Does the University matter as much as the Education?

[amber.hodge]

I gained a vocational degree for Xray years ago and am wanting to go other places in my adult life than the medical field. I do not have the time to attend a ground campus with the military schedule I keep - plus having a family. I do not have the money to pay for an expensive school, so while I am on active duty, I need to take advantage of my tuition assistance (100% paid up front as long as I get good grades).

There is a school called American Military University which is Regionally Accredited and is online. They offer Associates, Bachelors and Masters degree programs. They have a slew of associates degree programs I am interested in such as "Military History", "Counter-terrorist Fundamentals", "Military Leadership", "Weapons of Mass Destruction", "Political Science", and "Emergency and Disaster Management". Also, since they cater to the military, I will have an easier time with not having to cancel or drop classes. This means a lot since the average time it takes a member of the military to obtain a Bachelors degree is 14 years.

My big question is:
Does the name on my degree matter as much as the fact I have a degree and that it is a good GPA? Those of you who do hiring or are business owners, I'd especially like to know your opinions.

[1BLKJP]

I basically look at it this way. If two people are going for the same position and are of equal education and qualification, then i'll probably lean towards the one that has a Harvard degree over a University of southern most wanted degree. Othere than in those instances I do really believe that the education that you gain while taking higher level courses is what a potential employer will want. Do you know what you are talking about and how to apply it in the real world.

[John_P]

It makes a difference trust me. The astute student will even go beyond the college...and examine the program they wish study...certain colleges have stronger programs and are known for them. That was part of my decision to transfer to ASU...not the best as whole.. (barely voted into the top 100 I believe by Newsweek), but has a strong program in my area that is recognized nationally. Can't deny that, and it HAS paid off, will so in the future.

[Xiled1]

A little piece of info from way back when I was applying, fresh out of college. Most employers seemed to have a rating system, it was a number they generated figuring in the school you went to and your graduating GPA. So ASU with a 3.0 would rate higher than Univ. of Gila Bend with a 3.8.

I'm an engineeer, so this type of rating may not apply to your chosen field.

Hope that helps.

[amber.hodge]

Well, herein lays my dilemma...

I work too much to go to ground campus. AMU allows military to do online and their textbooks (thank god a college with an online program that still uses real text books) are free to current military students. So I would go to college for free.

Has anyone heard of this university? www.amu.apus.edu

The officer in charge of the education center nudged me towards them (they highly promote them)....

I used to work for University of Phoenix and I don't want to go there...I don't know of any other colleges that have the fields of study in my first post other than this one....and I do want to do online...any suggestions?

[John_P]

Most, if not all colleges, have a political science program. The others are for career military people. So if you are planning on staying in the military, go to that school.

[amber.hodge]

Counter Terrorist Fundamentals/ Weapons of Mass Destruction/ and such can funnel into a poli sci 4 year degree or can funnel into Emergency and Disaster Management, Homeland Security, Middle Eastern Studies.......

I do plan on staying in the Army National Guard until I retire, but since I already am nearing my 7th year of service - I retire in 13 years when I turn 40....need to start planning for what my second retirement will be --- FEMA perhaps?

I respect you opinion on college as you have more experience than I do, John. Have you ever heard of that place?

[John_P]

Counter Terrorist Fundamentals/ Weapons of Mass Destruction/ and such can funnel into a poli sci 4 year degree or can funnel into Emergency and Disaster Management, Homeland Security, Middle Eastern Studies.......

I do plan on staying in the Army National Guard until I retire, but since I already am nearing my 7th year of service - I retire in 13 years when I turn 40....need to start planning for what my second retirement will be --- FEMA perhaps?

I respect you opinion on college as you have more experience than I do, John. Have you ever heard of that place?

No.

[amber.hodge]

LOL

I don't think I've ever seen a 2 letter response from you!

What is a good ranking system or place I can go to find out about it?

[John_P]

it sounds like to me is that your are going for some lower division credits...if that is the case, you only want to make sure that the credits you will earn will transfer to the institution you eventually want to earn a BA or BS at...(not that you don't already possess a strong degree of BS :) )

[amber.hodge]

LOL I knew this niceness stuff would have a jibe at the end - but seriously - I respect someone that stands up for their beliefs - even if I think they are skewed from reality a bit. ;)

I have to start all over from scratch, yes. I am just trying to get an Associates Degree and from there will go onto a Bachelors at a ground campus or at least a more well known college. (that is my plan)
I have limited time because if I want to go into OCS with the Guard, I only have 6 years before I'm too old.

