Hi Jeremy,

 

It's great to hear from a Penn Foster College graduate!  I'm sure a lot of other people are curious, and I am too...how has your degree from Penn Foster been received by your employer?  Did your Penn Foster degree help you get a job or receive a promotion.  Have you been able to "use" your degree in the workplace, and did you find the course work applicable to your job?  

 Sorry to bombard you with so many questions, but I'm sure a lot of students and potential students would like to know.

 

Good luck on your continuing studies!

 

 

Hello Amanda!

 If you are new to online education, then I can suggest you take  the handy test that they offer on this website to see if in-fact you are suited for study online. I can recommend Penn Foster to you, as I did a heap of research on them. I recently started and so far so good! You can also investigate for yourself! I recommend visiting the Department of Education site. Hope this was helpful and good luck in your studies!

 

P.s Still no one out there taking my course? Wildlife/Forestry Conservation? Would love to share/study/help with the course!
 

Thank you for your input! It is great to hear what others have to say, especially since we are all in the same boat! Penn Foster does not have an actual online forum for their students do they? I have not actually checked, but I am glad that we have this forum!

 

Have a good weekend!

 

:) 

Question: Has anyone that has received an online "career diploma" tried to transfer it or other credits to other institutions outside of the USA?

 

Thanks for your input!

 

:) 

Hi again!

 My management was very supportive and excited when I earned my degree.  I haven't received any raise or promotion, yet, but I've been assigned some new duties relating to my course of study (Computer Science).  I'm actually working with a programmer and performing maintenance and enhancement duties on some software that was written in-house.  My company is implementing a complete new system and most of the duties that were previously assigned to our IT department will be moving over to the business side.  I will be heavily involved in that in the next few years.  So, I'm hoping for a promotion soon.  My annual review is scheduled for next March.

 The reason I chose distant learning is because my wife is disabled.  Working a full-time job then sitting in a classrom for three or four hours at night is not an option for me.  At the time I enrolled in Penn Foster, my local schools were not offering much in the way of online learning.  That, coupled with the affordability of Penn Foster, led me to them. 

 With the new system coming, my department will be hiring a Project Manager.  I originally wanted to continue my education with Capella University, but their cost was prohibitive.  To earn a Bachelor's degree in Project Management from them would have cost me over $40,000.  If I was in my early 20's, I might have been willing to take out a student loan for that amount, but since I'm closer to 40 than 20, I did not want to go that far into debt.  California Coast doesn't have an actual Project Management degree, so I'm majoring in Management.  I, then, plan on taking some courses through the Project Management Institute to earn a designation from them.  On top of all of that, CCU is very affordable.  I paid $500 down and pay $100 a month until the balance is paid off - interest free. 

 If anyone has any other questions, please feel free to ask.

Hey! I've been enrolled in Penn Foster's career diploma for medical office assistant and also as of October,9th of this year i started semester 1 for my Health Information Technology Associate degree.I really like the online expiernce because with working full time it gives me the benefit to complete assigments on my time. I've been with Penn Foster Since 2002, i completed my High School credits through them and went on with the career diploma and then on to the associates degree. I wouldnt change anything about the programs ive taken there very information gaining.

If anyone has any question feel free to ask me.

Jessica

 

Hi Terry, My name is Terri also.  I just finished my first semester proctor exams in Medical Information Technology with Penn Foster......I was nervous when I started however, once I got started....I was on a roll.  Very happy with the format....Now I need to wait for my grades......Looking forward to moving on.

Hi Terry!

 I tried posting this yesterday, but I guess it didn't go through.

 My management was very supportive and happy when I earned my degree from Penn Foster.  I work in an area that handles implementation of rates, software changes and mainframe changes for insurance policies.  We're in the process of installing a complete new system and many of the jobs currently done by IT will be transferring to us.  We will be adding a Project Manager position eventually.

