im 26 and going to the navy but want a degree when i get out.out. Is online college the best way to go l?

Excelsior and Thomas Edison (and Charter Oak State College) are not [as importantly] online colleges - they're [most uniquely] assessment colleges. Offering online classes is something they've started doing fairly recently but it's a small part of what makes them valuable to military people. Their real function is to assess transcripts from many sources and offer a plan to complete the degree. They just happen to now also offer online courses.

Don't think of these three as "online college" - think of them like a bank that you deposit course credit in. When you have enough credit deposited to meet the degree requirements, you "withdraw" your degree.

Summarily ignore much of what you hear about what you should do from civilians - they can't possibly understand the unique situation. They think they can, but they can't. This includes family and friends that aren't veterans. Every military installation has an education officer that is the local expert on such matters. That's the person to listen to.

The BIG advantage that the "Big Three" offer military people is that they will accept transfer credit from any regionally accredited college, CLEP/DANTES/ECE/AP/etc... exams, and military service school credits. They don't have a transfer limit like almost every other college so you can transfer in (theoretically) 100% of your degree. Theoretically, you could test out of 100% of your degree though very few people would have the skills to do so.

The transfer limit is the problem most military people face that civilians don't grasp. Over the course of 6 years in the navy, you could well live in more than 6 places and attend college in each. We tend to never be anywhere long enough to meet the residency requirement (most require 30 hours at their school) to complete a degree but often have more than enough hours.

Then too - each school at each place you live will have just enough differences in degree requirements that there's always "one more class" that you need. I've taken "English 101" three times because of this. The "Big Three" solve this problem.

You could take classes anywhere you happen to be (or online from any accredited college) or take CLEP/DANTES exams (which are free for military people) and ultimately transfer all of that to one of these schools for the degree completion.

Online courses from these three providers are expensive. But, you could take online courses from the least expensive school you can find (http://elearningpundit.com/?p=493 see that table) and transfer them in. Many military people also use Brigham Young University and Louisiana State University for upper level online classes due to the low cost. Most public colleges extend in-state tuition to local military people so the local community or state college (in class or online) is very often a good choice.

If you do one of the Liberal Studies degrees then you will have incredible flexibility in your degree requirements as well.

Excelsior is the least expensive of the three. Charter Oak and Thomas Edison are state schools though and some people like that added credibility. All three are regionally accredited and well known in the military.

Excelsior's Associate of Applied Science in Administrative/Management Studies ( https://www.excelsior.edu/Excelsior_College/School... ) is a great program for military people to start with. It's very flexible and allows you to complete a short-term goal rather quickly.

Add: Charter Oak is only less expensive than Excelsior if you're only considering the cost of online classes. If you're doing your classes elsewhere - how much these charge per course doesn't matter. That initial year and continuing year service fee becomes really important in that case. ☺ Some additions for clarification are added in [brackets] above.

There are only 3 colleges in the US that are public colleges that are entirely online. Thomas Edison State College ( TESC.edu ) in New Jersey, Excelsior College ( Excelsior.edu ) in New York, and Charter Oak State College ( http://charteroak.edu/ ) in Connecticut.

Charter Oak State College is part of the Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership (NCPDLP) and has a special part of their website dedicated to the Navy here: http://charteroak.edu/Navy

Charter Oak State College is a completely online public college, and is accredited and adult-friendly. This makes them ideal for degree completion and students over the average college age (24+). Charter Oak is more affordable than Excelsior (cost comparison chart here: http://charteroak.edu/Prospective/New/Advantages.c... )

There are plenty of people who have very sucessful businesses/careers without getting a degree at all. I think everyone should get an education but that said...if your position is entry level in this company and is paying this much, think of what you're going to be making as you climb that corporate ladder! If you want a higher education I would take night courses, not quit your job. That's a good income at our age (I'm 26, too). Keep your job and your income, maybe supplement with night classes so that you can advance within this company faster. Good luck!

It takes a while to get a degree and if you're aiming to have a degree by the time your enlistment is up (if you're active duty), you're looking at a 6 year enlistment. Don't forget, you still have your military job and your everyday life, possible deployments (which will put your education on hold), etc. Sign up for the Post 9/11 GI Bill when you have your GI Bill briefing at boot camp and you'll be all set. I'm using it to get my degree, it's really an awesome benefit. The only catch is that it doesn't apply toward certificate programs or technical schools, but there's so much you can still do with it.

Depending on how long you plan to stay in, you may or may not finish your degree. If you are going in for four years you probably won't finish. After initial and upgrade training you will have eaten at least a year off your enlistment. Believe me, online classes eat up lots of time just like traditional classroom courses. You will probably be too busy to take more than a couple classes per semester tops. However, it is easier to find the 8 week classes when attending military friendly schools than in the civilian world. But beware, a degree isn't a degree regardless of where you get it. Research the school first.

Online college is definitely the best way to go. Depending on the institution you can get a 4-year Bachelor's degree in 4-6 years, and then get whatever certifications you need to get a good job in the civilian world.

Your time in the Navy will be job security. Make the most of it, learn as much as you can, and stack your chances for rocking out on Civvie-street.

There is a huge difference between being well educated, and 'having a degree.'

Which one do you want?

If you are going into the Navy, focus on that. If you get an opportunity for college while active, do it. Otherwise, use your veterans benefits when you get out.

yeah online is definelty best espeically since you'll probably be at sea alot of the time it's pretty much yoru only option

yes, it is the best option. However, you need to check the accreditation status before enrolling. I have found several websites that perhaps could help you to start with >> http://www.earndegreeonline.info/ or http://www.graduateonlinedegree.cn/