One down 2 to go. I really should have done my entries spread out over the week, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it earlier in the week. My first entry was about work. What should the second entry be about? School is a good choice, since that’s what takes up most my time outside of work.
I’m now in my third quarter at Strayer University, and can come to a few conclusions about how things are going to progress, based on how things have gone so far.
Overall I’m pleased with my experience with Strayer and online education in general. The classes have generally been interesting, and the professors are reasonably knowledgeable and helpful. There have been a few minor difficulties communicating with the school itself, but that tends to be the case at any academic institution, and when you are so far away from your “campus” it can be difficult to really interact with the staff. I do still have a few general concerns and remain undecided about how I will pursue the rest of my education.
On the good side of things, I definitely like the flexibility that comes with taking classes online. There is a great deal of flexibility in when I do my assignments, as long as they are completed at the end of the week and keep up with the reading. It can be difficult for many people to budget their time appropriately so that they get everything done on time, but I don’t really have that problem. I can dedicate myself well to any task that I want as long as I decide that I want to accomplish something. I’ve been able to take classes that are interesting so far, and the classes themselves have been good.
On the down side, there are some requirements that seem somewhat overly strict and there is no flexibility in the coursework taken towards a degree. Yes, there are electives, but the requirements are strictly required. In my case, I got transfer credit for a couple of the advanced courses, but not the prerequisites, and so I have to take basic math even though I got credit for calculus. Where’s the sense in that? Obviously if I can do calculus I can do college math as well, and shouldn’t have to spend the time and money to take it when I could spend it taking more electives that are of interest to me. I’m also somewhat unsure how well received the degree will be in the business world. The school is fully accredited, and it should be a perfectly good degree but I think I could also attend a school with a strong reputation and have a more name-brand degree when I finish. The first year or two are good enough, but I may decide to transfer to another school later. I also may not, I like taking the classes online for the reasons already stated, and don’t want to loose the flexibility I have, or spend the money involved in an expensive school. I think the degree from Strayer will certainly prepare me for a career in IT, either in programming or working with databases, which are what I am looking for. There isn’t the range of electives that I may like, but instead I can get dual degrees in CIS and Database Technology, with a minor in business, and that should serve me well.
By the end of this year I should have a good handle on whether I want to continue studying with Strayer, and next year if I decide I would like to transfer I can start looking into that as well. I don’t think it is very likely, but it is an option that I am keeping in mind. It will partly depend on things elsewhere in my life. If I am still at my current job and living here I probably won’t make changes in school. I would like to change jobs at some point to align my work with my interests and education, and that may change what I do with school. I’m not looking for anything else at the moment, but may by next year.