I haven't received any promotion since graduating - my annual review isn't due until March.  I have been assigned some additional duties - maintaining and enhancing some software that was written in-house for our Actuaries.  I'm working with a Programmer on that, and learning a lot.  So, in short, I hope a promotion is coming soon. :-)

 I was looking at Capella University to earn a Bachelor's in Project Management.  They evaluated my Penn Foster transcripts and only wanted to transfer approximately 21 credit hours to the new program.  That left the bill at around $40,000.  If I were in my early 20's, I might have considered taking out a student loan for that amount.  Since I'm closer to 40 than 20, there was no way I could go that far into debt.  Since then, I've read many horror stories about Capella, so I'm glad I didn't choose them.  I selected California Coast University because they're accredited by DETC like Penn Foster, they accepted all of my Penn Foster course work leaving me with 22 courses to earn a Bachelor's and they are MUCH less expensive than any other place I looked at.  The only negative is they don't have a Project Management major.  I'm majoring in Management, and I'll take some certification courses from the Project Management Institute to earn a designation when I'm done.

Here is some background on me and why I chose distance learning.  My city has four colleges and a techincal institute.  There's no shortage of schools for me to go to.  The problem is, my wife is disabled.  So, I can't work all day, then sit in a classroom for three or four hours a night.  I have responsibilites to her, and if I tried to do all of that I'd be exhausted 24/7.  I've let my management know this, and they are supportive.  We have many people in my company who take what we call industry courses - courses or a series of courses given by insurance education organizations.  They are all self-study with proctored exams.  So, they are exactly like distance learning.  That may be why my management is so supportive.

 If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.

 

Jeremy

Thanks for the feedback, Jeremy.  I'd also be interested in hearing your thoughts so far about California Coast University.  I know they are an option used by many Penn Foster College students. 

 I'm leaning toward one of the Big Three after I finish at PFC, either Excelsior, Thomas Edison State College or Charter Oak State College.  I should have nearly enough credits for a BA after completing my associate degree at PFC, along with some courses I have taken in the military and at other schools.  All three colleges accept ACE-reviewed courses for transfer credit.  Did you consider any of them when you finished at PFC?  I know that Thomas Edison has some IT-related degrees. 
 

My name is Angela and I am taking Pharmacy Technician classes. I signed up Sept 10th of this year.  So far it is going good.  I have been reading the blog on the Penn Foster site.  Glad I found this site.  So  far all is going good. 

I'm about to start my first class with California Coast.  I'll send some updates as I go through it.  It seems to be a little different from Penn Foster.  The exam at the end of the course is essay, and then I have to take a proctored final exam.

After Penn Foster I looked at Mountain State University, Capella University, AIU Online, Colorado Technical Institute and, of course, California Coast University.

CCU was the only affordable option I could find.

Hi:

 I was interested and heartened to learn that California Coast granted you credit for your Penn Foster credits.

Today I looked into other online colleges, I spoke to an admissions advisor at South Uni who really did a nice job on educating me in the difference between regionally and nationally accredited schools. I am definately going to look at CCU. I'm interested in Accounting, not to become a CPA, but just so I can say I have a college degree - I think it will give me more options career wise. I like the idea of receiving real text books rather than doing everything on line plus the cost is extremely reasonable. But, because its nationally accredited and not regional I'm really concerned I won't be able to transfer my Penn Foster credits to another college to study for a BA if I want to.

yoganut:

But, because its nationally accredited and not regional I'm really concerned I won't be able to transfer my Penn Foster credits to another college to study for a BA if I want to.

Remember that PFC is unique in that many of its courses are also evaluated by the American Council of Education, which means that many regionally accredited schools will grant transfer credit for them even when they don't ordinarily recognize nationally accredited transfer credit.

-=Steve=- 

JeremyL:

I'm about to start my first class with California Coast.  I'll send some updates as I go through it.  It seems to be a little different from Penn Foster.  The exam at the end of the course is essay, and then I have to take a proctored final exam.

After Penn Foster I looked at Mountain State University, Capella University, AIU Online, Colorado Technical Institute and, of course, California Coast University.

CCU was the only affordable option I could find.

 

Ashworth University recently started offering several bachelor degree programs.  Like Penn Foster College and California Coast University, Ashworth is also nationally accredited.  Its program structure is very similar to Penn Foster College's, and at $80 per credit hour, it is even cheaper than CCU.  

 

 

Hi Jeremy,

I am taking the management course at California Coast University too. I would actually like to talk with you. Please send me an email at tgoodnow@aacisd.com with your number and I will call you. It would be nice to know someone who is going through the same program.

R/

Troy

11/07/07