This morning ABC's Good Morning America featured a brief segment on boomers going back to school. Some of their advice was OK: consider community colleges for flexibility, then distance learning for maximum flexibility.
I have taught in several distance learning programs. Please, please investigate carefully! Many promise flexibility, but you need to understand what that means.
Usually you get flexibility because you don't have to attend classes. So you can work on your assignments at 5 AM or 5 PM.
Sometimes you get to defer deadlines for projects. But don't count on it. Some universities will not allow you to submit late papers for any reason. Nearly all have time limits.
I would ask 2 questions:
(1) What's the grade distribution? If most people get A's, your university may be accredited but you won't be taken seriously.
(2) What have the program's graduates done? Have they remained in their current jobs? Changed careers? Gotten licensed, if applicable? Wish they'd gone somewhere else?
If you can't get access to alumni, put away your credit card.
More: Back to School for a Mid-Life Career Change
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2 comments:
***Usually you get flexibility because you don't have to attend classes. So you can work on your assignments at 5 AM or 5 PM.***
This flexibility was why I chose UoP MBA online. However, it has NOT been easy.
***Sometimes you get to defer deadlines for projects. But don't count on it. Some universities will not allow you to submit late papers for any reason. Nearly all have time limits.***
More than one day late at UoP for Masters level courses - no credit for that assignment. I have not seen the easy lenient things some people say exist.
***(1) What's the grade distribution? If most people get A's, your university may be accredited but you won't be taken seriously.***
The only flaw here is that there has to be a minimum level of acceptability. If eveyone meets it, everyone passes. From what I have seen in my MBA (5 classes from done) getting a B is pretty easy, a A not so easy, or at least, the workload is pretty high to get it.
***(2) What have the program's graduates done? Have they remained in their current jobs? Changed careers? Gotten licensed, if applicable? Wish they'd gone somewhere else?***
I have to agree with this. I am 5 courses or $10,000 away from getting that piece of paper. I am still not convinced this is a worthwhile investment, especially, since this last $10,000 is coming from my retirement monies....(recently unemployed).
***If you can't get access to alumni, put away your credit card.***
I'd be happy with a statistically significant five year change in average wages with inflation adjusted to prove there is some definite value.
Barry
Hi - Your experiences are all too common. This is good info for UoP.
Re your last comment: Unfortunately a change in income won't necessarily be a helpful statistic. If applicants tend to be unemployed (or working in low-paying jobs) they may see a jump in salary that will skew the average.
No substitute for talking to people. Thanks for writing.
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