[shannonmac]

I think the answer to this question is dependent on the type of degree you are working towards as well as the field you are looking to go into.
Case in point: when I was going for graphic design I chose to go to UMass Dartmouth and MA College of Art b/c they both offered top notch programs.
Now that I am going for Nursing I chose Ommunity College b/c I know I will receive the same level of schooling that I would at a university for less of a cost.
In all honesty though, nothing beats real world experience.
:)
good luck

[amber.hodge]

I'm nervous. And I know that since I already have a military background and love it, and my Navy background is weapons of mass destruction - and also because of the terrorist threat we live with - all would be great degrees for me personally - would be great to work with FEMA or some Government entity....I just want to stay where I already have experience as I think it will help me build a better platform to pair a degree with.

I have no idea where I'll do my bachelors though....

[danno]

dependent on the type of degree you are working towards as well as the field you are looking to go into.
good luck

I would agree here... It is somewhat important to get a degree from a known university... Degrees from Universities are "branded" items, and they do matter to some employers.

You wouldn't want to go in for a job interview with K-Mart branded shoes for example... You would be better off a recognizable brand.

[Number 7]

I swear, I think my degree simply opened doors for me and I took it from there. I have an Honor's Degree in Accounting from ASU, so maybe it opened good doors, but I literally used the 'Accounting' part for 2 years and then took off in a totally different direction.

I voted for where it's from not mattering. I think it's all about the doors YOU get to open for you.

Di

[jpotts]

I would agree here... It is somewhat important to get a degree from a known university... Degrees from Universities are "branded" items, and they do matter to some employers.

You wouldn't want to go in for a job interview with K-Mart branded shoes for example... You would be better off a recognizable brand.

I agree with these guys. I think it all depends on what you want to do and at what level you expect to do it. An MBA from University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) will almost guarantee a very good job. A law degree from Yale will open a lot of doors - but may close a few because many lawyers feel that Yale teaches theoretical law and not practical.

It's really difficult for people in the west because most of the best schools are in the east and upper midwest. There is also an east coast snobbery where a lot of people think that the ONLY good schools in the US are on the east coast.

Anyway, having a degree from an accredited school is the most important thing because you will always meet that requirement. Having a top degree from a top school can almost guarantee a good job in your chosen field.

[MadCarlisle]

Amber -

Tough question

Everyone else - good answers.

It really comes down to what you want to do with the degree.

If you want to be an minister, do you want to go to Harvard and spend that much money when you could go to a PLU? (Pacific Lutheran University)

If you want to be a Doctor, do you want to go Univeristy of Grenada?

Ultimately it will come down to what you can afford. A degree from someplace is better than no degree at all. (Although there are many without degrees who are smart and capable) (This point was in regards to opening doors)

A degree is only as good as how you can apply yourself before and after you get the job.

I know MANY people whom are book smart (high GPA)but can't apply their degree to work life.

There are others who struggle to make the grades but they have the ability to apply what they know and perserverance to see it through and are very successful.

Basically, sit down and look at what you want to do? If you want to work for FEMA and can apply a military degree then fantastic?

If you can get the credits to transfer to your final college/university, then by all means do so.

The biggest mistake is thinking you won't/don't need to learn. One always needs to continue to learn as the world is in constant change.

You will forget things over time and if you don't keep learning, eventually you won't know anything.

[Cave Gimp]

I agree a tough question, if you were 18 just starting out and no work experience, I would say a "Brand Name" school. I would assume a resume from someone with 10+ years military service, the degree would be 1 line and mainly fill the checkbox on the application. Your work experience will matter much more. If you are planning OCS, you just need to fill a check box. After you make Captian, get a good MBA, to either get Major or retire. GENERALLY speaking, employers don't care about the degree of a retired officer, just what they commanded, and agian experience. If you are looking for a job at FEMA or the like, your real world experience will far outweigh a degree. 20 years military experience is a degree of its own. The most important thing is to get a degree, an associates will open some doors, the bachlor's will open OCS or other doors. Start with what you can manage (money and time).

