Online Degrees

[12]

Re: Online Degrees

I am going to back to school online, but I will steer away from online degree mills such as the University of Phoenix, Ashford, etc...

Many public universities have online degree programs now.

[mvb34]

Re: Online Degrees

I don't thank it really matter where you got your degree from as long as you know how to sell yourself in an interview.

[ryan36]

Re: Online Degrees

I don't thank it really matter where you got your degree from as long as you know how to sell yourself in an interview.

It doesn't to get a job like I have. Low paying jobs...$12-16 an hour , the degree doesn't matter, they still may not require you have one. When you start talking companies w/real money , they'll just skip you if an HR person thinks you have a "do nothing" degree

[fistofrage]

Re: Online Degrees

It doesn't to get a job like I have. Low paying jobs...$12-16 an hour , the degree doesn't matter, they still may not require you have one. When you start talking companies w/real money , they'll just skip you if an HR person thinks you have a "do nothing" degree

Guaranteed. You have to get the interview to be able to sell yourself. I am sure there are competent people with University of Phx degrees, but I interviewed enough people from there that were sub par at best that I don't even bother interviewing them anymore.

[Hova57]

Re: Online Degrees

Like fist said the biggest thing you miss doing online school is 1-1 interaction and knowing your degree is acceptable.

[Cebby]

Re: Online Degrees

It doesn't to get a job like I have. Low paying jobs...$12-16 an hour , the degree doesn't matter, they still may not require you have one. When you start talking companies w/real money , they'll just skip you if an HR person thinks you have a "do nothing" degree

Yup

Selling yourself in an interview is great, but with this economy you don't necessarily get that chance. I have friends with UMD degrees with honors (not Harvard, but 100,000 times better than Phoenix Online) working secretary jobs and mass sending resumes to get an interview every other month.

[slickdtc]

Re: Online Degrees

Very good to know this as well. I'm looking to get back to school soon, and online classes have always been a possibility due to convenience. I do plan on taking classes at the physical school, as well. But if I can get the simple classes out of the way online, I'm all for it. Then take the more serious to my major classes at the school, physically. There's nothing like an actual classroom.

I always thought online universities were awesome, but I learned from OS just how awful many of these places are. Basically scams, and a lot of them don't carry much weight. Why waste money on a piece of paper that won't get you anywhere, anyway?

This is why I love OS. You can get real world advice from people (like fistofrage, it sounds like) who have real world experience. Good to know.

[UNC_Pete]

Re: Online Degrees

I think the best online programs are ones where the school has a physical presence but also carry an online program. I did a Master's Certification program through Regis University in Colorado and thought it was very good. All the profs for my courses taught physically at their location as well. All indications and I'll be moving forward in my career next year thanks to their help. I believe it also helped that my certification was in the IT field where online project collaboration is a real world skill for software engineers.

If your doing an online program make sure you look into the school itself. I found out Regis University is ranked pretty good:

"Regis University was ranked #28 in the Western United States in the Best Regional Universities category.

"Being consistently ranked as a top school by U.S. News & World Report reflects our commitment to academic excellence and our mission of educating men and women to be leaders in the services of others," said Patricia Ladewig, vice president for Academic Affairs. "We are pleased to be recognized as a top school in this annual ranking."

Do your research and pick a good school to continue your education.

[fistofrage]

Re: Online Degrees

Very good to know this as well. I'm looking to get back to school soon, and online classes have always been a possibility due to convenience. I do plan on taking classes at the physical school, as well. But if I can get the simple classes out of the way online, I'm all for it. Then take the more serious to my major classes at the school, physically. There's nothing like an actual classroom.

I always thought online universities were awesome, but I learned from OS just how awful many of these places are. Basically scams, and a lot of them don't carry much weight. Why waste money on a piece of paper that won't get you anywhere, anyway?

This is why I love OS. You can get real world advice from people (like fistofrage, it sounds like) who have real world experience. Good to know.

Glad I could help. The other thing you want to look at is where do you want to go once you are finished with college. If you are leaving the area, you are better off going to a larger state school with national recognition than a smaller school that may not be well known outside of the area regardless of how good it is.

