Needs help deciding on degree (BACS vs BSIT vs BSBA)

[Merlin]

Hello everyone, first-time post. I’m extremely humbled and impressed with the information on this forum. After spending what accumulates to approximately 8 hours reading through posts and gathering information, I’m at the point where I need some specific recommendations.
 
A brief overview of my circumstances. Went directly from High School to a large Insurance company as part of the Y2K coding frenzy (remember those days?). Anyways, as a self-driven person, I’ve made quite a career for myself and 25 years later I’m a technology executive for a Fortune 50 company in Financial Services. Most assume I must have a MS degree let alone a BS. While I’ve always thought I’d go back to school and get one, life just kept moving at lightning speed.
 
Honestly for me, getting a degree at this point is a check-the-box goal, especially as future career opportunities arise. I’m looking for the fastest & cheapest way to a degree.
 
Based on what I’ve learned it looks like TESU may be the best option for me. Here’s where I’m stuck. There are 3 degree options I can choose from – BACS, BSIT & BSBA.
 
Which of them would make more sense based on my goals (fast/cheap)? I don’t think the name of the degree matters much for me as my experience and achievements are what has been fueling my career. As I mentioned, it’s a check-the-box requirement.
 
Can someone provide a recommendation with rationale and perhaps a plan for achieving it?
 
Another item that’s puzzling me is the PLA. Is this a work-experience assessment for credits? I keep seeing ‘Portfolio’ assessments at other institutions like WGU. Is that what TESU is offering? If so, how would that work as far as creating a plan since I wouldn’t know what I could get credits for unless I enrolled which goes counter to what I’ve read which is - collect as many credits before enrolling J
 
This is a big step for me as I’ve procrastinated for decades. Having a rising-Junior in High School is also pulling on my conscience, don’t want to be guilty of ‘do as I say and not as I do’ L.
 
Thank you in advance for your time and assistance.

I have a similar story... I recently came back to earn a degree after 30+ years being a technology developer and executive. I have accumulated a bunch of business skills along with my technology background and I really enjoy the management side, so I ended up splitting the difference and going with a BSBA in Computer Information Systems. My course plan is basically split between CS and business courses. I plan to move on to a masters degree (MBA in IT Management or MS Management & Leadership) from WGU once my bachelor's degree has conferred. After that, I'm thinking about possibly working on an MS in Computer Science to balance things out a bit, perhaps from GA Tech if I can tolerate a traditional course schedule long enough to complete it. Like you, I don't need the degree for my career, but it opens the door to a masters degree and perhaps doctorate degree down the road, which will be more useful.

I'd suggest figuring out what you're most interested in and focus on getting your bachelor's in that. It's always fastest if you can work on stuff you're interested in or passionate about. Once you have an idea of what you want your degree in, it will be much easier to figure out a proper plan.

As others have mentioned, I also recommend WGU for technology-related degrees. I'd probably have gone down the BS in Software Development or BS CS had it been an option when I started (mostly since it seems like it would have been easy/fast for me), but having the business degree helps in other ways. If you're just looking for the fastest way to earn a degree, WGU is probably one of the best, particularly if you focus on a degree that covers a lot of material you already know. You'll also earn certifications along the way in addition to the degree itself. If you can get your work to pay the tuition, then its free credits too, which is hard to beat.