[amber.hodge]

I'm in a run for the associates, as you only need 60 college credits for OCS and then have to have a bachelors before you are elligible for promotion to Captain (O3). I would like to work for a government department dealing with national or homeland security - or FEMA or other disaster prevention and crisis handling entity. I already have a military background as a crash and rescue firefighter in the Guard and Chem/Bio/Rad/Nuclear warfare defense in the Navy. I think that going into an area which borders on these will ensure my success as I do well in these areas and enjoy them. Counter-terrorist fundamentals seems like a good platform for either middle eastern studies or Emergency and Disaster Management....

I will take longer going to a ground campus to get my associates - but the associates at AMU will transfer anywere as it is the right accredidation level. I'm going to see how all of the opinions play out before I enroll - I don't want to bounce around to schools and lose credits that won't specifically transfer.
This is the degree I am leaning towards if I attend AMU http://www.amu.apus.edu/Academics/Degree-Programs/plan.htm?progid=4152&concid=-1 with my electoral credit focus on 'emergency and disaster management' and 'homeland security' courses...

[lancetkenyon]

Doesn't matter where you go as long as it is ASU!!!

[jperez]

it doesnt matter where you went, as long as you have the degree.... i work in the medical device field..... yes a glorified pharma rep. the biggest thing interviewers look for is if you have the degree or not. not the school you went to. honestly alot of them dont even look at gpa. Unless you are getting into law or dealing with other peoples money ie; stockBROKEr then i think where you graduated from matters.

[TRobertsRN]

Jobs requiring a college education I have or had:

Bar Manager, Restuarant Manager, Deep Sea Diver, Underwater Welder, Advanced Diver Medic, Certified Hyperbaric Tech, Saturation Technician, LPN (ER), RN (ER, Telemetry, ICU, Heart Bypass Recovery, Burn).

Jobs requiring vocational education I have or had:

Realtor, Carpenter, Pipe Fitter, Pipe Welder, Plumber, Umpire, Basketball Ref, Bartender, ER Tech, Commerical Truck Driver, Ice Cream Salesman, Home Remodeling.

There may be more.

My point being none cared where my education came from. The degree or certificate got me the interview as it will you, what you do at the interview will get you the job. That and how good a "fit" the interviewer believes you will be.


As to GPA that mattered to Business Graduate Schools, Law Schools, and Med Schools that accepted me.

GPA mattered to few employers, but I did look at it when I interviewed people (for 14 years). To me it shows and interest in your choosen field of study, and that you have study habbits that can transfer to good work ethic and habbits.

Of course there are those that got poor grades and are highly successful. I believe most of those were talented all along and school bored them.

In an interview I can usually pick them out because they are smart, funny, and know why they want the job.

Go to the free school, get the good grades, then be yourself and kick some butt at your interviews.

And thank you for your military service.

Tom

Wonder what my next job will be:D

[AZJeeps TJ&XJ]

Amber, form what I have seen there are two possibilities. The first is, some places don't care where you went to school, and what it was in, just as long as you have a degree. Then there are the places that do care where you went to school. But a trick I have learned is that if you can take most of the classes at a small accredited place, like a community college, that WILL transfer over to a big named college like ASU, then finish at ASU. A lot of people are learning this and taking over 3/4 of their classes at local CC's then for their last year transferring to ASU and get a nice perdy degree from ASU. If I had to do it over again, I would go this route as most of my classes could have been taken at a CC, would have saved time and money. And in my opinion, CC's give a better education then some of the larger places, like oh....ASU (yes it sucks).

[jeff krause]

I agree on the edumacation opening doors..... a degree is a degree.. Mine is a psych /chem minor.. and I do healthcare contracting and finance for a living go figure....

just don't get your degree from the Uof A :)

[YJunk]

I gained a vocational degree for Xray years ago and am wanting to go other places in my adult life than the medical field. I do not have the time to attend a ground campus with the military schedule I keep - plus having a family. I do not have the money to pay for an expensive school, so while I am on active duty, I need to take advantage of my tuition assistance (100% paid up front as long as I get good grades).

There is a school called American Military University which is Regionally Accredited and is online. They offer Associates, Bachelors and Masters degree programs. They have a slew of associates degree programs I am interested in such as "Military History", "Counter-terrorist Fundamentals", "Military Leadership", "Weapons of Mass Destruction", "Political Science", and "Emergency and Disaster Management". Also, since they cater to the military, I will have an easier time with not having to cancel or drop classes. This means a lot since the average time it takes a member of the military to obtain a Bachelors degree is 14 years.

