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Source for Online RA Credit?(Outlier.org)
#41
(12-10-2020, 04:05 PM)nomaduser Wrote: .
Don't tell me it's right to pay $50k for general ed courses when you can get 60+ general ed online RA credits for under $5k.

Consumer choice. I'm thrilled there are options to take alternative credit, but there are plenty of people who prefer to go into debt for what they may view as necessary bragging rights or whatever, by going to a well-known uni for all 4 years. I wouldn't like to be forced into paying excessive tuition, just as others may not appreciate being forced to assemble a collection of ASU EA and TEL Learning credits.

Also: I never ever want to hear financial advice from some fella earning 150000USD a year. People in my country won't earn that in 15 years of working, so some dude starting at 60 000USD after graduation, and adding another 90 000USD to that in under 8 years, has, frankly, zero insight into financial sacrifice and 'frugal living'. I'm glad he's paid off his loans and all, but what a privileged and myopic example. I'll stop before I start swearing, but really.
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#42
I'm a person who actually paid lots of $$$ for college education.
But if I could choose, I'd take lots of EA, Tel Learning, Outliers and avoid paying excessive amount of money for all of the general ed courses.
and that could enable me to finish my degree in under two years.

Debt is totally not worth it.
$100,000 debt means you have to pay $1k per month for 8 years.
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#43
I ended up graduating from the University of Michigan with $14,000 in student loan debt in 1997. I could have gone free elsewhere and, for me, it was a great deal. It was an amazing place to attend school and I never regret that decision. I earned my teaching certificate there and have earned the tuition cost back many times over.

I, personally, think that state colleges and universities are the best deals out there for in-state students. Students in Michigan who come from working-class/lower middle-class backgrounds, like I did, can attend the University of Michigan tuition-free and housing is also heavily subsidized.

https://annarborobserver.com/articles/go...9PNmzHPzIU

Debt is worth it if it creates assets that pay for themselves over time. A house does that. A college degree from a solid state university does that. People really don't need to make the BEST decision every time. People just need to make GOOD decisions consistently through a long period of time.
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#44
(12-11-2020, 02:55 PM)eriehiker Wrote: I ended up graduating from the University of Michigan with $14,000 in student loan debt in 1997.  I could have gone free elsewhere and, for me, it was a great deal.  It was an amazing place to attend school and I never regret that decision.  I earned my teaching certificate there and have earned the tuition cost back many times over.

If you could get access to Tel Learning, Outliers.org in 1997, I think you could avoid paying that $14k. Smile
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#45
(12-11-2020, 02:55 PM)eriehiker Wrote: I, personally, think that state colleges and universities are the best deals out there for in-state students.  Students in Michigan who come from working-class/lower middle-class backgrounds, like I did, can attend the University of Michigan tuition-free and housing is also heavily subsidized.

Debt is worth it if it creates assets that pay for themselves over time.  A house does that.  A college degree from a solid state university does that.  People really don't need to make the BEST decision every time.  People just need to make GOOD decisions consistently through a long period of time.

State schools can be very expensive in some states, and in others like CA, they can be so impacted that it's impossible to get all the classes you need to graduate in 5 or even 6 years, but you're still paying full tuition each semester even though you're not taking a full load!  No thanks.

Private schools can be a very good deal for many people, especially anyone who doesn't qualify for aid.  It's easy to say "for those that qualify" but there are a LOT of people who do not qualify, never will, and can't count on any help from the taxpayer to pay their way.

And you will NEVER convince me that student loan debt is a good idea.  Not in a million years.  There is no guarantee that you will graduate with said degree, but may still have plenty of debt (even if you are short 1 class, you still have 4 years of debt there). There is no guarantee that the job market will be good when you get out, so you can't find a decent-paying gig.  There is no guarantee you won't have gotten a degree in a ridiculous major and have a hard time getting a good gig because of it (I have friends in HR who say they would NEVER hire someone with a degree in gender studies, because that person is guaranteed to cause problems in the organization in one way or another).  Also, not sure if you've seen people lose their houses, but there is certainly no guarantee that your house debt will not come back to bite you.  I lived through 3 housing bubbles so far, and we're going through another one right now, and I can tell you, there will be PLENTY of people who lose their houses in the next few years as the economy comes crashing down on this bubble.

