Need Bachelors in 6 Months...Options?

[cookderosa]

Hi all,

I find myself in a bit of a unique situation, so I thought I'd ask the advice of the collective.

I have spent most of the past 17 years in HR , mostly with smaller companies, mostly as a Generalist and Analyst. I finish a short term contract at Intel in 2 weeks, and for the first time in many years, I will find myself unemployed.

I've been trying to find a permanent job for 7 months, and in that time, the only offer I've had was for less money than I made in 2011. This seems to be due to my lack of a degree, which increasingly, is become a major liability in my career, despite plenty of experience.

I have 65 semester units completed, all earned between 1988-1997 (completed at RA 2 and 4 year colleges). These units cover a lot of my General Ed (minus math and science), a lot of history/psychology, and a pair of upper-division History courses. I don't have my Associates Degree, and I also don't have any HR Certifications (PHR, SRHM-CP)

What I do have is 6 months of eligibility for UI benefits coming up. So this is starting to feel like the right time to dive in and get that degree that, more and more, is causing my career to stall out (or even go backwards).

I've read endlessly about the Big 3, and testing out of classes. But as much as I read, I just can't quite seem to put together a plan of how to use one of the Big 3 to complete a degree (Business or HR) within this 6 month window. I know it would largely need to be done via CLEP, DSST, UEXCEL etc., but I just don't quite get it how to put it all together.

I hate to ask, because I know it's plastered all over this forum, but can I ask for help with two questions?

1. Is there any particular advantage for one specific Big 3 school over the others, based on what I've described above?

2. In the simplest possible terms (I have my strengths, but figuring this stuff out isn't among them :o ), how can I use testing to complete those 55 units in 6 months?

I'm happy to provide any additional information that's needed.

Thanks!!

Welcome to the board!
It took me 18 months starting from zero, but 60 of those credits were test-out credits, all earned in 6 months and I didn't have much free time at that time....so I think you can do it!

EDIT TO add a comment about you losing credit: I wrestled around and wasted TONS of time finding a way to make my previous associate degree work for a degree. At the end of the day, it was 10000% more efficient to CLEP test a new AA than try and see where those 85+ credits would work. So, the challenges when you HAVE a lot of credit are lining up your existing credit into the degree with the easiest remaining requirements to finish- not necessarily lining your credit up into the program with the most to start if that makes sense. Dfrecore has your back on that.


Here's what I'll add to the pile:
What'd I'd suggest you do immediately is apply to one of the big 3 (TESU?) and update your resume status to "in progress." While that's obviously not the same thing as having a completed degree, it shows you're headed in the right direction. Plus, since time is of the essence, get the AA first. In fact, you're probably within striking distance of that degree by the end of May. You'd be able to list a completed degree and then an "in progress" bachelor's degree in HR or business. Finally, since you'll have your BA at the 6 month mark, I'd suggest you start looking at grad schools too. I know that sounds super scary to read, but I promise, by the time you get to the other end of these short 6 months, you'll be all over that idea- and so having a few schools picked out will be very useful. I'd look at CHEAP and distance learning options. As soon as your last BA requirement is met, apply to the master's program and guess what? You guessed it, add the BA to your resume and an "in progress" master's degree. You're about to go from zero to hero in 6 months and you're ready to start your own job hunt - with a HUGE facelift in the education heading on your resume.