Completing your associates degree without ever going to class.

If you read my previous post you have probably heard of CLEP, DSST and ALEKS. If you haven't read my previous post "stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200 go straight back to my first post in this blog. Ok I'm assuming now that if your still reading we are on the same page.

Until about 4 years ago I had never heard of CLEP, DSST or any other alternative credit gaining method. The beauty of these alternative testing  methods is that for CLEP/ DSST all you need to pass almost every exam is a score of 50%.  Yes, you read that correctly you can pass and get real college credit for a score of 50%. Where else in the world can you go spend 90 min and get the same credit as if you sat through 90 days of classes. I have personally taken and passed over 20 different exams, all on the first try.

There are 33 different exams that CLEP offers in 5 different categories. Each exam has a time limit of 90 min and covers an average of 90 question. With the exception of English (college composition) all exams are strictly five multiple choice answers per question. The exams are designed to cover all the material you would typically see in your first 2 years of college. The categories are: Business, composition/literature, foreign languages, history/social sciences, and sciences/mathamatics. The complete list with the credit awarded for each exam can be found at CLEP exam list. Two important facts that you should know if you are thinking about taking a CLEP or DSST. Firstly all exams are free for military personal and their families, this applies to all education centers on military instillation a as well as approved civilian testing centers. The military (regardless of branch will pay for your first attempt at either a CLEP or DSST , this does not mean only one exam, they will pay for as many exams as you want to take but only the first attempt, so if you fail and wish to take it again you have to pay out of pocket. Secondly there is a multitude of material out there that is designed specifically for people trying to pass one of these exams. Just to name a few things, there are study guides for each individual test, I personally used the REAstudy guides and had great success with them. There are also exam guides put out by Peterson's , Owl publishing and a general guide that covers all 33 exams which is put out by the test makers. All these books generally come with an exam description, study material and practice tests. The study guides can be ordered from the publisher directly but my advise would be going through Amazon or another third party site. 

As for the DSST exams there are 30+ DSST exams of which 12 are upper level, meaning they will satisfy part of your 300-400 level classes should you decide to pursue a Bachelors degree in the future. My personal preference is to take the DSST exam over the CLEP exams. There are several reasons for that, the three biggest reasons are: there are only 4 multiple choice questions instead of 5, many of the exams are upper level which means they can apply to a Bachelors degree and you get a full 120 min which gives you an extra 30 min per test over the CLEP. In all other aspects DSST exams are very similar to the previously described CLEP exams. They are also funded by the military and can be taken for free. Almost all places that offer CLEP also offer DSST testing and 90% of testing locations are Internet based so you get your results instantly. As for study guides they are out there, but depending on the subject you may or may not have many options. The official partners for DSST exams is  Peterson's and they offer many resources that are tailored to the tests. 

If you are ready to take the leap and want to take your first exam there are a couple things you should do before you do. The first thing to do confirm with your school that they accept the credit for the exams. A complete list of schools can be found on the searchable lists of the Respective websites. Assuming your school accepts it you would secondly need to find a testing location and schedule the exam you want to take. I say schedule as the second step because you need to give yourself a deadline to meet. This will help keep you focused and on track with the next step, which is studying. Studying time needed will vary based off exam and person but on average 3-4 weeks should be plenty to learn enough information to pass. Lastly, realize you got this and that your taking the first step towards saving yourself lots of time and money. 

So in closing, while this method of gaining credit is not for everyone it is certianly for some. If you have the ability to dedicate an hour a night, give days a week, to studying then you should be able to pass a class a month without any problem. So check with your schools,  consult your degree programs and go get that 50%. 

Investing in yourself not a 4 year degree. Get the pay you want without a 4 year degree.

Do you want to make six figures with just an associates degree? While it may seem hard to believe, there are many jobs out there that will allow you to make very good money without a 4 year college degree (I know, I know it sounds too good to be true). I am going to give you a list of the top jobs in a variety of fields that will allow you to make well above the national average. As I discussed in my previous post, a 4 year degree doesn't always equate to job security or good pay in today's economy. That being said it doesn't matter if you are fresh out of high school (thinking to your self I'm not sure about this whole being an adult thing) and trying to decide what's next or maybe you have been laid off from your job and can't find work (I knew I should have followed my dreams of becoming a rock star). Maybe your just plain tired of being sick and tired of your current dead end job and in need of a change. No matter what your situation I am going to present some options for you to consider.

We are going to start with the highest paying jobs and work our way down from there. According to the Berueau of Labor Statistics BLS the number one paying job that only requires an associates degree is Air traffic controller. What does an air traffic controller do you might ask yourself? They are those guys that sit in that little tower, that nobody ever sees, and "clear us for takeoff". While this is a gross under representation, it is one small part of what they (and potentially you) do. Though it only requires an Associates degree there is extensive on the job training which is provided after you're hired. Now many of you are probably thinking this is not a very glamorous job and seems kind of boring, but I can give you 108,000 reasons why you should consider doing it. That's correct the median (definition) salary for this job is over $108,000 a year with no bachelors degree required. The second job that of a general and operations manager paying $94,000. This position essentially involves supervising the day to day operations of a given field and can be performed with a minimum of 1 year of experience. This means that while you may not be an expert in a given field if you have a year or more of experience you may qualify for a position like this. This is not limited to a specific industry and in many cases if you stick to the same job for a period of years you can work your way up within the company. The third job paying just under 100k is a construction manager position. Again this position doesn't require a degree it only requires 5+ years of experience and has a median salary of 83 thousand a year. While construction in general may have taken a sharp downturn in recent years do to the economy, there are many states that have booming construction industry. In fact, according the Dept of Labor construction industry is expected to have grown 24% by the year 2020. 

The next industry I would like to mention is that of the oil field. The introduction of modern technology to the oil collection industry there has been something of a gold rush in states lucky enough to have unknown reserves. There has been 10's of thousands of people that have been made wealthy by the discovery if oil on there lands, but the are not the only ones that benefit. In Towns in Texas and North Dakota where there has been a discovery of oil or natural gas the unemployment is hovering around 2%. These jobs in many cases are not low paying jobs, not however are many of them easy. Take for example a Truck Driver, this job pays very well with people making upwards of $2500 a week. The course to get you CDL is not extensive in most states, and with that and a hazmat certification you can be on your way to getting your piece of the pie. Assuming you don't have any desire to be behind the wheel for the majority of your day and your not scared to get a little dirty then you can easily become a rig worker. This job, while it is not glamorous and is physically demanding will easily allow you to make $80,000 a year. This particular job requires little or no experience and most places will take you with nothing more than a GED or Highschool diploma. The likelyhood is that the industry will continue to grow at a rate faster than they can find people to fill the positions. The time to get in is now, with the advancement of the industry and the expansion of territory that is being drilled there will be many opportunities for people to work their way up the ladder. As with many jobs if you are hard working and willing to learn there will be many new opportunities to cross train into other aspects of the industry. 

The bottom line is that if you invest in yourself and actively peruse marketable skills that make you more valuable to potential employers there is no limit to what you can do. While school is great it is not for everyone, it is not cheap and it doesn't always help you get ahead. With things like: the rising unemployment in the country, the ever increasing national as well as household debt and the cost of a four year degree at an all time high, there has never been a better time to invest in yourself. Find something that you enjoy doing and develop that skill, it may not may you money right away but if you find something you truly enjoy doing and are good at then the money will follow. If this does not sound like you than consider one of the many career options that have very high earning potential with little to no school needed.