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No matter what subject you want to study or what level, DegreeFinders SM can help! The bad news ... I talked a man out of enrolling in a very convincing distance degree mill. A few weeks later, the degree mill was shut down and the owner went to prison. And, now, distance degrees from this school are poison to anyone's resume. My client thought sure the program was "for real" simply because they were going to charge him $15,000 to enroll! I hear that the prisoner started another diploma mill right from his prison cell! Thousands of programs There are literally thousands of distance degree programs out there. Some are excellent, some good-to-fair. Some are so dreadful you'd never want to list them on your resume because it might land you in prison. Amazingly, price isn't always the best indicator. Some very poor programs charge exorbitant prices. I talked a man out of enrolling in a very convincing distance degree mill. Two weeks later, the diploma mill was busted and shut down. The owner went to prison. And, now, distance degrees from this school are poison to anyone's resume. My client thought sure the program was "for real" because they were going to charge him $15,000 to enroll! On the other hand, some very good programs are bargain priced—often because they have private or public subsidy or both. There are a few state operated colleges where it is possible for you to earn a highly respected degree for a few hundred dollars. This is unusual. You need to have learned a lot from your life experiences. The point it is: A lot depends on each individual situation. Some distance learning programs are very rigid in their requirements and format while others are open to both creative learning styles and nontraditional areas of study. For many people, finding just the right distance education program seems overwhelming. I have studied on traditional residency campuses, offsite extended campuses, and distance-only programs. Each has its own peculiarities, its own advantages, and its own problems. Many reasons behind distance learning Whatever reason you have for looking into a distance degree program at this time, whether you are looking for new career options in the changing economy or a leg up in your current field, higher earning power or just a chance to improve your baseline knowledge and skills, DegreeFinders can help. Since the early 1970s—when most people still thought distance education was a passing '60s fad—I have made it my business to watch and keep abreast of this exciting, still expanding educational field. I've watched distance degrees open new horizons to persons for whom the doors to higher education once would have been closed forever. Here are just a few: DerrickHere there be monsters! There are amoral creeps out there who live by taking advantage of people like Derrick and Glenda— and me. Yes, me. That's how I got started in this field. One of the many distance colleges I have attended started out as a sincere attempt to design a student-oriented open university for persons with substantial work and life experience. I even worked as part-time faculty for the program for awhile because I wanted to see it succeed. The university had full institutional approval from the State of California, which meant state agencies had to recognize degrees from the university as "equal to accredited" for purposes of certification, credentialing and licensing of professions. In other words, whenever the state required an accredited degree for state licensing and credentialing, a state approved degree was to be considered as meeting the requirement. The leadership of the university was invited to participate on expert panels on distance learning in California. The future of the univeristy seemed very promising and exciting. Then things took a turn. I don't know for certain, but I think money got tight and standards slackened to increase enrollment and keep the cash flowing. Eventually, the school was closed down by the same state agency that had previously granted it a status equal to accreditation. It was a good school with a good reputation when I earned my Ph.D. and I worked very hard for three years to earn it. But the later decline of the school taints my degree and devalues my hard work—so much so that I stopped using Ph.D. after my name. That made me angry. And I vowed to do my small bit to educate people so they will not be taken in as I was. I've studied the field long and hard. These days, I can spot a shaky school from a mile away and I can smell a phony one before I can see it. Now I love this field. Weeding out the bad schools and the phony schools is important; but it is just as important and just about as difficult to find one that fits your situation in terms of cost, time required on campus, travel to required residencies, distance teaching method used ... on and on. The variations can be mind boggling. For the uninitiated, sifting through it all can mean hundreds of hours of research and reading. That's where I come in. I already know a lot about this field, so it doesn't take me nearly as long as it would for you. And I have a nose for scam programs, so I can save you a lot of work, money, and potential legal problems right from the start. Take a look at our counseling questionnaire. Even if you decide not to use our time-saving consulting service, the questionnaire can be a very helpful tool as you come to grips all the choices you'll make in choosing a distance degree program. I receive thousands of emails and I am always happy to answer questions about the general nature of distance learning at no charge. But, I get very annoyed with people who ask me to answer questions that are already answered on the website. I spend hundreds of hours researching and fact checking to make sure the free information on DegreeFinders.com website is the most accurate available on the Internet. At least have the courtesy to read it before you write. If you, like the fellow I was telling you about, want answers that require extensive research, I will tell you what is involved and will expect to be paid for my time and my knowledge. I work for you and not for the schools I recommend. That way I can stay brutally honest. I always give value in excess of my fee. I am a perfectionist and you will be pleased with the results. But this is not a charity. It is my profession and my livlihood. Just remember: Almost certainly, there is a degree program for you if you know where to look. Happy hunting! Rodney L. Merrill DegreeFindersSM Levels: Associate, Bachelor, Post-Graduate Certificate, Master, Post-Master Certificate, Doctorate Subjects: Art, Creative Writing, Distance Education, Distance Learning, Computer Science, Media Communications, Psychology, Social Work, Nursing, Teaching, Technology |
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