the higher education world that online courses are of lesser value than B&M classes. I think a lot of that may be due to for profit institutions. A similar argument has been made about CBE, and now the G.E.D., as well (I got a G.E.D. myself). It's easy for people to lump any online only, but legitimate school, like COSC with any other online school that might leave a bad taste in their mouth (like UoP, Devry, etc.).

Since some of the same arguments apply to both CBE and DL, I was just wondering if that aspect of it worried you as well? Because it's easier to hide, or not broadcast to the world, the fact that you tested out of a good chunk/most of your degree. It's a lot harder to ensure that someone doesn't visit the COSC website and see that it is DL only. As a future COSC graduate I was just curious about your take on that.

P.S. sorry for the thread derail. This time, unlike the Justin Bieber comment last time, it wasn't intentional.

[burbuja0512]

That makes sense, I suppose. My comment wasn't barbed; I was genuinely surprised. There have been some rumblings around the higher education world that online courses are of lesser value than B&M classes. I think a lot of that may be due to for profit institutions. A similar argument has been made about CBE, and now the G.E.D., as well (I got a G.E.D. myself). It's easy for people to lump any online only, but legitimate school, like COSC with any other online school that might leave a bad taste in their mouth (like UoP, Devry, etc.).

Since some of the same arguments apply to both CBE and DL, I was just wondering if that aspect of it worried you as well? Because it's easier to hide, or not broadcast to the world, the fact that you tested out of a good chunk/most of your degree. It's a lot harder to ensure that someone doesn't visit the COSC website and see that it is DL only. As a future COSC graduate I was just curious about your take on that.

P.S. sorry for the thread derail. This time, unlike the Justin Bieber comment last time, it wasn't intentional.

I think it's an interesting idea to discuss and a very valid point, even if it's not entirely on the original topic, it is related...

I think that there will always be people that criticize a degree or a program of study, even if it's from an Ivy League school. I believe that the most important thing when evaluating a college is ROI: how do you get more bang for your buck? In many cases depending on your career goals, it won't be smartest to save time and money through tests. If your goal is to enter a field where the college transcript is highly scrutinized, it may hurt you for life. However, if you're like the vast majority of students who are paying too much money to get a degree that won't guarantee a job, why not save time and money?

Here is a hypothetical, but very likely example for someone who wants to get a BSBA from their State U. In my home state, the estimate for this is 30k per year (See University of Colorado website here: http://www.colorado.edu/admissions/under...ntexpenses) Now we all know that most "4 year" degrees take 5-6 years, so the realistic estimate to get a BSBA from State U would easily run well over 100k. If you don't choose the traditional State U/100k+ choice, and go with a Big 3 school instead, even if you take your time with testing, you can easily finish up in 2 years and for less than 10k. This means you just saved 90k and 4 years of your life. How does this give you an advantage? Here are some options you have that the State U student doesn't:
1) You graduate in 2 years and then get an entry level job at a big company. In the 4 years that you saved, you'll likely get a promotion or two if you're motivated and a good worker. This puts you ahead of the State U graduate by several years.
2) You graduate in 2 years and then with your 90k savings decide to start your own business. At best, you'll have a great company, but at worst if you don't succeed, you just got some great "real world" experience which will greatly enhance your resume
3) You graduate in 2 years and then go on to a MBA or other masters program. 2 years at COSC + 2 years of MBA = you're still way ahead of the State U grad and once you have an MBA, no one cares about your undergrad.

Of course I shouldn't downplay the very real advantage that the State U graduate will have if their school has a decent internship program. They may be able to easily get into a company that regularly recruits from their school, but I have yet to see a large corporation hire State U students into higher-level positions. They almost always get into an entry-level job and have to work their way up just like any other recent college grad who doesn't have a lot of connections. Also, the advantage that B&M students used to have in networking is not as important now that it's so easy to meet people online through LinkedIn and find internships that aren't associated with a college. Yes, you might have to work a tiny bit harder to get the internship of your dreams or to meet the important business contact who will help you get hired, but it's very possible and heck - you saved 90k and 4 years time! You can afford to work a tiny bit harder to network!

Regarding whether future employers will check COSC's website, I can't say.. however, I will say that I have been in positions where I've hired quite a few people. I have seen many resumes and not once have I ever questioned a school. I don't really care - in my line of work, relevant experience is worth much more than a degree. I worked with other directors who did care more about education, but even then, at the very worst, they would just throw out resumes with no degree. I have heard a few snickers about a UoP diploma among hiring managers, but I don't think it's due to the online nature as much as it is the poor academic reputation and the idea that anyone with a decent bank account can get a UoP degree. I guess the same could be suggested of any for-profit school, but UoP is the most well known.

With your COSC degree, you will belong to a category of people that have a diploma issued by a state (non-profit) institution. You're not getting a Harvard degree and won't enjoy the benefits that a top name school will give you, but then again, neither are many people who spent tons of time and money in college. The vast majority of resumes I have ever seen didn't have an ivy league name on them, so I don't think it's a big deal. If you're really concerned, my recommendation would be to seek out the very best masters program you can get accepted to that would relate to your chosen career. You may not need to do this based on your work experience, but it's always an option. Besides, as mentioned in the above example, with all the time and money you've saved at COSC, you've more than paid for graduate level education with the savings on your bachelors! And once you have a masters, very few people will care about the undergrad one way or the other.

Hope this helps a little bit. It is based upon my experience in B2B sales and sales management, which is all I can speak about. I'm not sure if other people here have seen something different, but at least in my world, the school choice doesn't matter.

[taylor]

Not at all, but only because no one has ever heard of it. When I first started testing, the few people I mentioned it to were extremely doubtful of the validity. I've done the research and know that there isn't an issue with it. (And had no problem getting into and completing the graduate program of my dreams) However, in the professional world, I don't always get the opportunity to explain it, not to mention that people who spent years of their life and tens of thousands of dollars on their B&M degree can't always be convinced no matter what. I mean there are still people out there who don't think online classes are real!

I wish it weren't like this, and I want to be the one to prove any skeptics wrong, but I'm a bit of a wimp about it, I'm afraid. I would never lie about my undergrad, I just am not sure that I'd want to highlight it in certain situations. However, I am rather evangelical about CLEPs, but only when I am talking to people outside of my professional circle.

I know what you mean. I'm worse than you though, I really avoid talking about my TESC degree. It's kind of like talking about a divorce and having to answer the same lame questions over again.

[Tedium]

Thanks for trying to elaborate for me.