College/ Full time job question

[jwoods4290]

Okay so my question is this and here is also the scenario. Scenario is, i work full time 45 hours a week (i also have to travel 3 hours a day for work) i live in P.A. and work in NJ. so my average schedule is 8 am to 5 pm, and i don't get home until 6:30 pm. So i'm looking to go to school in my near future but my question is this.

For example, i'm looking to go into the I.T. field. and there is a course named Computer Science II

The course is only offered during Fall and 9:00 am to 10:40 am.


Do i need to take this course? like is it mandatory? and as you can tell from my schedule, there would be no way possible to fit this into my schedule. I live on my own with my son and my girlfriend. And i'm looking to go to school to take a better life for me and my loved one's.


Thank you for your inputs and recommendations and so forth. Would they offer this class at another time or during another semester? Thanks.

 

[thisnumbersdisconnected]

You're gonna have to ask the college that question. I don't think anyone on this board can speak for the college. You might want to look into online courses at an accredited college where the online status of your education won't affect the acceptance of your degree in the professional community.

 

[Knotical]

Pretty much what TND said. Each school has a set "path" you should take to get your degree. If that is the only time the class is being offered then you are stuck if that is the college you plan on attending. Having said that I wonder if you have looked around for some good online/correspondence schools. Many of these have the same relatively structured approach, but you have a bit more freedom when you "attend" class and when your assignments are due. This would be much more suitable for your situation.

 

[Nick]

You really should ask the colleges this question.

Is there a college closer to you that offers the same course? Or do an online course, from any college in the US that offers it.

 

[faeriecat]

Another thought ... see if there is a school closer to your work and see if your work would flex to allow you to attend classes ... ie: come in 2 hours early so you can take off in the middle of the day to take a 2 hour class, then return ...

 

[Sparkey]

As one student to another, I have no idea how to complete the degree requirements for any course of study while maintaining a 45 hour + 15 hour travel time work schedule. Even granting the best of circumstances, taking 5 hours of classes per week necessarily means adding 20 hours to the schedule (not including travel to and from college). I use the 1:3 ratio when I plan my study schedule but it consistently falls short of the number of hours required for each hour of class time.

So then, does you work allow time that could be directed toward study? I'm not trying to discourage you at all here, but trying to look from a student perspective. As far as the IT field, that is a very wide area. Have you thought about what you'd like to do? Are you a "wrench" who likes to put his fingers into the box? Do you like programming and getting your creative side involved? Problem solving skills are a must, but so are people skills for any entry level help desk position. Data entry maybe? Graphics? Web Design? Do you love rules and formal procedures? What about connectivity and wiring and/or network security? One field of study differs so much from another and the thinking involved in planning is best done at the beginning. Do you have business skills and can you communicate well? The reason that I ask, is that there are positions needed for people who can understand client side communications and no IT guy is seen by their customers as "producers" but only as a cost item. The guy who sells the idea and communicates well to the business side is the guy in the spotlight and typically has the greater longevity.

Okay, sorry for rambling, others have already addressed the true answer to the question about what is required by pointing you to the college, but I thought I'd throw in a penny from my experience as a student and another penny from the 12 or so years experience in IT. G'luck to you!