New school for wife suggestions.

[gingerbeefE]

Well, a degree in sociology, liberal arts, social sciences, etc.won't make you very employable unless you're looking for a job through the federal, military, or state where they're a little more lax. These are general knowledge degrees that don't really teach you technical skills needed in the workforce more for "being well rounded" or whatever. Still, it's good to get the bachelor's degree since many employers will want to see at least that credential, and it will be a pre-requisite for graduate school should she ever choose to do so.

I was afraid of that. Maybe she could land a GS position. XD looks like all the money is in Math, Technology, and business. Well At the very least I hope she can get a job she enjoys going to. even if it makes as much as a manager at a department store -_- . Heaven forbid all these kids at McDonalds start making 15$ an hour. College will be useless XD... or inflation will hit.

[Prloko]

What colleges are on base in Japan? Are you on the mainland or Okinawa? I believe is she has the post 9/11, if you uses the on-base schools, you guys will get full MHA, whereas you won't get that with Ashford.

The GI Bill is very generous and there are very good schools your wife can attend online. I know the University of Oklahoma is very military friendly and is a well known school (more for their football program). I know Penn State has a great rep and they accept 60 CLEP/DSST credits if that is important. If she is fully funded, there really is no need to attend the Big 3 unless she is in a rush to graduate quickly.

Here is an intersting program through UMUC which I know is prevalent throughout Asia (did you know that UMUC recently won a national cybersecurity competition?).

http://kadenafss.com/images/Education/UM...rogram.pdf

[KittenMittens]

I was afraid of that. Maybe she could land a GS position. XD looks like all the money is in Math, Technology, and business. Well At the very least I hope she can get a job she enjoys going to. even if it makes as much as a manager at a department store -_- . Heaven forbid all these kids at McDonalds start making 15$ an hour. College will be useless XD... or inflation will hit.

Your wife has a post-9/11 GI Bill. That's worth a lot of money. You could live in a high cost of living area, and pocket that money, go to a school with a strong reputation, etc.

Check out: The New GI Bill - Calculator

Ask yourself –*if the new GI Bill can pay upwards of $200,000 for a degree (try inputting NYU for instance in the calculator), would you want to burn those benefits on a program that costs $5,000 - $10,000? Maybe you do or it suits your/her needs better, but like others have said, try to find a college that will maximize the quality of education and your benefits as well.

[gingerbeefE]

This is her second time trying college, when she attended in class in the states before we got married/knew each other she went to a brick and mortar school. I am not really sure of the circumstances but long story short she came out with only passing 2 or 3 out of about 10 classes and was forced to pay a lot of money back. UMUC is on my base I am on mainland Japan. However we talked to them and they do not offer the teaching degree over here ( only Okinawa, I'm at Yokota) . We will get an extra 1300$/month if she went to school on base rather than than online, but in my opinion I'd rather see her pass all classes than get that extra money.

However, it seems as if she listed UMUC as the school she intends to graduate and Have another school such as COSC as a partner ( sending credits to UMUC then they send it to VA) all she would have to attend is one on campus course a month. I wish she would have used the GI bill at something like NYU, she is so pressed for time now she doesn't have to much of an option. By time we leave Japan she will be 25 :/ No matter where you go if it all online all you get per month for BAH is 754$

[gingerbeefE]

UMUC seems to have a pretty Generous transcript eval, looks like they will take at least 30 of her 57 credits. I'll have my wife go talk to them see if she is interested

[Prloko]

However you guys go, I have a great respect for teachers and hope you guys find success in locating a program. The UMUC--Bowie State one looks interesting. You may want to check if Md has a reciprocity agreement with other states for their teaching licenses.

I know you mentioned a GS position, and I would highly recommend you guys keep looking into that also. The new spouse employment laws are awesome, and I personally knew some fellow GS civilians who were direct hired (no competition) from the spouse priority program. The Fed is finally doing right by military spouses.


PS- I remember now, a couple years back, Ashford got in trouble for recruiting a lot of students into their online ed programs. The B&M version from the original Franciscan school is legit and provided a teaching license. The online version DIDN'T and the recruiters were telling students that it did in person, but had them sign contracts that said it didn't in the fine print (always read your contracts and ask questions!).

Long story short, the school didn't admit wrongdoing, but settled out of court and paid a bunch of money. They also go rid of one of their programs that was supposed to lead to a license ( a partnership with Rio Salado CC) because they found out their students weren't getting licensed.

[gingerbeefE]

However you guys go, I have a great respect for teachers and hope you guys find success in locating a program. The UMUC--Bowie State one looks interesting. You may want to check if Md has a reciprocity agreement with other states for their teaching licenses.

