Looking Into Options

[dfrecore]

First off, I think you have to decide if you want a college degree, or you want a college experience. If it's the experience, then there's not a lot of point in going the non-traditional methods we apply here on this forum, since none of these will give you any kind of "college experience". If you just want to earn a few credits in a non-trad way, but still want to go to a traditional school to get the college experience, then CSU-East Bay will accept some CLEP exams towards your degree:[URL="http://catalog.csueastbay.edu/mime/media/4/1501/CLEP+CSUEB.pdf"]

http://catalog.csueastbay.edu/mime/media...+CSUEB.pdf[/URL] Most of the CSU's accept a max limit on CLEP credit (30cr/25% at a semester-based school, so probably 45cr at a quarter-based system). Find out before you take them, and you can easily plan out finishing your Gen Ed's with CLEPs.

Most of us on here have gone the traditional way, realized it didn't work well for us for any number of reasons, and decided to just get a degree, no college experience necessary (many of us have college experience but are way past the age when we want to do that again). So we are using non-traditional methods to get credits and get that degree.

You probably need to do a lot more research. You're not sure what degree you want, what you want to do as a career, or any of the other things needed to go either route. That's ok, you're only 22. We've all been there, and most of us had the same experience. But you really need to figure out a path for yourself before you continue on with your schooling. There are so many different ways to go, and you need a clear direction before you spend any more time and money. For instance, if you want to be an engineer, the math requirement (which may be in your GE's) is going to be very different than what's required for a teacher. You need to get some idea ahead of time, because even the GE's won't be the same in every degree plan.

Another idea is to go to a Community College to get your 2-year transfer requirements. That's certainly cheaper than CSUEB, and if you get the right transfer agreement, you can transfer right in without losing a single credit.

[dfrecore]

Currently no particular school in mind but probably local since I while I have considered moving out of California due to the cost of living here...I doubt I will since, without a degree, I doubt many businesses would be willing to match my current pay rate if I move to an area with a lower cost of living.

If an area has a lower cost of living, you won't need to make as much money. And normally lower COL is associated with lower wages, in general. But your dollar may go further somewhere where the COL is less.

If you live in the East Bay, the COL is high (rent certainly is) but there are lots of things that are not - food at a grocery store won't be a lot less in another state, for instance. And you may pay very little for heat and A/C there, since the temperature is moderate. I lived in a little apartment in San Jose for 4 years, and never paid more than $30 for electricity. Internet may cost the same no matter where you live. Gas will cheaper everywhere, but you may have a longer commute. So you have to look at lots of different things to find out what the true cost for you will be wherever you want to move to. Then, you can see if the salary for the type of job that you want will afford you to live there, even if it's less than you make now.

[Redhead123]

So I have a question: If for now I just want to get GE out of the way and get an AA does it matter what college I use? In order to get enough credit due I take all the CLEP exams available? I would rather take the CLEP route for an AA than traditional because with work and such I think it will take me longer than 2 years to get the 2 year degree.

I think for now I'll go for an AA since I don't know what I want to do for a career. All I really care about is that my job pays enough to support myself and also has enough time off that I can travel for a decent amount of time during the year.

Would you recommend CLEP for an AA? I'll be taking a look at other posts in the forum but I was also wondering: Do I have to be enrolled in a college to take a CLEP exam or can I just pay the money and show up?

[Redhead123]

All right, these are quarter hours, which means you have 13.95 semester hours of credit. The 60.7 refers to your GPA (60.7/21= 2.89 cumulative GPA).

Thank you!

[quote=KayV]Did you happen to take any AP exams in high school, for English Composition credits for example?[QUOTE] No AP exams unfortunately.

[dfrecore]

So I have a question: If for now I just want to get GE out of the way and get an AA does it matter what college I use? In order to get enough credit due I take all the CLEP exams available? I would rather take the CLEP route for an AA than traditional because with work and such I think it will take me longer than 2 years to get the 2 year degree.

I think for now I'll go for an AA since I don't know what I want to do for a career. All I really care about is that my job pays enough to support myself and also has enough time off that I can travel for a decent amount of time during the year.

Would you recommend CLEP for an AA? I'll be taking a look at other posts in the forum but I was also wondering: Do I have to be enrolled in a college to take a CLEP exam or can I just pay the money and show up?

