Finally got myself a sheepskin

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Aitrus
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Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by Aitrus »

Welp, now I've done it. My BS in Adult Education from Bellevue University was conferred this morning. I earned a straight 4.0 throughout the 18-month cohort, but since it was all online and transfer credits / CLEP tests I won't receive any honors (not that this was why I went to college in the first place). As far as I know, I'm the first one on my side of the family to earn a degree. I probably won't ever catch up to my wife, though. She's currently working on her second Master's and will follow up with a terminal degree in her field. My oldest daughter is almost halfway through her own BA degree and hasn't even graduated high school yet (she's in her school's Running Start program).

Now it's on to looking for education-focused and/or curriculum design jobs in the DoD. My degree and experience lines up perfectly with GS-1740 and -1750 jobs. I've been on usajobs quite a bit lately. It will be nice to finally move on from the GS-9 level of pay I've been stuck at for the last decade.

I'm not sure if I'll pursue a Master's in the field. My professors think I'm solid Master's material, and would probably be a strong Doctorate candidate as well if I decide to go that far - but I'm not too interested in joining the formal academia / research publication side of things. If I pursue my Master's, it will mostly be so that I can teach at the college level - probably in online classes. Which wouldn't be a bad gig to have in retirement, honestly. Pull down a pension while teaching a class on the side to have something to do and have a little extra money doesn't sound like a bad way to spend the golden years.
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Midway
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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by Midway »

Congratulations and Congraduations! I recognized an Educator in your teachings here a while back. Good luck in your future endeavors.

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12squared
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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by 12squared »

18 months is impressive. Were you working part time?
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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by Aitrus »

In total, the cohort was 18 months of 10 back-to-back classes consisting of a 4 credit hour class every 6 weeks, plus a 9 credit hour 12-week capstone course. One class at a time, but it was accelerated and compressed into a 6-week timespan. The classes weren't abbreviated (meaning, it didn't shirk on the standards), it just happened quickly, so we had to stay on top of our timelines and projects. 49 credits in 18 months.

I didn't really start pursuing a degree until early last year. I already had three Associate degrees from the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) from my time in the Air Force. I have to do much of anything extra to earn them - mostly I just did my job and went to the training courses the military told me to go to (some of which earned college credit). I had four different jobs in my military career, and I was in three of them long enough to earn the credits necessary for an AS through the CCAF.

After the job-based OJT credits, I just CLEP tested the other requirements (speech, humanities, etc), and took a course here or there for those I didn't think I could test out of. Got the first AS in 2007, and the others were more or less automatically granted in 2016 and 2017 since all I had to do was apply to receive them. My AS degrees are in Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Education and Training Management, and Intelligence Analysis. The field I wasn't in long enough to earn all the necessary OJT credits was SERE Specialist, although I missed that only by a couple of months.

It wasn't until early 2019 that I got tired of trying to earn more than GS-9 on an AS degree alone. Even though I still don't see the point of requiring a degree for higher GS payscales when one has enough experience otherwise. I've been in the education field for most of my working lifetime (since roughly 2001) in one way or another, so I definitely have enough experience and knowledge of the field. I just figured I needed to stop fighting City Hall and play the game the way it's designed. So in late 2018 I decided to go ahead and check the Bachelor's box (especially since the AF offers some pretty generous TA to civil service members), and started classes in May 2019.

I didn't find any of the BS coursework very challenging, although I did learn a few things that I didn't know, however, I wouldn't say it was worth the cost of tuition to learn them. So I challenged myself by turning in projects that were 3-4x the required word count, included twice the number of required APA citations, dived deeply into the critical thinking and self-reflection aspects of the online environment, etc. I got my money's worth, but only because I made the most of the opportunity to learn - not because I didn't have the knowledge and skills already.

For perspective, I'm 40 now, working a full-time civil service job, and helping MJ with the forum.
Seasonal Musings 2022: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=19005
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bloobs
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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by bloobs »

Congrats! I wouldn't question the value of higher education. It is well worth it, and I don't mean that in terms of financial return on investment through promotion to a higher GS.

Regardless of the degree you attain. Besides making you humbly realize that there is always something new to learn no matter one's age, past achievements, and expertise; its ultimate purpose is to drill into you HOW (not what) to think.

