Need some helpful advice on school

[sungod88]

So heres the deal. I am currently enrolled at my community college but the CIS program is a crock and most of the classes I need are never offered and it would take me a very long time to finish. Also I pretty much have to do this online. I'm spread very thin between working pretty much fulltime mid day and seeing my family. I've done alot of independent research on online schools, but I hear they suck since they are for profit. Although I started at a university I'm not opposed to going to a tech school to be where I want to be in life.

Does anyone have any online schools they could recommend. I know this has been asked before and I did look at other threads but I know alot of these things are based off of personal experience. I just want to get an online degree that won't look like poop soup on my resume.

Also a little side note I am planning on getting my basic certs starting with A+ then maybe C++ (tried to teach my self in High School and did alright but had to stop.) Also is anyone on here from the philadelphia area that could give me some more local advice. I know certs plus a degree is the best way to go since you kinda need both plus some experience to prove yourself.

Thanks in advance

 

[sungod88]

Anyone here think ITT tech or CHI institute or somewhere along those lines would be a good choice? I kinda need to know soon before I miss registration for the semester...

 

[jaeusm]

I've done alot of independent research on online schools, but I hear they suck since they are for profit.

This is an odd comment. Professors don't work for free, nor should they.

I just want to get an online degree that won't look like poop soup on my resume.

Unless you're going to one of the top schools in the nation for CS (MIT, Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, etc.), it doesn't really matter. Many "brick and mortar" schools are now offering online classes and degree programs. All universities have websites, so check out any that you're interested in and see if they offer online programs.

 

[CompuFeed]

I've had a very good experience with certifications. They're not as good as schools but they can't hurt and are comparatively very easy to get.

 

[jmadams]

Anyone here think ITT tech or CHI institute or somewhere along those lines would be a good choice? I kinda need to know soon before I miss registration for the semester...

As a graduate from ITT Tech, I can tell you its a total waste of time. You'll end up with 40-50k in student loans for an associates degree and a half. There are only a handful of schools that will take ITT's credits so that you can turn that Associates Degree and a half into a Bachelor's. Devry will.

On top of all this I knew 75% of everything before I even started. The few classes (Cisco/Exchange) that I wasnt as familar with and REALLY wanted to learn the Professors had their heads up their rear. I spent most of the time on Google researching questions I had rather than asking the Professors.

ONE thing they do have is job placement. I graduated near the top of my class and I landed a pretty good job. They found me a job making 50k a year. Not super great, but also not terrible considering the economy we'rein. This job however is only indirectly related with my field. I'm not exactly using the skills I "learned" at ITT.

Just some things to keep in mind!

This is an odd comment. Professors don't work for free, nor should they.

I believe what he means is that the school's primary goal is to make money. They push to get the students in and out as quickly as possible. You can easily pass the whole course without learning a thing. I had several people in my capstone project @ ITT that didnt know a thing. There is no way they should have made it all the way through doingthis.