Newest Threads

**Punity** · 08-07-2012, 10:10 PM

Sorry i feel like ive backed myself into a corner right now, i was going to go to school after i got out but was rejected by the first school i applied to and then this job came along i needed money and here we are year and a half later.

**jmendez29** · 08-08-2012, 01:12 AM

If you already have your gen Ed classes done, then start saving money and/or paying down debt like its going out of style. If you get real serious about this for a year, you will be surprised where you end up. If you don't have all the gen Ed classes done, then start taking them in the evening while you still work. In the meantime, start thinking about what you want to do. Any engineering degree will get you into a lot of doors, but it seems to me that electrical engineers are nearly universal. Just about everybody seems to need one, if I'm wrong about this, then somebody please tell me.

And after you get to that point, make the transition to full time school. Unless times have changed, the GI bill money gets sent to you, not the school. So if you really need the money to live on, then it's there. If not, then keep paying for the school as you go. Live as cheaply as you can and get it done.

jgln · 08-08-2012, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Punity

Sorry forgot to say we bought a house earlier in the year. My VA disability covers the mortgage payment so i have no fret over losing the house.

Well, I have to say this here is a HUGE plus many people do not have. Not having a mortgage payment to make is again a HUGE relief.

Sorry, don't have advise on a career path as every one I chose dried up except for my current one, probably also to dry up one day. The thing is things for most of us are always changing so you can only try.

lumpher · 08-08-2012, 05:29 AM

biggest warning: you said you want to enter i.t. i've been in i.t. for over 20 years, and i've seen it go downhill in people numbers. those commercials about 80-90% placement lie. they get you a 2 week temp. then a 1 month placement later on, then are done with you. never did that route; i started before that, but had to hire people like that. i.t. is NOT the golden egg. i've known people with more certifications than god on unemployment for 2-3 years

onthekeg · 08-08-2012, 05:45 AM

The way that life is going for many it seems is you should keep your job. There are many educated, experienced people out there jobless. I wouldn't recommend quitting and going to school.

gratus fermentatio · 08-08-2012, 11:11 AM

Talk to your wife. Ask her the same questions you're asking us & explain it thoroughly. Listen to what she has to say about it & seriously consider her reply. That being said, Your GI benefits for school will be just as good next year as they are right now; I'd say keep working your job, keep your nose in the wind & your ear to the ground for possible changes @ work while SAVING some money for the next year. If things go sour at work, go to school. If things don't go sour at work by next year, then go back to school. You'll have saved X amount of money, found a school you want to attend & will have included the wife in a serious decision. You might be slightly unhappy for a few months or even the full year, but I think you're a big boy & can handle it; I mean you ARE a brewer after all. A few mugs of homebrew can be quite the balm for a hard days work.

Nothing like being well prepared for a big change when that big change happens. Keeps the wife happy, pads the bank acct, gives you more time to consider/apply to more schools, and if you happen to change your mind along the way, no worries, you've got it covered. That's my 2 cents worth, now go brew up another batch of beer.

Regards, GF.

**punkerdru** · 08-08-2012, 11:23 AM

As someone who works full time and is taking classes through Strayer, I have to recommend keeping going at work as long as possible while going to school online or at night. The experience is invaluable, and will place you better for a future job than will a degree without experience.

The thing about schools like UofP or Strayer is you get out what you put in. I took some brick and mortar classes and found the same thing I do online, that some professors are a pushover an some are ballbusters. I'm married now, but when I was a single dad online was the only way I could take classes, and like some others here I fell into a decent job and i intend to stay at least until I'm done getting tuition reimbursement

The experience is what'll get you hired somewhere else. A degree will help yeah, but I don't think you'll have any disadvantage if you keep working and get a degree online. I know several executives who would regard that higher than quitting to go to school.

nitrousjunkie · 08-08-2012, 11:29 AM

You know, to receive the GI Bill you have to have a "full load" of classes a semester? They consider that 12 hours I believe. Also you would also receive full E-5 bah. There are a few other benefits with the GI bill. Get with the VA office about it if you haven't already.

Cal_J · 08-08-2012, 12:12 PM

I second nitrousjunkie... I am using my GI Bill right now, and working full time. To be considered full time, you have to take a minimum of 12 credit hours a semester to draw full E-5 with dependents BAH. Having said that, you can use it towards online classes, but each semester you have to have a traditional, as in in a classroom, class to count as full time. Otherwise you recieve a prorated BAH.

Also, if you look at the Yellow Ribbon Program, it actually acts as a top up similar to the GI Bill and TA while you were active duty. I would also attempt to pick a degree program that meshes well with your SMART transcript to minimize the amount of time you are in school.

**b-boy** · 08-08-2012, 12:16 PM

I work in IT. It is a great field. There is a lot of flexibility within the field. If you get bored of hardware, you can move to software, or to networking. You can always find something related to IT that will interest you. The pay is generally pretty good as well. It has slipped in the past 10 years, but the future outlook is pretty good because Americans aren't getting IT degrees anymore. I have a hard time finding people for the jobs I need filled.

Any technical degree is a good thing. A technical degree teaches you how to think and solve problems, which is a good skill to have. A technical person can usually find a job in any field because of that skill set. I hire engineers, math majors, science majors all the time because I know they will be able to handle most problems I throw at them.

Online is OK as long as you are affiliated with a good university. I'd opt for a brick and mortar school if possible. Nothing beats hands-on learning. Stay away from the diploma mills. I teach at one part-time. The diplomas and classes are real, but most businesses don't take them too seriously. I do a lot of hiring, and I've never hired anyone from one of those schools.

I graduated with a Biology degree, but returned to school part-time to get a Computer Science degree when I was 30. It was tough and I felt like giving up many times. I had 2 small kids at the time. I pretty much had to start over. Looking back it was well worth it. I'm much better off now.

It really comes down to what you want to do. There's nothing wrong with changing your mind and leveraging existing skills to improve your prospects. It's not easy, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. There is also risk, but most successful people are willing to take risks if they see an upside.