Aitrus,Aitrus wrote: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.
Very impressive. I suspect you'll do well if you decide to pursue further studies.
Based the extensive thought you've put into Seasonal Musings I was surprised to learn that this is your first piece of 4-ply collegiate parchment - the price of admsison to the next level of the game. While it does not guarantee success, it can keep the bolt from latching the door shut.
12²