I know you mentioned a GS position, and I would highly recommend you guys keep looking into that also. The new spouse employment laws are awesome, and I personally knew some fellow GS civilians who were direct hired (no competition) from the spouse priority program. The Fed is finally doing right by military spouses.


PS- I remember now, a couple years back, Ashford got in trouble for recruiting a lot of students into their online ed programs. The B&M version from the original Franciscan school is legit and provided a teaching license. The online version DIDN'T and the recruiters were telling students that it did in person, but had them sign contracts that said it didn't in the fine print (always read your contracts and ask questions!).

Long story short, the school didn't admit wrongdoing, but settled out of court and paid a bunch of money. They also go rid of one of their programs that was supposed to lead to a license ( a partnership with Rio Salado CC) because they found out their students weren't getting licensed.

XD If you loose your spouse preference or you are not Japanese it is near impossible to a job on base now, because they have to keep a certain ratio of nationals to US citizens they almost always hire the nationals first then the spouse. I slept on it last night and really thought about it and she would make more going to school full time at UMUC than she would working full time and going to COSC, and she would get a better degree. I plan on getting out after this assignment, hope she lands a GS position before then or else it would be near impossible in the states

[KittenMittens]

XD If you loose your spouse preference or you are not Japanese it is near impossible to a job on base now, because they have to keep a certain ratio of nationals to US citizens they almost always hire the nationals first then the spouse. I slept on it last night and really thought about it and she would make more going to school full time at UMUC than she would working full time and going to COSC, and she would get a better degree. I plan on getting out after this assignment, hope she lands a GS position before then or else it would be near impossible in the states

Out of curiosity, what is Japan like? Fun, overrated, etc.? Does the language barrier present a problem to living comfortably in Japan?

[gingerbeefE]

Out of curiosity, what is Japan like? Fun, overrated, etc.? Does the language barrier present a problem to living comfortably in Japan?

The language barrier makes it so much less fun, It is very cool here though, There are so many things to do. I am like a 30 minute train ride from Tokyo. A lot of the people speak English at the level you might probably know Spanish ( from taking Spanish I and II from public school) When I go eat off base I have to like point what I want on the menu, even then, i'm not entirely sure what i'll be getting haha. You just have to kind of figure out how to work the train system on your own, and rely on your phone for GPS to get places. It gets a little frustrating at times but overall I am grateful for the opportunity to come here.

[Prloko]

I never experienced Japan, but I did Korea and Germany and the language games are part of the fun; especially the "unofficial" sign language that you develop

I know of the difficulty. My spouse had a tough time competing with the LNs also, but if you decide to do the federal service, the key is she take basically ANYTHING. Once you're in the system, it's easier to move up and around. There are a lot of jobs in the federal system closed to the general public, and getting in opens up more.

So you're getting out. That's a scary thing, I just did it last year. You probably heard this before, but please take this advice:

First, make sure this is something YOU want to do because you are ready to move on. Don't let this be a decision of a person not in your immediate family, or because you don't like your shop. If you are ready to move on because the military is not for you (like it wasn't for me), then I always used to tell my Airmen, thanks for your service and I know you'll do well, but the next great assignment is a new supervisor or a new PCS away.

Second, unless you got a rich uncle who's going to hook you up with a cush job, expect to take a pay cut (even if your civilian salary is higher). After the increased taxes you pay, paying for your health, retirement, etc, your take home is going to drop, almost guaranteed. Plan for this, save, and get used to doing more with less.

Third, it's never too early to plan and start "hunting" for a job. The job market is not how we know it. If you are going to make a resume and respond to job ads on monster, it is going to be tough to get a job. Doing your degree is a great start. Network! Network! Network! Don't burn bridges, get contact info for your supervisors, 1st Sgts, Commanders and use them to get great references and job leads. GET ON LINKEDIN NOW! Create your professional online presence, connect with recruiters, apply to jobs now to see if your resume is getting bites and to find your worth. Connect with people in your profession and ask for any leads, and show your worth. Start going to TAP as soon as possible and take the course serious and start getting the Acronym "stench" off of you. Get used to speaking like a regular person, no one knows what a briefing is, or an NCOIC or First four, or DFAC, you need to spell it out.

Last, get excited and don't be scared. Be proud of what you accomplished and it will show and you will have a great second career.

If you want to continue this convo, feel free to PM me. We can connect and I'll offer any advice you want. I don't want to be the old cruddy TSgt who wants to tell you what to do. I'll give it straight. (No pressure, if you don't, my feelings won't be hurt)

Good luck and thanks for your service.