Online school suggestions!

[Cheerios]

Didn't feel like necro-bumping an old thread, and I'm gonna make this short since I'm leaving for work.

I'm currently considering going to University of Massachusetts Lowell or University of Wisconsin Online to pursue either an AA or BS in IT. I'm not sure if there's any perks for going to UW online for being a Wisconsin resident, but I am considering it. I'm unsure if I should be more specialized, such as a degree in computer networking. I'm not looking to do much of any kind of programming, so anything that avoids that would be ideal.

Have any of you had any luck with online schools, and if so, would you recommend some other school for an IT degree?

I'll add more detail later, but I gotta get going!

inb4 ITT tech, Phoenix, and Devry

[Alleya]

Online school for IT?

Listen, if you want to throw money away, just give it to me.

[Mizango]

I cant give you suggestions as far as schools go, but I do know that 2 companies that I have worked at hire from both brick and mortar schools as well as online schools. I have worked in the IT field professionally for 12 years, so don't let anyone tell you that you cant find work, lolonline or anything like that.

Please, please, please check with your regional accreditation union and make sure they are legit. Or if you speak to a director at the school make sure they are accredited and if they are by whom.

[Mizango]

Online school for IT?

Listen, if you want to throw money away, just give it to me.

I know someone going for nursing

[Meresgi]

Get whatever they tell you, graduation date, credits needed all that in writing, signed by them up front before you even begin.

I made the mistake of signing up for Art Institute Online, was doing fine, the school was good...till I found out they had lied to me about my graduation date. I was busting out a whole course load in 4-5weeks every 4-5weeks w/o any breaks at all, but they told me I was still considered part time by their standards and the way they had set up things..they then told me I could get to full time status...but I would have to pay out of pocket an extra 400 bucks a month on top of all my Fed Aid.

Suffice to say I dropped out.

And yeah anyone slamming on online schools, slam all you want, but these are not the 80s-90s and don't give me any bullshit about how online colleges are only in it for the profit..EVERY college is, or they would be bankrupt and gone.

[warc]

Theres a big difference between being for-profit and not. Part of the tuition for For-profit schools goes into the pockets of the owners. All of the tuition for non-profit schools goes into the school itself. That is a pretty big difference imo.

As for online schooling, echoing the checking for accreditation before applying. There are many online colleges that aren't accredited and offer no real degree to speak of. Don't go into schooling of any kind without a real plan or you will be wasting your time and money.

[kyod]

I'm currently considering going to University of Massachusetts Lowell or University of Wisconsin Online to pursue either an AA or BS in IT. I'm not sure if there's any perks for going to UW online for being a Wisconsin resident, but I am considering it. I'm unsure if I should be more specialized, such as a degree in computer networking. I'm not looking to do much of any kind of programming, so anything that avoids that would be ideal.

Before people start commenting with scam/zomgonlineschool, these are arms of the actual universities. The degree he gets at the end of the program will be from UM-Lowell or UW. Much different than lolDevry/lolITT/lolPhoenix/lolFullSail degrees.

[Pikarya]

Apply to Kaplan University Online. I hear they have a GREAT program.

[Hosom]

Before people start commenting with scam/zomgonlineschool, these are arms of the actual universities. The degree he gets at the end of the program will be from UM-Lowell or UW. Much different than lolDevry/lolITT/lolPhoenix/lolFullSail degrees.

DeVry is regionally accredited, that means you get a real degree from it. I don't know about the other schools in your fail list.

[kyod]

DeVry is regionally accredited, that means you get a real degree from it. I don't know about the other schools in your fail list.

But seeing the words 'Devry' (or any of the others which are all accredited) on a resume gets you removed from consideration for a lot of jobs. People view it as a joke. Whether it's warranted or not is up for debate.

[Pikarya]

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandre.../best-colleges

Just because something is accredited doesn't mean its worthwhile for the money. Especially on paper.

[Meresgi]

Before people start commenting with scam/zomgonlineschool, these are arms of the actual universities. The degree he gets at the end of the program will be from UM-Lowell or UW. Much different than lolDevry/lolITT/lolPhoenix/lolFullSail degrees.

Fullsail and Phoenix are lolsuck, also put Art Institute on that list. Full Sail though, i've only heard horrible things about within media artist communities.

[Caiyuo]

Related to OP: is undergrad a recommended path for IT? Does it depend on the specific field? I have an A.S. in IT atm and I'm struggling with deciding whether to complete a 4-year at an actual college or certify the fuck up and just keep trying for entry level. I can't even say if IT is what I still want because I don't even know what level I'd potentially be qualified for or what kind of work I'd be doing.

Wiping hard drives at Best Buy is not on my Bucket List.

