Getting in shape for Air Force PFTs...

[BaronVonDingDong]

I don't have any affiliations with the military and have never been in, but I have been teaching in universities all my adult life. Good luck to Moose, but for the sake of his education just want to say this: wait until the chance to do college properly comes around, don't be tempted to do online school.

[2003volusia]

I don't have any affiliations with the military and have never been in, but I have been teaching in universities all my adult life. Good luck to Moose, but for the sake of his education just want to say this: wait until the chance to do college properly comes around, don't be tempted to do online school.

why not? i have known MANY people that have gotten a degree online (including masters) that have gotten great paying jobs after they get out. they don't start out making any less money then people that have gone to conventional colleges (with the exception being the Ivy league types, of course)

[BaronVonDingDong]

why not? i have known MANY people that have gotten a degree online (including masters) that have gotten great paying jobs after they get out. they don't start out making any less money then people that have gone to conventional colleges (with the exception being the Ivy league types, of course)

I'm pleased to hear that, and of course, it all depends on which school and what program.

It's just that they don't have a great reputation amongst educators, and seeing as the OP has it all in front of him and time on his side, I would personally suggest that holding off and waiting to attend a bricks-and-mortar school would be the best way to maximize his opportunities, especially as he's going to get it paid for.

Played right, along with his experience in the forces, that could be the break of life-time.

EDIT: Puny professor declares: as for sit ups - I can do 45 in a minute; push-ups, about 15!!

[BENXPX]

I didn't start my degree until I'd been in for 5 years either. SF has a short tech school and most commanders will sign off your TA after you finish your upgrade training (CDCs). So you should be ok. Most military people I know are doing an online degree, either at AMU or Excelsior. Even a lot of brick mortar universities are starting up online programs because of the demand for it. I know lots of military people who get great jobs with online degrees. It mostly has to do with you having real world military experience that applies to the job and after that you just check the box saying you have a degree. I've seen people get accepted into officer training and brick and mortar Master's programs with online degrees too, so don't buy into the elitist bullshit.

[AlphaFoxtrot51]

I think that combination of military experience that differentiates between a civilian with an online degree and a veteran with an online degree.

[BaronVonDingDong]

It mostly has to do with you having real world military experience that applies to the job and after that you just check the box saying you have a degree.

Yeah, I think that's exactly right, and if that is the purpose of the degree, then great. However, there is a big difference between getting the certificate and 'going to college.' It all depends on what an individual wants to do. If it's simply a case of getting the certificate and jumping into the job pool, then go for it.

I've seen people get accepted into officer training and brick and mortar Master's programs with online degrees too, so don't buy into the elitist bullshit.

Do people in the military have their own sense of where different units come in the pecking order? Special Forces, Marines at the top, typing pool (or whatever) at the bottom? Same in education: Harvard and Yale top, online degrees bottom.

[AlphaFoxtrot51]

Do people in the military have their own sense of where different units come in the pecking order? Special Forces, Marines at the top, typing pool (or whatever) at the bottom? Same in education: Harvard and Yale top, online degrees bottom.

You really don't understand the pecking order and that most of it is more of a joke, I'll chalk that up to you not being in the military. Btw, I know many places that will not hire Ivy League graduates straight out of school.

There is a difference between being booksmart and being realistic.

[BaronVonDingDong]

You really don't understand the pecking order and that most of it is more of a joke

That's right, I don't, just trying to make a point - you know how it works in your line of business and I know how it works in mine.

There is a difference between being booksmart and being realistic.

Again, no argument on that from me. My sole point is a small and uncontroversial one: the OP is young and at the beginning of what will hopefully be a long and prosperous career. This could take many forms, including never looking at a book in his life (which, incidentally, I don't consider a moral crime.) However, in my professional opinion, his educational needs will be best served by going to a school that is actual not virtual.

Simple as. Whatever way it goes, I wish him all the best.

[mrm1775]

I would agree that it is ultimately better to get a degree from a four-year school with a real, physical campus, but it wouldn't be a bad idea for a military member with enough free time to use online courses to get a head start. Walking on to campus with some of the required courses already out of the way would make for a much smoother transition into college life.

[Ka-Bar]

Unless you're going to work at Goldman Sachs or a big-name law firm, no one really gives two shits where you went to school. They are impressed with work experience, including the military, that shows you can do a job 40+ hours a week without bankrupting your employer or setting the building on fire. If you're the type to serve your country first and worry about college later, you're not the type to step on another person's neck to get 80 grand out of the gate working 60 hours a week.

If you think most hiring managers know the difference between Penn and Penn State, you're wrong.