So many witnesses lost the opportunity to pursue higher education in their youths. Perhaps it took decades for many here to leave and now feel it is too late. The high cost and time commitment may dissuade you but I believe their are reasonable options.
I left the organization when I was 18 and ended all contact with friends of the faith at age 21. I was able to pursue a college degree the traditional brick and mortar route. The only way for me to do that now at my age would require me to step down from my position or work third shift, while raising a small child. I've been doing a lot of research on this topic and thought it could apply to others. I have an advantage over those with no education above high school and this information is primary for those here in America. One of the advantages I have is not worrying about entrance exams and being able to apply to accelerated programs for those with a B.S. degree. So I wanted to provide some information to those that may be starting from scratch.
I will just offer my opinion and would like others to add their advice. It would be nice to have a topic that could help change a persons life. Firstly you need to define your reason or goal for pursuing a degree. For me it is a career change and for others it may just be simply to have a feeling of accomplishment. Regardless of your reason I want to start my conversation on warning those who are interested in applying to for profit schools. For profit schools have a horrible graduation rate and cost triple if not more than publicly funded programs. Many of those schools classes and credits will not transfer to other programs and the overall education may be lacking. I've only sampled two well know for-profit schools since my company had a contract with them that allowed me to take a few courses. I was not impressed. I also have had several employees that I managed who went to for profit schools and it ruin them financially. One example was of a single mother of the age 41 who amassed $52,000 in student loans. This was for a two year medical billing program. She found a job paying $13.25 an hour, but we were paying her $14.5. She ended up working them full-time and us part-time. Student loans are very easy to get because they are very hard to get approved in bankruptcy court.
There are pros to for profit colleges. They typically don't require entrance exams and may give you credit for what is called life learning. An example is American Public University gives credit to the military for their training. Though I have a feeling that is to attract money from the GI bill.
With that being said I have the following suggestions for those just starting off.
A lot of Ivy league schools are now offering education online for free. And to my delight are now offering verified certificates for a nominal fee.
The two I suggest are:
If you are able to attend actual classes I highly recommend community college. I'm not sure about other states but they should be similar to Florida. In Florida the CC have an articulation agreement with the 4 year colleges. This means if you earn a AA degree the 4 year colleges have to accept you. Now they don't have to accept you into the program you may be interested in (medicine, law ect..) but they are require to admit you to the college. Community Colleges are cheap and is a good way for you to get your first two years completed. Plus there are many that now offer the entire AA degree online. When you get your diploma it is no different than someone who attended the campus. St. Pete college is one example that offers a AA degree completly online. Keep in mind that publicly funded schools will charge out of state tuition for non-residence. Look for a CC in your state.
I also like the website
I've struggled with my English grammar. It has an English grammar course I like but it does cost money. I'm not paying anything since I read a thread someone started several months back on this forum that gave a code for one free year subscription.
I thought online education would be limited to a few fields. But to my surprise I came across a university that looks promising. I have not taken any classes yet so I'm not recommending it until I do at least a year. This college is not for profit and is regionally accredited. Its indiviual programs also have seperate accreditations. Regional accreditation is important. They are the same accreditation agencies for your major universities. In other words some if not most of your classes should transfer. Being this school is not for profit they don't charge an obsence amount of money. It is a flat fee for 6 months. The program I'm interested in is the Health Informatics program. The nice thing about their program is while you're completing a B.S. degree you will also earn multiple certifications from other agencies:
- CIW Web Foundations Associate
- CompTIA Project+
- CompTIA A+
- CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician
- CompTIA Strata IT Fundamentals
- Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Database Administration Fundamentals
Anyways the online school I'm writing about is www.wgu.edu
Western Governors University, I'm not recommending it but so far looks like one of the better ones out there. I graduated at USF and they offer a Masters in Health Informatics but the cost is $29,280. WGU will cost me $12,000. It won't be a Masters but it does come with lots of certifications and I think an internship.
I just wanted to put out there that even with a busy schedule and limited money its not too late. I'll add to this later about the process of applying for college and what you need. Also keep in mind if you are timid about passing entrance exams that the community colleges offer remedial courses. Lastly if you're low income you may qualify for a Pell Grant.