[Meresgi]

Related to OP: is undergrad a recommended path for IT? Does it depend on the specific field? I have an A.S. in IT atm and I'm struggling with deciding whether to complete a 4-year at an actual college or certify the fuck up and just keep trying for entry level. I can't even say if IT is what I still want because I don't even know what level I'd potentially be qualified for or what kind of work I'd be doing.

I'm not too keen on this profession, but I have a buddy who is getting his B.S. in IT, and he said he wishes he had just certified and said fuck it to 4yr school. He's learning SOME things but most of it he said he would learn on the job anyways, and 90% of the interviews he's gone to so far have all declined him for not having any certification and didn't even glance twice at his B.S.

[Cheerios]

IT is just something I'm interested in, but I'm by no means dead set on getting a degree for that field. I just feel like I'd be given more consideration if I had a degree on top of certifications. I suppose I could just get another degree and get more IT certifications instead.

Repairing and troubleshooting PC's is a hobby for me, but I wouldn't mind getting a degree in something else just to show that I have one, since they seem to be required these days.

[Mizango]

If you can repair and clean pc's why not just do that one the side, get your name out there and bank? I did that through college and was easily pulling in 400-600 a week even with my other job. The only certification I had at the time was my A+, but every day consumers are scared to death of computers and viruses. Scan shit with Malwarebytes or some free bullshit, charge 100 bucks and ball out.

Getting a degree in this field is worth it depending on how flexible you are. Are you willing to relocate, or you an anchor kid that cant be away from mommy? Do you mind traveling? Take those into consideration because all companys are different. IBM and Verbatim are really heavy on traveling, or were when I was interning there and when I first started there as a scrub. There are lots of things to take into consideration, because I know that even now I have to go on site a lot, depending on the project that we are working on. This sometimes includes picking up and driving 4 hours away to change out a power supply on a TNT or having to fly somewhere to fix a SIP issue. It sucks but I dont mind traveling, if you do thats something to think about

[Seanr]

If you can repair and clean pc's why not just do that one the side, get your name out there and bank? I did that through college and was easily pulling in 400-600 a week even with my other job. The only certification I had at the time was my A+, but every day consumers are scared to death of computers and viruses. Scan shit with Malwarebytes or some free bullshit, charge 100 bucks and ball out.

I need to start charging people, because I've been doing that for over 10 years now for people for free. As well as hooking up car stereos. Damn my altruistic nature...

[Cheerios]

If you can repair and clean pc's why not just do that one the side, get your name out there and bank? I did that through college and was easily pulling in 400-600 a week even with my other job. The only certification I had at the time was my A+, but every day consumers are scared to death of computers and viruses. Scan shit with Malwarebytes or some free bullshit, charge 100 bucks and ball out.

Getting a degree in this field is worth it depending on how flexible you are. Are you willing to relocate, or you an anchor kid that cant be away from mommy? Do you mind traveling? Take those into consideration because all companys are different. IBM and Verbatim are really heavy on traveling, or were when I was interning there and when I first started there as a scrub. There are lots of things to take into consideration, because I know that even now I have to go on site a lot, depending on the project that we are working on. This sometimes includes picking up and driving 4 hours away to change out a power supply on a TNT or having to fly somewhere to fix a SIP issue. It sucks but I dont mind traveling, if you do thats something to think about

I know a degree in the field would be worth it, but I'm pretty set at just attending an online university instead of a physical campus. I just have a feeling that I'm just throwing my money away to get an online degree in IT, whereas an online degree in another field may have some more legitimacy to it. It's a shame I can't take electrical engineering courses online without failing hardcore at a job later on!

I have charged people before to fix their PC (and also used them as references later on), but I've also done way more free work than I probably should have. I've considered making up some sort of payment model since every time someone asks what they owe me, I just make up a number on the spot without any real structure.

[Villian]

Is Phoenix a decent place for a so so job? I want to get a BA asap and plan to teach English in South East Asia and to the people who just come to America, and maybe Chinese in the states too.

[Bockage]

I would definitely suggest getting a degree if you plan to pursue a career in the IT field. I'm in school now, but looking for work and many of the job postings I see require a degree or a student currently pursuing a degree. I've even seen some entry level help desk positions require an AS or BS. Like others have said, be sure to check out the school's accreditation yourself before hand. Certifications are also typically requirements for employment. Getting your A+ is a must. An N+ and MCDST will also look nice to many employers. You might also want to look into getting the CCNA and/or VCP as they are highly desirable certs to employers, but this is because they are more difficult than the CompTia tests. Anyhow, good luck to you if you go for a career in the IT field. It's a great field if you enjoy building and fixing computers, that's how I got started and I'm loving it.