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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by mjedlin66 »

Congratulations Aitrus!

As far as the value of the degree goes, we could argue that all day long. There are people who think that non-degreed engineers should not be able to get my job via experience alone. I am not one of those people. We have engineers in my office who don't have engineering degrees, and they do the job just as well as I do. What the degree did for me 8 years ago was prove to my boss that I was capable, without needing to show 6-8 years of experience like the other guys had to.

At any rate, I'm proud of you.
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Navig8tor
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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by Navig8tor »

Congrats on your degree, Aitrus. You set a goal; you worked and you achieved YOUR goal. That's the most important part >>> YOU wanted it and YOU put for the effort to complete the program.

As far as using the degree to work in your field and/or pursuing an MS...gotta be a YOU decision, and YOU gotta be willing to "end a job" to "start a better job."

"Teaching" at an on-line university isn't a bad gig from what I hear. I worked with a civilian who was the "Education Services Officer" at a large military unit. He was a retired Deputy Sheriff on full pension; he was a GS-7 ESO, and he was an "Associate Professor" at a local university. He "taught" one course, freshman Criminal Justice. Fact of the matter is he really didn't TEACH anything. He simply facilitated an online course that was already in place. For that, he told me he made $25,000/yr simply "grading papers," most of which was accomplished while he was supposedly doing his ESO job.

I completed a BS and an MS while I was on active duty. I am using NEITHER degree for my current job. I was able to get my job because of my military background in the same field. I learned quite a bit in the process of completing the degrees; however, both degrees are simply "wall-hangers" at this point. I have no intention of working past age 59 (53 now) so I don't see any degree-type jobs in MY future. Too bad, I suppose. However, I took what I could get when I retired from the military. Getting what you "want" doesn't always work out on YOUR schedule.

Adult-education is WIDE OPEN at this point. You can take that career path literally as far as YOU want!! Go for it!!
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Scorpio70
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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by Scorpio70 »

Congratulations! Unless you plan to teach, skip the Doctorate. When I was in the private sector business people were ok with the MBA degree, however a DBA sent the wrong signals. It meant that a person generally, (not always) could not hack it in business, and was trying to educate their way to the top.

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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by IRQVET »

My .02 cents . . .

- Docorate is only useful if you want to teach.

- Masters is good if you plan on going into private sector. If that is the case, I'd transfer to a better known school to bury your degree from Bellevue. Its not a bad school, but its not a well known school either. They came to be "known" around the age of UoP, so that stigma is strong with them; along with their acceptance rate, which doesn't help their reputation. If you go for your masters, nobody tends to focus on where you got your bachelors. You can get through the door by either your education or your experience. Better to have both, but if not, one of those better be exceedingly strong.

- If you plan to stay in the fed, use that degree to the fullest and simply put in your 12 month minimum to jump grades and get experience. I did both, completed as many details as could while I was finishing up graduate school.

In either event, take some time to take in the moment. Finishing any degree feels good. Don't jump into anything right away unless your 100% positive that is more time and expense your willing to take on. I jumped quickly from undergraduate to graduate school, but that was more of a forced thing because I was trying to beat the clock on my GI Bill. I finished back in 2016, and I'm still waiting for those brain cells to grow back . . .
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LoGiK
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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by LoGiK »

congrats!!!

did I read right that you've been a GS-9 for a decade?
No clue what I'm doing, but willing to learn.

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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by Aitrus »

LoGiK wrote:congrats!!!

did I read right that you've been a GS-9 for a decade?
Thanks!

Yes, that's right. Joined the GS force in 2008 as a GS-7, hit 9 a year later as part of a move to another unit, and have been in the same position ever since. I'm in DoD at a smallish base, and the upward potential where I'm at is very limited - all of my supervisors are military, most of the positions across base that do what I do are filled by military members, etc. We decided to stay in this location because the schools are good around here for the kids, and my wife was pursuing her education and career at one of the better colleges in the area.
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Recommended Reading: http://tspcenter.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=13474
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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by Aitrus »

Thanks for the well wishes, everybody. Much appreciated.

Navig8tor / IV - Good thoughts, guys. I'll keep them in mind as I consider my path forward.

