02-17-2023, 10:13 PM
New to this forum and discussion, and grateful for the irenic, professional spirit that is here. I've been on other discussion forums like this, and the verbal smog is often dense. The collegiality here is refreshing. Thank you.
But now to the discussion. I appreciate the candor on various grad programs and schools. Were I not about to enter my seventh decade on this planet, I might be concerned, as are some, with the issue of accreditation. But now, as an old geezer, my desire to obtain a doctorate has nothing to do with future employment; it has to do with bucket list, with a goal I set over half a century ago. My goal out of high school was to become a Bible college professor. I wanted to be a teacher like my father but not in public schools like him. Six years in the Army gave me a GI Bill for education. Situations as they are, it took 37 years to cobble together a BA (accredited). My wife and I served smaller, often financially challenged churches, and many times we had to work outside jobs to pay the church bills, let alone put food on the table for the children. I would take one undergrad class then have to wait five years to save up enough to get another class, which often went up in smoke if we needed a tire or a trip to the doctor for one of our girls. I graduated with the BA in 2010, then was able to begin a masters in theology in 2020 at a marginally accredited online seminary. Today I finished the thesis and allowed myself to search around for some kind of doctorate program. While in my dreams I would love to go to TEDS or LRU or (dreaming really big) Aberdeen, the reality is we are till pastoring a smaller church, and so the funds stay limited at times. As I noted, the accreditation issues are for some of you vital for your professional future, but for this old guy, whom no one would hire now even if I had Aberdeen, Basel and Tubingen all in my corner, the goal is just to say "I did it." Of course, some would disparage my efforts became of the lack of accreditation, but I really am not concerned. I wrote six papers of 300 pages each plus a 400 page thesis to satisfy the research masters program I chose, and thankful I will probably graduate summa cum laude. I'm just going after a 50 year old dream. Thanks for the info on Masters and the other schools. It gives me some more information to research. Have a good day, afternoon, evening or whatever time zone you are in.
But now to the discussion. I appreciate the candor on various grad programs and schools. Were I not about to enter my seventh decade on this planet, I might be concerned, as are some, with the issue of accreditation. But now, as an old geezer, my desire to obtain a doctorate has nothing to do with future employment; it has to do with bucket list, with a goal I set over half a century ago. My goal out of high school was to become a Bible college professor. I wanted to be a teacher like my father but not in public schools like him. Six years in the Army gave me a GI Bill for education. Situations as they are, it took 37 years to cobble together a BA (accredited). My wife and I served smaller, often financially challenged churches, and many times we had to work outside jobs to pay the church bills, let alone put food on the table for the children. I would take one undergrad class then have to wait five years to save up enough to get another class, which often went up in smoke if we needed a tire or a trip to the doctor for one of our girls. I graduated with the BA in 2010, then was able to begin a masters in theology in 2020 at a marginally accredited online seminary. Today I finished the thesis and allowed myself to search around for some kind of doctorate program. While in my dreams I would love to go to TEDS or LRU or (dreaming really big) Aberdeen, the reality is we are till pastoring a smaller church, and so the funds stay limited at times. As I noted, the accreditation issues are for some of you vital for your professional future, but for this old guy, whom no one would hire now even if I had Aberdeen, Basel and Tubingen all in my corner, the goal is just to say "I did it." Of course, some would disparage my efforts became of the lack of accreditation, but I really am not concerned. I wrote six papers of 300 pages each plus a 400 page thesis to satisfy the research masters program I chose, and thankful I will probably graduate summa cum laude. I'm just going after a 50 year old dream. Thanks for the info on Masters and the other schools. It gives me some more information to research. Have a good day, afternoon, evening or whatever time zone you are in.
![[-]](https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/images/collapse.png)