This is your time.....I mean your time on this planet, make the most of it. Get good grades, get a solid degree, and make sure you take some internships. I have seen many kids who are probably bright with the ecomony these days working at Subway with an Accounting or other business degree. The main reason is they didn't do internships, get relevant experience, and were passed over right out of college and now they are on the verge of being unemployable within their field until the economy turns around. Their knowledge is fading and they just don't stack up well against other new graduates who had internships.

Its tough out there so do your best to get all you can out of your education. And if you can't afford it right now, get a job, any job and use your free time to study courses you think you will be studying in college. And put the money away for next year. A library card will go a long way. Some universities actually show their classes online for free. Now you won't get credit for them, but nothing wrong with doing the readings. Anything you can do to get ahead now will pay $$$$$ dividends in the future. Good Luck.

[Dame]

Re: Online Degrees

From my experience It dont matter where you graduated from as long as its accredited. Also it matters what field you are going in as well.

I know many successful people who graduated from Phoenix with an MBA they do just fine the only thing that seems to matter is experience mostly.

If I was hiring someone and received 2 resumes one graduated from Phoenix one from Michigan state and the Phoenix one has more and better experience the Phoenix candidate would probably win out. If their experiences are equal it will probably go to the person who can sell themselves the best in the interview.

I'm getting my PHD from state now and have hired many people from Phoenix and through my discussion with them its not too different from big time Universities. I think there's just an unfortunate stigma related to Online schools( i use to have it) but in post graduate work(i dont know anyone or interviewed anyone with a bachelors from phoenix) I dont think there is much difference in what they study.

Michigan state has one of the top MBA programs in the nation but a recent study shows the Phoenix students fair just as well as State after graduating.(i just had an HR seminar i'll find the link in a minute) Most employers now are judging people on there work and not just school and their experience usually help get over the "take the easy way out" stigma

But for the OP if you had financial aid trouble I wouldnt do Phoenix its more money just do CC for you core classes then transfer to a big University. Online schools seems to be more acceptable for people who have families or need to work full time.

[fistofrage]

Re: Online Degrees

From my experience It dont matter where you graduated from as long as its accredited. Also it matters what field you are going in as well.

I know many successful people who graduated from Phoenix with an MBA they do just fine the only thing that seems to matter is experience mostly.

If I was hiring someone and received 2 resumes one graduated from Phoenix one from Michigan state and the Phoenix one has more and better experience the Phoenix candidate would probably win out. If their experiences are equal it will probably go to the person who can sell themselves the best in the interview.

I'm getting my PHD from state now and have hired many people from Phoenix and through my discussion with them its not too different from big time Universities. I think there's just an unfortunate stigma related to Online schools( i use to have it) but in post graduate work(i dont know anyone or interviewed anyone with a bachelors from phoenix) I dont think there is much difference in what they study.

Michigan state has one of the top MBA programs in the nation but a recent study shows the Phoenix students fair just as well as State after graduating.(i just had an HR seminar i'll find the link in a minute) Most employers now are judging people on there work and not just school and their experience usually help get over the "take the easy way out" stigma

But for the OP if you had financial aid trouble I wouldnt do Phoenix its more money just do CC for you core classes then transfer to a big University. Online schools seems to be more acceptable for people who have families or need to work full time.

Thats the kicker, you are talking about MBA graduates and the original poster is talking about undergraduate.

With an MBA, I would hope that the people you are describing from Phoenix have multiple years of real world experience, the MBA is just an added bonus. Multiple years experience always wins out over a degree in most cases. However, I can tell you that 90% of the knowledge I gained in my MBA was through interaction with other business executives. Talking about how they personally handled logistics, financing, personnel , and production issues. That was alot more relevant than theories in a book.

As far as undergraduate degrees, I can tell you that people who had business degrees where they attended on campus classes were much more prepared to handle the interviewing process. The people with online degrees for the most part didn't know how to sell themselves and were even lacking in the technical knowledge. I received alot of blank stares in the interview process from young candidates with these online degrees. I also saw alot of inflated grade point averages from these online degrees. The people all had 3.5+ GPAs and weren't prepared to handle many of the questions. Right or wrong, I felt these people had wasted alot of money and were ill-prepared, they could have gained the same knowledge with a library card.

