I graduated Bachelor in Law in my country Vietnam before moving to the U.S. I intended to switch to either Information Technology or Finance. The following is my initial plan:
Step 1: taking a Career Study Certificate (C.S.C) in both accounting and IT (maybe Information System, Database, Networking or Security) to discover these two majors then make a decision of my chosen one;
Step 2: transferring my evaluated transcript to a private school for a Master program (my uncle recommended Strayer University in Virginia because he graduated from this school).
Although I have a plan, I am still struggling about my major. It is easier for me to figure out what I gonna study and work with Finance, while IT is so wide. I am thinking about combining them but the thing is I have to pick up one as my major.
Seeking for your views and suggestion. Thank you very much.
I don’t think anyone can offer you any valid advice. The two fields are totally different from each other, and are different from what you studied in VN. It’s up to you what you want to to. I don’t think the degree of law from Vietnam helps much in either field.
To be honest with you, I don’t have much faith in certificate (CSC) programs, especially those from for-profit schools. Many of them are cash-cows for the school but are useless to the recipients.
I think you should first identify the field that you want to study, then contact potential schools and see if they accept your evaluated transcript and what other classes you need to take as prerequisite, then take them at a local community college.
Many immigrants I know just started over: they had their transcripts from their home country evaluated, took classes at community college and then transferred to state universities. Many of them received their BS/BA within 2 - 3 years.
I don’t think you should get a CSC to “explore” these two fields - that’s not what CSCs are intended for. Instead, you should decide what you want to do before you take any additional classes, then take the required prerequisites for a master’s in the field you choose before applying to master’s programs. You can do that through a certificate program or you can also do it through taking non-degree classes at a local university.
There are other ways to decide besides taking classes and frankly, at this point in your career the coursework might actually be quite different from the day to day work of that particular field.
Also, I wouldn’t necessarily pick Strayer just because your uncle went there. It’s a for-profit school, and not really highly regarded in the U.S. - it’s okay for advancing at a job you already have or qualifying for positions in an industry in which you’re already a rock star but don’t have the degree. But as a first degree before you have much of a professional life behind you, the value proposition is far worse than just attending a non-profit university (public or private).
Thank you. I intended to take C.S.C because I can take prerequisites at a community college instead of taking them at my private Master university and save a lo of money. For examples: Master in Accounting at Strayer requires 3-5 prerequisites (about more than $6,500) while I can take them at Northern Virginia Community College at half price.
Thank you. I just intended to take C.S.C instead of the prerequisites a university, whose tuition is as twice expensive. Strayer is the only school that accepts my Master plan, while other schools have strict requirements. I have the same idea with you about the strength of Strayer so I hope that I can get a job at the major I desire prior to joining Strayer.
Why would you get a master’s in accounting and then an MBA? I think you should pick one. (Also note that not all MBAs are created equal; some are expensive and do not offer a great return on investment or bump in salary over what you could make with a BA).
Also, with that said, you could just as easily take some prerequisites at a community college without completing a CSC. Most universities will prefer classes taken at a four-year university, though.
I think you should think about why that is, though. Strayer is a for-profit university: their primary goal is getting students in seats to pay the tuition so they can make a profit. They have a responsibility to their shareholders to deliver profits. A lot of for-profit programs do offer that tailored flexibility in order to attract more students, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea pedagogically. There might be a particular reason why most of the programs in your field have stricter requirements (e.g., licensing requirements for your state or maybe those are requirements that employers expect).
The strict requirements I mentioned are GRA/GMAT score, TOEFL and working experience. I know Strayer is a 50-50 options that my uncle and some of his friends earn great from their graduation while some got stuck with it. That’s why I am confused.