EZ degrees. Trying to understand.

amother

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 11:32 am

Firstly, the reason why I’m posting as amother is cuz I’ve discussed this topic pretty often and dont wanna give myself away Wink

So here’s my question: I’m a professional myself and went thru college and graduate school. I was always wondering about these quick degrees. I have friends who became professionals in half the time I spent on my degree... Some study on their own and take tests etc. I was never able to understand how it can b done so fast. How can u cram so much info into ur head in such a short time and still REMEMBER everything and then use it an apply it?! I’m really trying to understand how it works. Are all these ppl geniuses? And if it’s just a quick way of getting a degree in order to make money fast then how is it that they trust themselves to work with little kids etc.

amother

Chocolate

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 11:39 am

I also dont understand it.
I just graduated and I'm 24. SLP and not even fully licensed because doing my CFY now.
But all my professors were familiar with these frum quick programs and told us that most professional agencies or clinics won't hire them. I dont know if thats true but I sometimes get upset when I see how I spent sooo much time in school....

And only in my first year of grad school did the frum programs start coming out with a program for speech Sad

But tbh I also worked in bais yaakovs in undergrad teaching in the mornings and all my assistants were straight out of seminary and already finished their BA in one year doing special ed. They had 0 clinical expereince working with that population.
Maybe I should have done that and saved my time and all my money on my dumb degree lol.

amother

Violet

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 11:45 am

I did a fast degree.

Don't begrudge anyone their speedy certification and your work may not end up superior either for the long winded ones.

Most people cannot retain so much theoretical information for several years until they apply it. You learn from actually watching experts IN ACTION and working with clients under supervision. Delving into topics for weeks on end could not become a part of my work until I actually practice it. I pay consultants to critique my work and consult with colleagues. I have and will always have a supportive work environment until I feel competent. Continuing education is much more important than your initial degree.

amother

Apricot

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 11:48 am

I also went through regular college and grad school and from what my experience was I can say that college adds in all sorts of extra, ridiculous things you absolutely do not need to know for the job you are looking to do. Totally a waste of time and huge waste of money! I did it though and crammed it into a short time frame (bachelors in 2 yrs with only a few credits from high school) because I wanted to get a mainstream degree that would get me into grad school and a good job. I didn't want to take any chances.

I am not sure if you are referring to any specific programs but I know from my sister who is getting a special ed degree from an online university (not a jewish one). The program works differently that you can get through courses as fast as you can and take as many as you want throughout a semester. Just only 1 at a time. She is speeeeeedding through her degree. Some courses take 1 day! That is how easy and ridiculous they are.

If people can find a program/college/degree that can be done faster, and it checks all boxes of what they need, I think that is fabulous! I do not think everyone is a genius. People are just finding more efficient ways to reach their goals.

tigerwife

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 11:52 am

amother [ Chocolate ] wrote:

I also got a degree in a field where most manage with just a certification. I don’t regret going to college, I learned a lot and got to take a bunch of interesting classes as well to fill my credit load.

amother

Red

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 1:37 pm

amother [ Chocolate ] wrote:

Ehh. I spent years doing school for SLP, too. I really didn’t see a purpose in learning speech for undergrad and graduate school. It was repetitious and a waste of time, IMO. And hands-on experience is what’s helped me the most. I had some in graduate school, but not tons. I’ve really learned the most on the job.

amother

Chocolate

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 1:41 pm

amother [ Red ] wrote:

undergrad was a waste. I went to touro which I loved for the social life and met rly great friends.
is the reason people do fast degrees to be working sooner when they're married? I was dying to get married though (but that didnt happen till much later) all shadchanim I spoke to thought I was so dumb for not doing an online program. there just wasnt that option for me at that time... all masters programs in NY required phonetics, a&p, intro to lang. disorders, acoustics, audiology, aud. rehab, capstone... can't think of the others which I had to do at an actual college

amother

Orchid

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 1:45 pm

Many credits and time is spent on genEds that can be done quickly.
For my degree I needed 30 credits of my major whic I did easily in one year and a bit. All the other credits I figured out how to fast track.
I work in software and honestly you learn a ton on the job.
I work with a lot of interns now and new grads and after college I often scratch my head at how much they are missing. A lot of the immersive fast track courses put out much more qualified programmers - they only programmed and don’t worry about poetry, art and oceanography.