Now, if you decide that the risk is worth the possible reward, then go ahead and do it - but please, don't say that debt is worth it when sometimes (plenty of times) it is definitely not.  It MAY be worth it.  But you may roll the dice and lose everything.
TESU BSBA/HR 2018 - WVNCC BOG AAS 2017 - GGU Cert in Mgmt 2000
EXAMS: TECEP Tech Wrtg, Comp II, LA Math, PR, Computers  DSST Computers, Pers Fin  CLEP Mgmt, Mktg
COURSES: TESU Capstone  Study.com Pers Fin, Microecon, Stats  Ed4Credit Acct 2  PF Fin Mgmt  ALEKS Int & Coll Alg  Sophia Proj Mgmt The Institutes - Ins Ethics  Kaplan PLA
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#46
dfrecore:

I respect your viewpoint. I spent about three months a couple of years back listening to Dave Ramsey on my way home from work. I think that he has a good and straightforward system. I agree with his ideas about cars. We paid cash for the two cars that we drive now. I don't believe in financing cars. I think the debt snowball is strange because it is better to pay down debt with higher interest rates, even if it makes you feel good to pay off the small stuff first.

We have some differences of opinions about debt. I do have a question, though. Do you invest at all? My wife and I invest in stock market index funds. We don't want to pick any individual stocks because of the risk involved. I find it very interesting that there are people who will avoid debt like the plague and then invest in the stock market. To me, it seems very strange to avoid debt with such low interest rates in the current situation, but also invest in anything other than government-secured bonds.

I also find it strange that anyone would avoid debt, but own a home at all. As you said, housing markets crash. A much more secure position would be to simply rent. Buying a house with cash is only slightly less risky than buying with a couple of percent mortgage.

I actually don't think that there is much risk in a young, single and healthy person taking on $10,000 or $20,000 in student loan debt as long as it is in a practical and employable field. Teaching and nursing are two good examples. People will be able to pay that money back in reasonably quick fashion. Just rent an apartment, tape up all the windows to avoid heat loss and work as many hours as possible at work.
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#47
(12-11-2020, 08:57 PM)eriehiker Wrote: dfrecore:

We have some differences of opinions about debt.  I do have a question, though.  Do you invest at all?  My wife and I invest in stock market index funds.  We don't want to pick any individual stocks because of the risk involved.  I find it very interesting that there are people who will avoid debt like the plague and then invest in the stock market.  To me, it seems very strange to avoid debt with such low interest rates in the current situation, but also invest in anything other than government-secured bonds.

I also find it strange that anyone would avoid debt, but own a home at all.  As you said, housing markets crash.  A much more secure position would be to simply rent.  Buying a house with cash is only slightly less risky than buying with a couple of percent mortgage.

I actually don't think that there is much risk in a young, single and healthy person taking on $10,000 or $20,000 in student loan debt as long as it is in a practical and employable field.  Teaching and nursing are two good examples.  People will be able to pay that money back in reasonably quick fashion.  Just rent an apartment, tape up all the windows to avoid heat loss and work as many hours as possible at work.

I do invest in the stock market - because if you diversify, you are fairly safe.  I have never lost money in the stock market because I have never cashed out (especially when it was low).  If I was to cash out, it would be when it was up.

I do not own a house now, but that's because we're building one.  We will put down a substantial amount, and pay it off as quickly as possible.  That being said, if I hadn't already put money down on it, I would find a nice house to rent and stay in place for a while.  We sold a house in '06 at the height and rented for 6 years, and then bought a short sale in 2012.  While I do agree that it would be nice to pay cash for a house, it's not always feasible, and renting (and having to move multiple times because landlords do sell houses) is not always a great (or cheap) option.  So we do risk buying houses.

