My Norwich University Experience : Education Benefits

Education Benefits for the Unemployed

WheelCipher — Tue, 12 May 2009 09:04:00 GMT

The Obama administration is doing some good things with education. In an economic downturn like the one we are in right now, people are seeking out opportunities to gain new skills and re-tool themselves for jobs that might become available in the future. People are also working to facilitate career changes while they are out of work. In order to make that happen, education is the key ingredient.

The president outlined a plan under which the Department of Education will provide legal guidance to schools encouraging them to increase financial aid packages for the unemployed so they can enroll in educational and training programs while keeping their unemployment benefits.

Current unemployment rules create a problem for the unemployed looking to go to school. In most cases, if a person is receiving unemployment benefits, they have to be actively looking for a job. If they want to get more education or training, they have to give up unemployment benefits. If people return to school, they do not qualify for federal education grants since, in most cases, the qualification is based on the previous year's income.

The unemployment benefits that are offered to people who have lost their job are intended to be a safety net of sorts so people can sustain themselves in between jobs. I believe that enhancing the program in the way I described above is a great move. I think this benefits a lot of people and society in general. I believe that most people would rather work than collect benefits. At the same time, this plan gives the unemployed the tools to succeed down the road.

An educated populous is the foundation of a successful republic.

For more information on this plan, see www.opportunity.gov

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More Fan Mail From Viking

WheelCipher — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:00:00 GMT

It is I again. Since you are in Texas, I was wondering which graduate business school is generally viewed as more favorable by the people down there. University of Houston or the University of Texas? In addition, when I refer to UT, I do not mean the McCombs School Business at UT Austin, but rather the MBA programs at the other UT campuses, such as Arlington. I like both online programs, although I am leaning toward UT because one of the required courses at UH is Calculus and I really want to avoid taking Calculus if I can. In addition, do you think going to a Texas school makes sense if I plan to work in NYC or DC?

These are good questions. First, in Texas, if you go to an accredited school, you should not have any problems. Obviously, UT Austin is the big fish in this pond, but it is not the only good school in the state. I looked at the business programs at many Texas schools at some point and was not turned off by any of them.

If you are looking for an on-campus experience, I would be fine attending any school in Texas myself. If you are looking for an online experience, I know that the University of Houston at Victoria, University of Dallas and others offer that. I also know that UT Dallas offers the MBA program. It is not a cheap program, either. It was about $50k last time I checked. Moreover, that was for in-state residents. Things may have changed since the last time I checked. Do some homework and find out which one works for you.

Overall, I cannot tell you NOT to go to any of the Texas schools. Working in NYC or DC should not matter at all. It should have no bearing on the situation. People all over the country and world get their degrees from one geographical location and move to another for the purpose of work. You just need to see which one works for you and meets your needs.

I hope this helps.

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Fan Mail From Brandon

WheelCipher — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:08:00 GMT

Scott,

I read your blog and was looking for reviews of Kaplan by Alumni. I have not found much information and I have a few concerns. I would like to attend Kaplan for IT Network Administration, but I do not want to pay for a school if the degree is not going to be taken seriously by future employers. I know they are accredited but have you ever had any problems with someone questioning your degree from Kaplan. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Brandon,

Acceptance of online degrees by current and future employers is growing at a tremendous rate. As long as you find a school that is accredited, you should not have a problem. Some employers even encourage getting an education online since it has become so difficult to get one at traditional schools when you combine work and other responsibilities.

I have had two employers since I started going to school and both of them looked highly upon the fact that I had my degrees. The fact that two of them came from Kaplan had little bearing on the situation. I would not let opinion stop you.

I think that acceptance has come a long way in the last several years and if you happen to run into an employer that does not look favorably on your efforts, it could be a sign of deeper problems that you will not be able to fix. All good employers cherish and value employees with education. Keep that in mind when you are looking for a job.

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Do I Need a 12-Step Program?

WheelCipher — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:00:00 GMT

I have never been a drug addict, but I have learned through documentaries and other reading that addicts spend a lot of their time just finding their next fix. I wonder if there is such thing as an education addict. I know this post may seem a little humorous at this point, but I am serious. I am probably not the first person to be an education addict, and might not be the last. Nevertheless, what constitutes “an education addict”?

I have spent the last three weeks or so coming to a few realizations –

(1) I am fairly burned out with school after going for six years straight with no meaningful break in between degrees

(2) I could very well have a workload with the new job that does not allow for another degree without one of them suffering in some respect

(3) If I get another degree, what would I get out of it? Would it be worth the time invested? So few people, including professors, have (maybe) three degrees

(4) I spend a lot of time thinking about “the end” that is coming up soon at Norwich and seem (for the most part) to be glad it is getting closer

All are signs that maybe it is time to put this thing to rest. Maybe it is time to move on with life.

I just need to stop doing Google searches for “online master’s degrees”. That would solve most of the problems I write about here. However, I cannot seem to stop searching for the next level of knowledge. Thus, I find the Online Master's in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

I look at the course list and my brain fires up much like the space shuttle does when it launches into space. Leadership and organizational structure-type subjects are what I love to learn more about. I have a small fortune that I have spent on books that are in queue to be read. One at a time, I take them off the shelf. Someday I’ll get through them. Nevertheless, in the mean time, is another degree in my future.

Is there a 12-step program for this?

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Education Cuts in the Stimulus Bill

WheelCipher — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 01:01:00 GMT

The list of things that have been cut from the economic stimulus bill were made public today. Some of it has to do with higher and distance education. Those include:

$3.5 billion for higher education construction
$100 million for distance learning

You can see the list here: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/07/stimulus.cuts/index.html

I am not sure what to think about these cuts. On one hand, I am glad they were cut because they will have no direct impact on the economy. In a sense, this is just more pork that we don’t need to deal with. Furthermore, allocating any amount of money for a purpose without revealing the details seems suspect to me.

If they were allocating $100M for “distance learning”, I would want to know where they money was going. It seems to me that distance learning is a great opportunity for institutions to increase revenue with minimal expenditure. The demand is very high and with the economy in the condition it is currently in, I don’t see the demand decreasing. So why spend so much money on it?

Spending $3.5B on higher education construction could be used to modernize some of the facilities, but again, the demand for distance education would help to alleviate the need for so much construction. Schools are like any other business. If they manage their money, they won’t need to take a hand-out from the government. Furthermore, this kind of spending won’t impact the economy in the short-term anyway.

I feel like a sheep right now. The government has just tried to take more money than we can possibly imagine and throw it at projects that have no direct impact on what is ailing the country at this moment in time. Politicians are complaining that this bill needed to “be passed yesterday” and are hurrying to get it done. I can’t help but to feel that they are hoping we don’t get an idea of what we’re buying.
There is NOTHING on this list that makes the bill urgent.

I think that if we did nothing, or limited government intervention, the economy would rebound over time as a result of people working and thinking leaner and smarter. As a result, the economy will get better for those same reasons and we’ll be stuck with a bill anyway.

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