In my experience, once you have your degree and a job that pays decently it may be very hard to make the decision to go back for 6 more months. If you know you’d go back for those 6 months anyway (which it sounds like you should – it seems like the better deal) then I’d just do it upfront.

That’s just my experience though! I never wanted an advanced degree but DH seriously considered it. Now the further we get away from school the less likely he is to get up the momentum to leave his job (which pays well), go back to school for 5 years, then come back to the same job (even though he’d make way more money). I think when you’re in the school frame of mind it’s easier to just keep going with it.

I guess my question would be – would you actually be able to take the time off to go back to school for the additional 6 months once you started a job….it just seems so much harder once you start working to make the time to go back to school. I can’t see an employer giving you the time off to do this.

Sounds like a good field to get into with lots of opportunities.

I’d go for the full 16 months. Get it all done instead of going back. you’ll get into a routine with it, no sense in messing it up

I’ve heard on-line classes are very intense although I have never taken one myself. That’s just based on what I’ve heard from people who have taken them (though not in this field)…it seems like this is the way education is going.

Hey Brittany, so im not sure what your final career choice is or if Medical Assistant is what you are planning to stick with. But if your taking the MA route in order to become a nurse I personally think you might as well go to a JC and just get your AA in nursing. I live in Ca. and know from others who have taken the MA route and its waste of money. A friend decided to become an MA and she took I believe a year in one of those career colleges, she ended up taking out a 9,000 loan for the program and is now getting paid 9.75 which sucks cuz she paid more than for what she got Have you considered getting nursing certificate from a JC?? or how about becoming a phlebotomist? I know its more of a concentrated career where you JUST do that but working as a nurse ive heard that phlebotomist get paid way more and its the same amount of time or less then an MA. I know its REALLy hard to get into the medical field AND EXPENSIVE but sometimes taking advise from others who have gone through it can be better and more beneficial than taking advise from an advisor from a career college. Keep in mind that they will try to paint their way as the most beneficial and “easy” way in order to get your hard earned money. Anything worth having in life wont be easy OR cheap, just remeber that. If you are going to take out a loan for the program you might want to see if what you are going to get paid will be worth that loan or if what your are going to get paid is going to go mostly to the loan. I know its SUPER HARD but dont let desperation take over this decision. My personal opinion is IF you will be getting a loan for this you might as well got get your nursing certificate at a JC and pay for that instead of the MA. Im not quite sure what your situation is so take my advise loosely. I work with alot of MA’s and alot of them say they wish they would have just gone to a JC. If you have any more questions I would be happy to help. Dont give up though!!! whatever you decide to do will be the right choice for YOU.

I know from personal experience, if you don’t complete your education in one time period, you won’t go back to finish it. I ended up having to get a full time job for benefits while I was attempting to get my English degree. Due to life and work schedules, etc., I still have not gone back to finish it. I would like to. I just don’t know how to work it out as the classes are during the day. It may be different for you since your program is all online. I say go ahead and get it all out of the way. Then you won’t have to worry about it anymore.

I think JC is a Junior College or Community College.

Don’t take this the wrong way, but it is a firm belief of mine that for-profit schools should be avoided like the plague. These places prey on people who don’t make a lot of money and are desperate to make a better life for themselves. I looked up the tuition for this school and it was over $14,000 for the 10 month program last year. A lot of the time you can find a similar program at your local community college for a fraction of the price. What is it about this program that appeals to you? The fact that it is online? Believe me, I know how it is to be drawn to the idea. It sounds so convenient and easy! Unfortunately, that is usually a red flag. There is a for-profit college here where I live. They only got their accreditation in this state because they bought out a local business school. Now they offer everything from medical assisting to criminal justice programs and they advertise on TV literally every commercial break. I know people who got sucked into this place by all their promises of making more money and having a career in as little as 10 months. What ended up happening to a lot of them is that they ended up in low paying jobs and this huge debt. I’m not saying that that would happen to you, but I do urge you to be careful. I don’t know anything about the Allied Health Institute, but from what you’ve said it almost sounds too good to be true. Look into programs at your local community college and see what they have to offer. Nothing about going to school is easy and nothing beats the experience of learning in the classroom! I think your dad would want you to get a good quality education that could possibly be built on later in the future (say you get an Associate, you could always apply those credits toward a Bachelors at a 4-year college later on down the line… it doesn’t hurt to leave that possibility open) as opposed to making what seems like a lot of money now to help pay a few bills around the house.

I would go with the 16 month program. Like everybody else said, you might as well just do it all at once. If you don’t mind me asking, what was it about taking classes at a physical college that you disliked? I understand one of your priorities is to keep working, but sometimes it is worth it to take out student loans and exclusively work hard on your education.

Personally, I’ve read several news stories about the shady practices of for-profit online colleges, from false recruiting promises to the crippling costs involved…I can link you a few if you like. Of course, some schools will be more ethical than others, and there are several legitimate establishments out there, but I would definitely be careful and talk to several sources (such as hospitals where you might work, etc) about your education plans before committing to and paying for a program.