Nav: UoP? Which one is that? But if you mean degree mills, I get what you mean. Bellevue has a campus rep on my military installation, and from what the base's academic advisors told me the institution had to undergo a thorough evaluation process before being allowed to come. Plus, it's one of the few institutions that a) had an online program for my desired degree / GS job code goals; b) contained course topics that I wanted to include in my educational development; and c) was at a price I could be happy with.
Seasonal Musings 2022: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=19005
Recommended Reading: http://tspcenter.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=13474
"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters" Epictetus

crondanet5
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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by crondanet5 »

Hold on.

A while back Ann Anastasi said: "intelligent people tend to stay in school longer." So show your intelligence, stay in school.

Get your Masters degree. The undergraduate handbook describes completion of a given course as "understands" or "appreciates" the course material. You can use the terms associated with the course and perform certain functions. The Masters handbook reads: "applies, devises, implements, employs" the information learned in the course. You will find your thinking changes as you approach completion of the Masters degree and people listen to you more and apply your ideas. It's like a great awakening. It is worth the effort. Like anything else in life, you may use it, you may not. But the Masters experience opens your mind to doing whatever job or occupation you find yourself in more rewarding and satisfying. You are at the age when academic pursuit affects what you do the rest of your life. Do not let this opportunity escape your grasp.

As for the doctorate. It's worth it. Example. There is a Ph.d on our town council. The other members are Children of a Lesser Degree. This person worked hard to update ordinances and resolve issues in the town. At the last town meeting I observed this person use their dissertation experience to justify major changes to an ordinance governing solar farms and projects requiring certain tasks be accomplished by the applicant before the project could begin. I congratulated that person in using the doctoral experience in a way never imagined to present the proposed revisions in an "unbumpable" way to the town council. It's not necessarily the area of the doctorate you pursue, it is the tools you acquire along the way.

Do not stop. Press on.

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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by Bubba »

Aitrus wrote:Welp, now I've done it. My BS in Adult Education from Bellevue University was conferred this morning. I earned a straight 4.0 throughout the 18-month cohort, but since it was all online and transfer credits / CLEP tests I won't receive any honors (not that this was why I went to college in the first place). As far as I know, I'm the first one on my side of the family to earn a degree. I probably won't ever catch up to my wife, though. She's currently working on her second Master's and will follow up with a terminal degree in her field. My oldest daughter is almost halfway through her own BA degree and hasn't even graduated high school yet (she's in her school's Running Start program).

Now it's on to looking for education-focused and/or curriculum design jobs in the DoD. My degree and experience lines up perfectly with GS-1740 and -1750 jobs. I've been on usajobs quite a bit lately. It will be nice to finally move on from the GS-9 level of pay I've been stuck at for the last decade.

I'm not sure if I'll pursue a Master's in the field. My professors think I'm solid Master's material, and would probably be a strong Doctorate candidate as well if I decide to go that far - but I'm not too interested in joining the formal academia / research publication side of things. If I pursue my Master's, it will mostly be so that I can teach at the college level - probably in online classes. Which wouldn't be a bad gig to have in retirement, honestly. Pull down a pension while teaching a class on the side to have something to do and have a little extra money doesn't sound like a bad way to spend the golden years.

Congrats! I have all of them (including doctorate) and I can tell you that you change your entire mindset if you go that far. Of course it all depends, but whatever you decide is next, I would suggest to stick to reputable programs. I did online, brick and mortar and hybrids. I've done Phoenix and public ivies (couldn't afford ivy league). Higher quality does really come from the research professionals you study with in your program. Just my opinion.

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Navig8tor
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Re: Finally got myself a sheepskin

Post by Navig8tor »

Aitrus wrote:Thanks for the well wishes, everybody. Much appreciated.

Navig8tor / IV - Good thoughts, guys. I'll keep them in mind as I consider my path forward.

Nav: UoP? Which one is that? But if you mean degree mills, I get what you mean. Bellevue has a campus rep on my military installation, and from what the base's academic advisors told me the institution had to undergo a thorough evaluation process before being allowed to come. Plus, it's one of the few institutions that a) had an online program for my desired degree / GS job code goals; b) contained course topics that I wanted to include in my educational development; and c) was at a price I could be happy with.
Aitrus - the college I was referring to (for which my former coworker was an AP) is the University of South Florida.
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