need help/advice

[mommyof8]

I am a homeschooling mom of 8.
I am trying to figure out the degree plan for my kids.
One son wants to study Criminal Justice and work in the law enforcement field. I know that he can not completely test out of this degree but it will still be cheaper then going to a b&m school.
Whats a good degree to get if you do not know what you want to do when you get older. A few of my kids are at this point are clueless, lol, but I still would like to have them get a degree by the time they reach 19-21.
Since I will be helping my kids study I figured I might as well study and get a degree myself, I plan on getting my BSBA in accounting.
We plan on using TESC since we live in New Jersey.

Thanks for any advice.

[Westerner]

Whats a good degree to get if you do not know what you want to do when you get older.

History!!! It's a really fun degree, you can mostly test out of it, and it's in a specific subject as opposed to, say, "Liberal Arts." :coolgleam: Though Liberal Arts/Humanities is a neat option too.

[bluespecial]

Well, if I wanted to get a law enforcement degree I still think one would have to get at least an Associates degree in Law Enforcement from a community college and perhaps use those credits towards testing out of a criminal justice Bachelor's degree afterwards. I would look into what options are available locally for that degree and specifically see what the "testing out" policy is for the nearest school that offers that program. Each community college is different, some are very generous with Clep credits, others not so much. Usually searching for "clep" on a college's search box should give you a lot of information.

Most people here go for: Liberal Arts, Business, History, Computers, and Social Sciences-which I am trying to get. I am 33 years old and I still don't want to do so it seamed like a safe degree choice. I have seen previous posters talk about a Bachelor's in Natural Science/Mathematics, although I haven't seen that degree get mentioned here in awhile.

One thing to consider is if your kids are starting from scratch they won't have to make up their mind on their degree choices for awhile. There are plenty of testing that could be done before a decision has to be made.

Hope that helps.

[TayTay]

History!!! It's a really fun degree, you can mostly test out of it, and it's in a specific subject as opposed to, say, "Liberal Arts." :coolgleam: Though Liberal Arts/Humanities is a neat option too.

History is my major, as well! I am 18 (graduated from homeschool, last May) and planning to graduate from TESC with my BA, in March! History is one of the degrees you can complete almost entirely through CLEPing. I am only having to take the TESC Capstone and an independent study course from BYU (needed another UL history course)...the rest were DSST's, CLEP's, and FEMA's. Due to TESC's changing of the General Education requirements, this might not be relevant, but it still might be a good option!

[mommyof8]

Well, if I wanted to get a law enforcement degree I still think one would have to get at least an Associates degree in Law Enforcement from a community college

My son plans on taking as many CBE tests and then enrolling into tesc to finish off his degree in Criminal Justice.

[mrs.b]

The most generally applicable degree I can think of would be a BSBA, because every field needs business people, so whatever direction their interests go, they'll have an "in" to their field of choice.

But...the advice I gave my sister when my nephew graduated high school but had no idea what to do for a degree direction is to...wait to start college. She did not want to hear it either, but honestly? The only way to figure out what one wants to be when one grows up is to let them start growing up, find their path, then get the degree to specialize in that path. Generic degrees are just that, a dime a dozen. It does not offer any guarantee that they still will not spend a bit of time working at Starbucks as a barista while they find themselves. And there's nothing wrong with taking time in the real, working world to get perspective and direction. No matter how much us Moms and Dads want to turn our kids loose only when they have the keys to the castle and the perfect setup for absolute success, sometimes the best way to do that is let them go. You'll still be there to support them, so it's not like you're turning the undecided ones out without a life jacket.

[cookderosa]

Welcome! Wow, you'll get instate tuition, which is awesome! As a fellow homeschooler, all I can do is bow at your feet. You had to teach alllllll those children how to read We only have 4. Since you're using TESC, you have access to more credit options than people who are undecided, because TESC allows you to use tons of very cheap and even FREE credit options. I earned a BA in Social Science from TESC. I'd just look at the AA degree, and use that as a high school plan. If it's going well and your children are knocking out credit quickly, you can bump up to the bachelor's degree options. I wouldn't suggest enrolling until they are nearing completion, but you're in the right place. TONS of us here have used TESC to earn our degrees for us and our kids!

[publius2k4]

As Mrs.b said, any kind of business management degree or business administration degree will fit into nearly any field. All organizations need people to run them.

[sanantone]

Just in case you and your son aren't aware, because it seems like most non-LE aren't, a criminal justice degree is neither required or preferred by most law enforcement agencies. Some law enforcement agencies require an associate's degree, but most of those will take a degree in underwater basket weaving. If your son really wants to study criminal justice that is fine, although he should think about what he's going to do with that degree if law enforcement doesn't work out or last long (it often doesn't). But he should also know that the CJ degree is not needed if he has other academic areas of interest. A CJ degree doesn't make one stand out for LE jobs (unless it's one of the few cases where it's preferred) and it doesn't really teach you any special skills.

Outside of community colleges, the cheapest places to get CJ credits are Penn Foster and Propero. The courses have to be ACE-approved for TESC to accept them, though, because these aren't regionally-accredited institutions. I strongly recommend that he take most of his CJ courses at TESC under the Comprehensive Tuition Plan since he qualifies for the in-state tuition rate. If he wants to go to a decent graduate school or be considered competitive for federal government jobs, he will regret not having many graded credits.

As far as your other children, they should probably work on a general associate's degree or just get the general education requirements out of the way until they decide what they want to do. If they really want that bachelor's before they decide, the business administration degree would be the most flexible as others have said. Be warned that, while business administration has a lot of utility in various jobs, it is one of the most popular degrees making it a dime a dozen. However, it does leave room for your children to specialize later on. They can always get an undergraduate certificate in human resources, accounting, finance, marketing, operations management, paralegal studies, computer information systems, etc.

[UptonSinclair]

As a former homeschooler, I will offer what little advice I can. My son homeschooled from the 4th grade through graduation. When he was ready for college, he enrolled in the local community college and earned his associates degree. He benefitted greatly from the exposure to a traditional education environment. As much as we try to socialize our children, there will be a culture shock when they enter either a traditional education or the workforce. For my son, it was far better for this to happen at a community college than through an employer. With 8 children, there is a very good chance that a Pell grant will be available to help with tuition. Unless of course, you are independently wealthy, which I assume you are not since you mention cost.

If cost is the main concern, it might be beneficial to see which CLEPs the local community college accepts and have your children knock them out in preparation to complete an associate of arts or science at the local community college.

Many have said it here before, but it is worth mentioning. Independent higher education is far better suited toward those with a few years of experience behind them. Traditional college is better suited for younger learners.

Whatever you decide, I wish you and your children the best.