But I still won't take out a student loan and would never advise it - simply because it's just too great a risk for my taste.  You start taking on risk immediately, but you don't actually get the degree for a long time after that (assuming you start with debt your first freshman semester and continue on for 4 years minimum).  There is just no guarantee you will get your degree during that time (and with a 60% dropout rate, it's safe to say that most won't).  At least when you buy a house, you get the asset immediately.  Not so when you finance a degree.  And, when you buy a house you can afford, then conceivably you will be able to continue to afford it over the life of the loan.  Again, when you start to finance your degree, there is not always a good outlook for the job market when you get out.  And let's not forget, most people aren't getting nursing or teaching degrees (and I've been around long enough to remember when teaching was over-supplied and it was next to impossible to get a job there after graduating).  Let's also not forget that just because you get a degree in something, does not mean that you will actually like doing it.  I know former teachers and nurses who hated every minute of their jobs.
TESU BSBA/HR 2018 - WVNCC BOG AAS 2017 - GGU Cert in Mgmt 2000
EXAMS: TECEP Tech Wrtg, Comp II, LA Math, PR, Computers  DSST Computers, Pers Fin  CLEP Mgmt, Mktg
COURSES: TESU Capstone  Study.com Pers Fin, Microecon, Stats  Ed4Credit Acct 2  PF Fin Mgmt  ALEKS Int & Coll Alg  Sophia Proj Mgmt The Institutes - Ins Ethics  Kaplan PLA
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#48
I'm in the boat of trying to acquire cheap RA credits. I am just starting out (9-12 RA credits, 3 ACE ) and starting with Outlier, going to give ASU EA and TEL Learning a shot too. 

I am currently taking the Outlier Psychology course, two weeks in on the accelerated course.  While it is accelerated, it is definitely not a shortcut.  There is a lot of material to cover, some fairly dense and technical.  Although its requires a lot of time, I'm really enjoying the platform so far.  22 Chapters, each chapter has about 1.5 hours in video lectures, active learning/reading that takes about 2 hours, quizlet flashcards built in and a 10 question quiz you can take a few times that counts towards your grade.  

Again, the only "shortcut" here is that it is an accelerated program (14 week option available too).  There are two midterms (50 questions) (20% of grade each) and a final exam (25%).  Just passed my first midterm with 92%, happy with it but really should have had a 96%, reviewed my answers and changed two of them second guessing myself... stupid.  Got the course with the pi discount, best deal I could find for RA credits, reputable University of Pittsburgh transcript, high quality and well thought out content and learning process.  While I haven't taken a college course in years and am new to alternative and online learning so I don't have much to compare to, I give it a 9.5/10 so far. 

Hoping this helps someone reading this.  Going to continue taking courses as they add them.  Statistics next.  

My overall goal is to get 60 total RA Credits, 45 ACE, and transfer 105 into CUNY SPS and finish final 15 there for a Business (BS).
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#49
(12-14-2020, 10:17 AM)DegreeBy202 Wrote: My overall goal is to get 60 total RA Credits, 45 ACE, and transfer 105 into CUNY SPS and finish final 15 there for a Business (BS).

There are total 17 courses on Tel Learning.
They will give you 51 credits total (17 x 3) at price of $3400.
You need to take only three more ASU courses to get the 60 RA credits.

After that, you can start taking Saylor academy exams along with Coursera Google IT cert (12 ACE credits).
Cool
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#50
(12-14-2020, 02:22 PM)nomaduser Wrote:
(12-14-2020, 10:17 AM)DegreeBy202 Wrote: My overall goal is to get 60 total RA Credits, 45 ACE, and transfer 105 into CUNY SPS and finish final 15 there for a Business (BS).

There are total 17 courses on Tel Learning.
They will give you 51 credits total (17 x 3) at price of $3400.
You need to take only three more ASU courses to get the 60 RA credits.

After that, you can start taking Saylor academy exams along with Coursera Google IT cert (12 ACE credits).
Cool

You definitely shouldn't count on just taking a bunch of courses through anyone without forethought - much better to plan out the degree and make sure things come in as you'd like them to.  Otherwise, you're wasting your money.

Always make a plan for your credit-earning!!
TESU BSBA/HR 2018 - WVNCC BOG AAS 2017 - GGU Cert in Mgmt 2000
EXAMS: TECEP Tech Wrtg, Comp II, LA Math, PR, Computers  DSST Computers, Pers Fin  CLEP Mgmt, Mktg
COURSES: TESU Capstone  Study.com Pers Fin, Microecon, Stats  Ed4Credit Acct 2  PF Fin Mgmt  ALEKS Int & Coll Alg  Sophia Proj Mgmt The Institutes - Ins Ethics  Kaplan PLA
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