[edit] LBJ pretty much perfectly summed up my feelings regarding for-profit colleges.  $14k? Holy cow, that’s as much as I pay for one year of medical school as an in-state student.   Also, why did you decide to pursue a tech path as opposed to a nursing path?  I’ve had a moderate amount of experience in hospitals working with all sorts of healthcare professionals, and the vast majority of techs that I’ve met viewed the position as a temporary one in between “here” and “there”, with most of them aspiring to be nurses.  To be honest, in my experience techs are treated pretty poorly in hospitals as they are viewed as the bottom of the care chain (not that they deserve it); I don’t think I would be able to put up with it extensively.

what Sarita said, JC is a junior college or community college. I think it might depend on the state where u are at, I know here in ca. Phlebotomist get paid from 14-16, MA anywhere from 8.75-12.00. Career colleges charge sooooo much because they are doing everything in condensed time and avoiding GE’s. An RN who has graduated from a JC program gets paid from 25.00-30.00/hr which is EXCELLENT because you didnt have to get loans worth thousands and thousands of dollars. For example my best friend couldnt go to a univeristy straight out from HS so she decided to take the phlebotomist route since she was able to finish it in 5 months I believe and was paid at 14.24/hr, she worked at a county hospital. Her loan I believe was of 10,000 which is alot and she knew that at 14/hr she would never finish paying off her loan, so she decided to get certified as an RN, the hospital paid in FULL for her education as long as she signed a contract to stay with them for 5 yrs. Which is good for what you are getting in return. She is just certified though she doesnt have a BS and she is getting paid 27.00/hr. now. There are many routes you can go to get what you want you just have to look. When I got my BS as a nurse the hospital im working for gave me a contract where if I wanted to go ahead and get my MS they would pay for it, which I am now. I signed a contract where I would stay with them for 8 yrs and gave me side perks, like gave me 1/4 of the downpayment of my house AND gave me 1/2 the downpayment for my car. I know all of what they are listing sounds expensive but in long run you get waaaaaay more. I went straight from highschool to a 4 yr university and it was sooo hard since everything is so expensive. BUT i actually did a volunteering program for about 4 years at a county hospital shadowing a nurse at the ER which was asweome, the hospital saw i was serious about pursuing a medical field and offered to pay my books and side fees, and this is just from volunteering. I know other girls who did the same and got their career college for medical assistants paid by the hospital too. Look and dont give up. There are many ways around it TRUST!!! I know its REALLY REALLY frustrating but dont let frustration take over. I was in your same position a couple yrs back but trust me perseverance pays off. Check out your country hospitals and see what volunteering programs they have for potential medical field students see what the payoffs are and see what guidance they can offer to a student.

Brittany, I just wanted to tell you that I hope we don’t come across as too harsh in our critical viewpoints…we’re just offering our opinions from our own experiences and hoping to help you make a decision in the end that will be best for you. Ultimately, you’re the one to make the decision that you feel most appropriate. 

I’ll find/link you the article when I get home; I’m on campus right now and have run over my bandwidth limit for the week…arrrgghhh slow internet.

How would you do clinicals with an online program? I assume you need to do some kind of hands-on training?

Oo Britt I agree with some of the other gals, just get it all done in one swift kick! Help your dad at your best ability, but as a parent he is going to want you to do what is best to set you up for a successful life even if you gotta tighten up on money for 16 months. You can do it!

One of my friends did a vet tech program and she was in a similar situation. Altho hers was at a physical site and 18 months long, it turns out AFTER they were never accredited. She was still able to get a job, but the cost of the education and the small salary put her into a huge hole as far as finances. Another friend did a 9-month training program at one of those “for-profit schools” and after “graduation”, she couldn’t get a job to save her life, her certificate was basically worthless.

Would you be able to get loans or grants for school tuition and living costs, and then maybe scale back your work hours to part-time… many of these schools offer weekend or night classes, or possibly 2 days a week, all day, and then work the other days. I understand the stress of going to school AND working; I’ve been in school for a total of 6 years (off and on) for my ASSOCIATE’S degree.

I’ve done online courses and it’s hard to stay on-track. And for me, I love the camaraderie of having classmates who are going thru the same things with me at the same time. We can help each other study, help each other with our clinicals, and complain about teachers together… lol. Have you contacted a local Comm College to see what they offer?

And I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t recommend to check into dental assisting also… Assistants can go on to become an EFDA (expanded function dental auxiliary) who can also fill teeth for the DDS.

You know, I worked my entire way through school. I’m not going to lie, it was really hard. My parents didn’t save a dime for me to go to college and they basically kicked me out of the house the second I graduated high school. I ran off with my boyfriend and thought everything would be just fine. I ended up working retail though and I realized there was no way I was going to make much more than minimum wage (it was $5.75/hr back then). I thought maybe I could do one of those degree-by-mail sort of things. I thought maybe I could be a vet assistant. But after speaking to a vet about it, I realized that the “degree” was worthless and wouldn’t get me a job anywhere. So I eventually worked up the courage to go to the local community college. I didn’t qualify for financial aid (my parent made “too much” money and I was under the age of 24). So I worked and took a class here and there. It took me a long time to get my Associates degree. Then my silly boyfriend decided he wanted to get married. Well guess what! I qualified for financial aid after we got married. I took my credits to a 4-year college. I went to school full-time, but I still worked 25 hours a week at my job. It was hard, but it was worth it. I work at the university now (not where I went for my undergraduate) and I am in grad school. My tuition is paid for there, so it’s all good. I still have to work though and take my classes. I have suffered through this for what seems like a long time. But I want to be able to buy a house some day! So I think it is worth it!
I guess what I’m saying is, don’t sell yourself short. What seems like a quick and easy solution now might not be what is best for you later on down the line. I know making $14/hr right now sounds like a lot of money, but it really isn’t a lot of money in the long run. I’m not trying to put you down for wanting to make more money, I just want you to think about the big picture that’s all. Have you looked into financial aid at all? I would think that you would qualify since you only have one parent (so sorry to hear about your mom, by the way).

Thanks for sharing your story LBJ! I am very impressed by your drive and determination!!! I was fortunate to qualify for financial aid for MOST of my education BECAUSE I got married at 19…

Thanks Beka, I think some of it might be stubbornness though too. I had to prove my mom wrong!