Yes, you have to choose a college which will accept CLEP exams. You have to look at the college you want your AA from in order to determine what they will accept, not all accept CLEP/DSST exams, not all will let you get your AA without taking a certain number of credits at their school. The Big 3 will all let you test out of an AA, with the exception of a cornerstone (COSC and TESU), or possibly a capstone (depends on the degree program). TESU (in my opinion) is too expensive for an AA, the $2,000 residency waiver is pricey. EC requires a capstone for most of their AA's I think, which is expensive (full tuition cost for the course). COSC is probably your best bet out of the Big 3, they require a cornerstone, but their tuition is the cheapest of the 3.

Another option is the AAS at WV something or other, can't remember what the name of the school is, but I think it's free to enroll, transfer in your credits, and graduate. Very inexpensive to get your degree there.

One thing to keep in mind though, is that with most jobs, an AA does not really get you anything. In HR, I rarely saw a job where only an AA was required. So if I were you, I would go look at jobs that you're interested in, and see if the AA is required for it (and which AA that is). A general AA where you get all your Gen Ed's done is rarely a help in the job market.

You do not have to be enrolled at a school to take a CLEP exam.

[Redhead123]

[quote=dfrecore]COSC is probably your best bet out of the Big 3, they require a cornerstone, but their tuition is the cheapest of the 3.

One thing to keep in mind though, is that with most jobs, an AA does not really get you anything. In HR, I rarely saw a job where only an AA was required. So if I were you, I would go look at jobs that you're interested in, and see if the AA is required for it (and which AA that is). A general AA where you get all your Gen Ed's done is rarely a help in the job market. [QUOTE]

Thank you! I will take a look at COSC (been looking at TESU lately). I don't really mind if the AA doesn't affect the job. I currently work as a commercial driver so I make plenty of money for a 22 year-old. However, I don't want to drive forever. Since I don't know what I want to do after driving I am planning on testing out for the AA so when I do decide what to major in I can jump right in.

Is that something that would actually work? Would I have to find a college or major that will allow my credit that I used to get an AA transfer or once I have an actual paper AA that's it, go get your BA/BS?

[dfrecore]

Is that something that would actually work? Would I have to find a college or major that will allow my credit that I used to get an AA transfer or once I have an actual paper AA that's it, go get your BA/BS?

Yes - again, you have to look at the school you want to go to to see what they will accept. If you choose a 4-year school school to get your BA that doesn't accept CLEP exams, but then use CLEP exams to get your AA, chances are they will not accept your credits that you CLEP'd towards your BA.

[TESUAbroad]

Hey, welcome to degreeforum!

They will take pretty much all credits, however, if it isn't a class they recognize or have themselves, it will just be considered a "General elective."

I myself am from California as well, and went to a community college here in Southern California. Then I was in Switzerland for an internship at a leading Tech company since I speak German fluently, had a connection and did well in interviews.

My options afterwards were: Staying at the company full-time doing I job that I didn't want to do(since I lacked the bachelors to do the job I wanted), go back to California and attend CSU longbeach or Fullerton, which would've taken 2.5 years, since I still had to complete a math class and English 102. This would have cost me at least $30,000 dollars, with rent, food, classes, books etc.

That's when I stumbled upon either this forum or degreewiki and all the helpful members it encompasses.
I was HIGHLY skeptical at first. A degree for so little? I can do this online? They accept alternative credits? And there was cause to be skeptical, in the end you get a no-name college degree. However, if you are fine with that, you can reap the benefits.

I will most likely be getting my degree in September 2017, with my classwork being done by the end of May. That's 9 Months of hard work to complete 56 credits, almost two-years worth of upper-class school. I saved tens of thousands of dollars just by choosing this route and at least 80K in opportunity cost, by not having another 1-2 additional years to wait before I enter the job market(assuming the job I land only pays around 40K/year).

I didn't want a loan, I didn't want to worry about those debts or when the next time is that the school takes cash out of my account or the slow bureaucratic process of entering a 4-year university from a 2-year college. TESU let me complete my degree in a time-frame and budget that didn't mentally incapacitate me. Even at community college, I was constantly worried about how much everything was costing... Sure the class is only $200 something, but then you have to sign up for the online class+ ebook, for another $200. Suddenly 15 credits becomes $3000 dollars out of your bank account. Not to mention the numerous times I had to petition for over a week, just to get a chance to get into class.

Also, I hate driving to class, sitting in a seat and trying to focus on the things. I didn't learn much that way. Burying myself in a book, watching educational youtube/coursera videos and making flashcards/quizlets is how I learned.

In the end, it is up to you. We can't make a decision for you. You have to decide which career you want and which college is the best fit for that career. TESU was perfect for my BS in Business Admin. and I am very grateful for its' existence.