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Higher Learning, Online?
provell writes "An ad for the U of Phoenix online education program caught my eye the other day. I know the concept of online education isn't a new one but it seems to be growing more prevalent with each passing year. As an IT consultant at the age of 18, I didn't give myself much chance for college and I don't get much time in town to take part time courses. With the burst of the E-Bubble, I'm starting to notice an increase in hiring standards. Is a BS a necessary bargaining chip for the IT industry and are online undergrad programs widely accepted/adequate? Any thoughts/experiences would be much appreciated."
I'm currently doing a BSIT at UoP while working for a major government contractor. UoP is fully accredited. My employer recognizes them as a legitimate university and is happy to pay for the courses.
While I'm not sure that the education is as rigorous as I'd like, the degree is legit and there's nothing to stop me from going to the U of Washington campus to take more math and such. While the credits are more expensive, individually at UoP ($400 per credit vs. $300 per credit at U of Washington), UoP recognized twice as many of my previous college credits, which means I'll complete my degree nearly two years earlier than if I'd gone the other route.
Sad fact is that if you're working for a major corporation, particularly in the government sector, the degree's important. Not only is there a certain status attached to your level of education, but many companies have internal rules governing rate of pay and advancement level limits based on degree. Online education is becoming more and more acceptable and companies are beginning to realize that it is a real education, as opposed to a diploma mill. The bottom line for me is: It doesn't matter where that education comes from; what I get out of it is entirely up to me.
It was absolutely pathetic.
The teacher didn't know what she was teaching.
The teacher handed out exams that had blatant errors (do you really want me to write out the results of a 100 Million Cartesian product?!?)
The teacher believed the book when it recommended human-readable primary keys! (ie: US-AZ-24-90 Made in the US, in Arizona, and for Trucks (24)... that's what unique columns are for. It's a mess when the plant moves to Mexico... and you know it will).
The teacher couldn't answer questions. (In Access, can you select the Count(*)? [Yes: It allows you to return counts including null fields, and is much faster])
The book actually gave different answers for the same question, exemplified when we had an open book exam. Everyone took the answer from the chapter we were on... the teacher graded on the answer 5 chapters later.
We were forced to use a data modeling program that no one had ever heard of, and were not allowed to use, oh, Visio.
By the end of the class, fellow students twice my age were asking me the questions, and ignoring her answers.
I wrote a letter describing the situation in much more political terms, CC: to everyone all the way up to President, and never received a response.
All you do at UoP is purchase a degree. You almost can't fail. You get A's almost without trying. (of course you have to do the simplistic work)
While I don't claim to know everything, I was a Sr. Developer/Analyst consulting at Best Western, and have since worked for a couple more top-100 companies.
What I will be doing next is going to evening/distance learning courses offered by a reputable university. Not only will it have good name recognition, it's cheaper, and more taxing on the mind (which is why you get education: otherwise, buy your degree from UoP and prove it in your interview).
Posting anonymously so they can't sue Slashdot for who I am... Even those these are just my opinions.