amother

Red

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 1:48 pm

amother [ Chocolate ] wrote:

I also did Touro, undergrad and grad. Got married and had kids while in school. I wanted to get a real degree, but looking back it would have made my life much easier if it had been more condensed.

amother

Orchid

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 1:50 pm

amother [ Chocolate ] wrote:

Cost and working sooner.
The cost of my degree was probably equal to a year in most colleges.
And I started working really young so had nice savings by the time I was married because I was living at home.

amother

Lilac

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 2:15 pm

amother [ Chocolate ] wrote:

My sister is an SLP through TTI- she got her degree years ago so it’s definitely not a new thing. She is amazing at her work. Learnt the basics in school and the rest on the job and CE. She works in a center with many SLPs and always says it’s crazy how the longer programs can charge so much for the same thing essentially. ( some ppl working over 20 years are practicing SLPs with just a bachelors, what is so essential in the extensive Masters besides for making the college money?)

amother

Apricot

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 2:24 pm

In my opinion and from many posts here- college is a scam! I went to a "real college" did the full degree, bachelors and masters. Yeah it was somewhat worthwhile but I barely learned anything useful! I learned most of what I know in my profession from others in the field and working. And I want to a supposedly "good" program. It also costs SO MUCH MONEY.

If you can do what you want in life without college I highly recommend LOL

amother

Mint

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 2:33 pm

College isn't trade school. If you just want skills, then you are best off with a quickie degree, provided it gets you hired.

Dh went to an Ivy League law school. He learned a lot of interesting things that didn't have much to do with the actual practice of law. But - the thinking and writing that he did in law school sharpened his mind in ways that were useful for his career. And, he wouldn't have gotten the job he did if he'd gone to some fly-by-night program.

amother

Chocolate

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 2:36 pm

amother [ Lilac ] wrote:

When I was applying to colleges, TTI wasnt accepting so many speech majors. It wasnt so easy to get in...
How are they able to work with just a bachelors? You need a masters in speech to work in America

amother

Papaya

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 2:40 pm

My DH and I are both (JPF, not BT) Ivy graduate school grads, and work in six figure fields, with 20 years experience. We have 2 children who finished college, one 6 months after return from sem, and one 3 years post "yeshiva high school" (read- little secular education) while learning. Personally, this was a very difficult thing for me to accept, but it was their choice, not mine.

They tested through school. In New York, TTI/ Excelsior is the easiest, cheapest way to do this.

Pros: They are done with BA early. College cost me about about 1 year of HS tuition plus prerequisites for graduate school.

Cons: No Ivy or "TOP" programs for them, they need to stick with state schools, no "college experience" finding yourself, etc. No trying out fields.

Business, education or jewish history majors are worth about as much as the paper they are printed on. All science, computers and math prerequisites have to be completed elsewhere, and some are not available at the local community college.

No relationships/ guidance/ recommendations from professors, other than the ones in community college for those prerequisites.

It works best for those who know what they are doing when they start: switching to a different field is time consuming and more expensive, as the courses are expensive when you're not matriculated.

They didn't "get an education" like my dh and I did. I'm not sure they wanted one. The kids who are interested in the world are still so, and those uninterested would just study for a test and then lose all the "uninteresting" information.

Frankly, I was much more concerned about their prospects before coronavirus. It seems many schools and masters programs are going on line and SCRAMBLING for students, so they are at much less of a disadvantage now.

I'm not sure I value a BA as much now as I did 20 years ago. So many people have been doing this for decades and are doctors, lawyers, accountants, programmers, designers, etc.

amother

Papaya

Tue, Jul 07 2020, 2:51 pm

amother [ Mint ] wrote:

Law school is the exception to the rule. As a rule, one should attend the highest ranked law school for which they recieve an acceptance letter. Unlike med school, engineering, architecture and other professional schools, 20 years out of school they still ask you "where did you go to law school?" on job interviews, at professional conferences and in social situations. I doubt that is the case for pretty much any other field unless you are the top 2%. (Or if the school is collecting for its endowment program.)

BTW, you don't need to go to an ivy to get into an ivy law school: it's probably statistically better for acceptance if you don't go to an expensive undergrad.