Bachelors Degree, Has it lost its edge and its value?

[DisgruntledVirus]

I posted the link to the Christian Science Monitor.

Can you elaborate on the point that you are trying to make?

Uno

My bad on saying magazine instead of monitor.

Point is that I was surprised to see it was from CSM, as I wouldn't have expected this article there.

 

[purbeast0]

It will be if you were to lose your job. If your employer offers tuition reimbursement, I'd strongly recommend knocking a BS/BA degree out through someone like WGU.

i decided to google WGU after seeing you mention it a few times. it actually looks pretty interesting.

i think once i start my new job and have been there 3 months that I may check into their MBA program since they have crazy reimbursement benefits.

the whole online thing intrigues me because i do not have the time to physically go to a college after work and the gym.

 

[corwin]

I remember we had a discussion about that a few weeks ago. Still B.S. for the company.

BS for the employees too, my job was recently reclassified as hourly after having been exempt for 11 years...some asshat we fired in Cali sued saying he should have been getting paid overtime and won so the rest of us got screwed, but part of that was with how they chose to "adjust" our salaries and bonuses to meet hourly requirements.

 

[ImpulsE69]

My 2 year degree that allows me to pull in six figures must be like a junior high education then.

I am teh fail.

I was thinking the same thing...but experience still does count for something in some areas.

 

[LookBehindYou]

Heh, I work as a sys admin and I'm less than two years from my BA in Anthropology, I'm going to school for the enjoyment of learning about something I'm interested in. It won't help me in my current job, probably won't help me in any other job but it's free and I'm interested in what I'm learning.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

i decided to google WGU after seeing you mention it a few times. it actually looks pretty interesting.

i think once i start my new job and have been there 3 months that I may check into their MBA program since they have crazy reimbursement benefits.

the whole online thing intrigues me because i do not have the time to physically go to a college after work and the gym.

I've heard that WGU is reputable, as it is not for profit and was formed by several governors. Apparently the MBA may not have AASCB (or whatever it is called) accreditation, but the cost of going would be 100% covered by my employer. I work right next to Indiana University's Indianapolis campus and could go get a ranked degree, but the cost is much higher and I won't accumulate debt for it.

I like that WGU has a fixed cost per term and you can do as much or as little as you want each term. That is really an attractive option for me.

 

[unokitty]

i decided to google WGU after seeing you mention it a few times. it actually looks pretty interesting.

the whole online thing intrigues me because i do not have the time to physically go to a college after work and the gym.

Recently, I assisted in an Ethical Hacking Class held at the local PD.

One of the students had recently completed his Bachelors Degree at WGU. He was very positive about the experience.

WGU has regional accreditation. (Wouldn't recommend any institution that didn't.)

They are pretty non traditional. For example, they don't charge by the credit hour. Rather they charge by the month. You pay a certain amount for a six month period and are free to earn as many credits as you can...

Some people find that appealing. And this young man was able to complete his degree in a very timely and economical manner.

If you are looking at online degrees, I'd think that WGU deserves consideration.

Best of luck,
Uno

 

[Imp]

Before I did my master's, I would have said "yes, bachelor's was a waste" because all it got me was a reasonable-paying job meant for 3-year college graduates. On the other hand, I beat out about a thousand other people because I had the bachelors...

After I did my master's, I realized the bachelors does/did open a lot of doors. With reasonable grades in the third and fourth year, I got into a master's program. With one master's, I'm going for a second, and thinking about doing a third, or a PhD, or changing fields relatively easily - lot of "bachelor" or "bachelor in engineering or related" required job postings out there, and getting into master programs in other fields is easier than doing a 3 or 4 year bachelors to start over.

I'm still at the same job, but that's because I haven't really tried looking. Trying to figure out what to do next...

 

[child of wonder]

It will be if you were to lose your job. If your employer offers tuition reimbursement, I'd strongly recommend knocking a BS/BA degree out through someone like WGU.

Having read many of your posts over the years, I respect your opinion but still disagree. If I was working in a traditional IT role, I would agree that a Bachelor's degree would be advantageous but as a consultant it isn't that important. In consulting the most important things are: do you have in demand skills that will attract clients, do you have soft skills that allow you to work well with clients, and do you have the experience and certifications to provide credibility as a leader in your areas of expertise.