My big question is:
Does the name on my degree matter as much as the fact I have a degree and that it is a good GPA? Those of you who do hiring or are business owners, I'd especially like to know your opinions.

If someone came to me with a degree in "Weapons of Mass Destruction" I'd sure as chit hire them for any position they wanted... I'm not stupid.

[SavageSun4x4]

1) My big question is:
Does the name on my degree matter as much as the fact I have a degree and that it is a good GPA? Those of you who do hiring or are business owners, I'd especially like to know your opinions.


2) It makes a difference trust me. The astute student will even go beyond the college...and examine the program they wish study...certain colleges have stronger programs and are known for them.



3) So ASU with a 3.0 would rate higher than Univ. of Gila Bend with a 3.8.




4) form what I have seen there are two possibilities. The first is, some places don't care where you went to school, and what it was in, just as long as you have a degree. Then there are the places that do care where you went to school. But a trick I have learned is that if you can take most of the classes at a small accredited place, like a community college, that WILL transfer over to a big named college like ASU, then finish at ASU.

1) Yes. No. Maybe.
I have done ALOT of hiring with a couple of minor exceptions they all have come from the Computer Engineering fields, so that is my frame of reference. Not sure how many folks I have hired but at least a 100+.

Of the folks I have hired there are only 4 that stand out as "wish I had not hired"

I have hired them from Harvard, Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Univ. of Gila Bend and Sam Houston Institute of Technology and everywhere in between.

I never asked about GPA unless they told me. If they told me it was because they had a GPA of 3.5 or better....I do not remember of hiring anyone with a GPA of 3.5 or better. I prefer to hire with GPA around 3.0 +/- .2.

Go to prestige school and you can get a prestige job...maybe.

I developed 3 criteria for hiring: Smart, friendly, team player.

Smart: Impress me as being a smart person, GPA and smart are not always =.

Friendly: I always asked my secretary-receptionist what they thought of the candidate before I made my final decision. I asked them how they were treated....a poor response = a no hire. Treat the little people poorly and you do not work for me.

Team player: What did the other engineers think of the ability to work with that person on a daily basis. Team player or not!

In spite of often not having any involvement with me at all I ALWAYS reserved the right to have a NO vote. Unless I had interaction with you I would NOT cast a Yes or No vote, only a NO vote and if I said NO then they were a no hire.

This puts the onus of hiring on the people who will work with the candidate and causes them to really screen the folks. If they came in to see me, then the staff had endorsed them and were saying this is our choice. They KNEW to NOT send anyone in my door that I would say no to.

My guidance to the staff was to hire the individual, NOT the school, GPA, or clothing or anything else.

2) Johnny gives some sage advice here. Try not to attend a school that is world renown in Civil Engineering and study basket weaving. The minute you open you mouth and tell someone you went Sam Houston Institute of Technology University (S.H.I.T.U.) they will ask, WOW did you study_ _ _ ? Then you hang you head and say no, I studied Chicken Farming:rolleyes:

3) WELL X, being a gradumate of Gila Bend U and Captain of the Checker Team I resemble that remark :D

4) Sage advice from AZJeeps. Community colleges are GREAT places. I would recommend that if you go to a CC to get courses that you also get a AA degree from the CC. Does not cost anymore or any less and its just one more tool in your tool box.

[YGOHOME]

without any degree at all I've been okay finding work for the last 20 yrs.

Theres been places that absolutely require a degree. I've been the Oracle database admin / software developer where I'm at now for 5+ yrs now. The policy is to only hire employee's with degrees. So, year after year, I've been fortunate enough that they've been happy with my work to continue extending my contract but they won't hire me as an employee. Strange though because their other policy is not to extend any contract past two yrs total. lol... I get paid hourly instead of on salary so I can put in alot of hours and get to bill them for each of those hours&minutes... also, being on contract I get paid more than an employee would but I have other expenses I have to cover such as vacations, full medical/dental insurance, life insurance, etc... And being contract means doing alot of "leg work" to get the next one when the current one expires. I have to sometimes travel around the US to get these contracts but I like doing that stuff.

It all depends on what you want to do I guess. I doubt if I was in the medical field though I'd get much work without a degree. lol. *But I have worked at WL Gores medical offices up in flagstaff for about a year working on their Oracle databases.

I also constantly have to keep up to date on the latest tech by teaching myself , reading, studdying so its kinda like being home schooled. But I like what I do so reading and learning these new technologies is fun stuff for me. I don't need no stinkin degrees