In undergraduate, it is imperative you get an internship and get some real world experience and be able to talk to that experience. People skills are just as important as book knowledge and I don't believe you get that through online classes.

Side note on the MBA. I found that almost everywhere you go for an MBA, you will get your degree as long as you keep paying the University. So if you do elect to get an MBA, make sure you leave the program with alot of knowledge because I saw people cruise through and get the same diploma I have. I made sure to get a 4.0 in my MBA and took the lead on most projects as well as alot of outside discussion with other executives. An MBA just isn't as valuable as it used to be. I would also recommend, anyone gets an MBA AFTER a few years in the real world, specifically 5 years, because an MBA with no experience, ie right out of college is going to put you in the awkward position of having too many credentials to get an entry level job and not enough experience to get a mid level position.

[CWSapp757]

Re: Online Degrees

Ugh, fist I feel like your last post was aimed directly at me. I'm in such a weird situation. I graduated from Norfolk State University with a undergrad degree in Psych. Been working with a mental health agency for 4 years now. Only problem.... I hate it. Its emotionally draining and I just don't want to continue in this field for the rest of my life.

I decided that I wanted to go back to school to get my masters. I enroll at Capella and am working towards my MBA with an emphasis in Accounting right now. Of course the only problem is that I have no real experience in the field. I'm kinda lost as to what the future might hold for me. I'm not really too concerned about making loads of money. As long as I can make a decent living similar to what I'm doing now (making close to 50 thousand now).

Any tips or words of advice for me?

[fistofrage]

Re: Online Degrees

Ugh, fist I feel like your last post was aimed directly at me. I'm in such a weird situation. I graduated from Norfolk State University with a undergrad degree in Psych. Been working with a mental health agency for 4 years now. Only problem.... I hate it. Its emotionally draining and I just don't want to continue in this field for the rest of my life.

I decided that I wanted to go back to school to get my masters. I enroll at Capella and am working towards my MBA with an emphasis in Accounting right now. Of course the only problem is that I have no real experience in the field. I'm kinda lost as to what the future might hold for me. I'm not really too concerned about making loads of money. As long as I can make a decent living similar to what I'm doing now (making close to 50 thousand now).

Any tips or words of advice for me?

Nothing wrong with deciding to get out of a field you are unhappy with.

As far as getting an MBA, is this a general MBA or a masters in accountancy?

What I would probably recommend is getting a bachelors degree in accounting because I am not sure how your core accounting skills are. You may have to provide more information in those regards.

If you had a bachelors in accounting and had an internship, I think you could look to start at $40K in a mid sized midwest market, look to see what the regional markets would be because I am not sure where you would be. Midwest is lower than other markets.

Get your foot in and you can look to get your salary up within a few years while you persue the MBA.

Now if you went the public route which will require a relatively high gpa, you would look at starting higher and be at the 50's within a few years and then your options would be better.

In short, if you are serious about accounting, get your bachelors and all the required classes to sit for the CPA. You are older, probably more dedicated and should be able to accomplish this. Once you have your CPA, doors will open after a couple years of auditing and you can look to be a controller and on pace to be making $70K+. Then get your MBA in Finance and aspire to be a CFO.

I cann tell you, it will be hard to get an entry level accounting job and gain experience with the MBA and an emphasis in accounting. You fall in this black hole I have seen where noone will want to pay you for your MBA with no experience. Entry level will seem below your degree but without the experience, you won't be able to jump in at management level either. Employers are leary to hire people with MBA's at entry level for numerous reasons.

I am not throwing stones at you, you have a bright future ahead, but from what I have seen your best path will be to get the Bachelors and get all of your fundamentals down and take a couple internships. Then get your CPA, its a tougher road, but one that will pay dividends.

[CWSapp757]

Re: Online Degrees

Thanks fist. Is it cool if I send you a PM tomorrow?

[fistofrage]

Re: Online Degrees

Thanks fist. Is it cool if I send you a PM tomorrow?

Yeah, no problem.