what school/classes schould I take?

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

I know, a real general title, but I could use some guidance here. My degree's won't be accredited so I have to 'start over'. Even if they would be accredited I wouldn't be able to find work in the field I'm schooled in as there's just no work for a building historian. So I am looking to get an as general education as possible that will be suitable for a wide range of jobs. I am thinking about administration or management jobs. I'd love to work at a library, a school, or city hall. But it's more important to me to work close to home so I can spend more time with my family than travel 3 hours for that 'dream job'.

Can any one advise me on where to start looking?

 

If it's any help, I will be living in the south of Indiana. Closest University is in Evansville, closest college is Ivy Tech in Tell City. I'd prefer to take online classes if there are good online schools (I'm a bit doubtful on that but keeping an open mind.)

 

Educational history:

elementary school till 12

'high school' till 16

vocational school towards engineering till 20

higher professional education towards building historian (comparable to bachelor) till 24

 

Work history:

9 years in historical restorations as an engineer and building historian

5 years as a building code regulations advisor and adjudicator of building permits at city hall

2 years as a historian and floor-manager at the city archives

[kris&me 572]

Go online to the website of each of those colleges and check what they offer and tuition costs

YOu can find a field that interests you probalby at either of these higher education sites

also,  you can make an appointment with guidance at the colleges and see what is offered in terms of financial aide

Best to you

Good idea here to further your studies

Edited March 23, 2018 by kris&me

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

Thanks @kris&me I think education is important for anybody trying to ma e a better life for themselves.

 

I found this on Ivy Tech. Would that be a good start? https://www.ivytech.edu/gen-ed-transfer-core/index.html

[Paul & Mallory 1,398]

The most generally speaking answer would be anything considered practical, such as business courses, marketing, etc. Things that can boost your resume as someone starting out. You can also research your area specifically where you will be living to see what the most high-demand job positions are and localize it a bit more.

 

If you're lucky, you could also get an entry level position with a company that has plenty of room to grow/move up, and also offers tuition reimbursement on certain courses. For example; I work for a large bank, started as a bank teller many years ago, have worked my way up, and the company will reimburse tuition for specific courses (mostly ones that would be applicable to positions within the company).

 

I think it's a great idea to be so interested in continuing your education over here, too! Not only is it beneficial to integration in general, it will help you on the job front and salaries can also be determined by education level (meaning more $$$).

[PirateLiker 11]

I don’t know a lot about Indiana (other than Cummins, the worlds greatest Diesel engine manufacturer is there, and the Indy 500) but here in California  Construction Engineering Management is a highly employable degree. It takes 4 years if starting from scratch. I think your experience would be related to that. Museum curator also sounds like a possibility. 

 

Medicine is supposed to be a safe bet. I think the sweet spot for ROI is radiation technician. 2 year degree and maybe $25/hr to start.

 

That is what I have been recommending to my fiancé. What is your home country? How is the visa process going? What is your timeline?

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

8 hours ago, PirateLiker said:

I don’t know a lot about Indiana (other than Cummins, the worlds greatest Diesel engine manufacturer is there, and the Indy 500) but here in California  Construction Engineering Management is a highly employable degree. It takes 4 years if starting from scratch. I think your experience would be related to that. Museum curator also sounds like a possibility. 

 

Medicine is supposed to be a safe bet. I think the sweet spot for ROI is radiation technician. 2 year degree and maybe $25/hr to start.

 

That is what I have been recommending to my fiancé. What is your home country? How is the visa process going? What is your timeline?

Lol I guess you're reading on mobile? Cause my info is all in the sideline. 

I'm from the netherlands. Filed our k1 on Dec 22. Expect our noa2 late june or early july. Hope to be stateside by the beginning of october.

Construction engineer manager sounds good. Thank you for the tip.

I'd love to be a museum curator but there's not much work for that in my area.

 

[databit 328]

On 3/23/2018 at 5:50 AM, Little_Vixen said:

Educational history:

elementary school till 12

'high school' till 16

vocational school towards engineering till 20

higher professional education towards building historian (comparable to bachelor) till 24

 

Work history:

9 years in historical restorations as an engineer and building historian

5 years as a building code regulations advisor and adjudicator of building permits at city hall

2 years as a historian and floor-manager at the city archives

First step is to get a High School diploma if you don't have one. You get a General Education Diploma (GED). You can get this locally online.

Then go for a bachelor's degree. There are many online degree programs; just make sure they are REGIONALLY ACCREDITED. There are many fake "accreditation" titles. You can check any college here: https://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

If you want/need a masters, they are online too. Here's one in Museum Studies: http://advanced.jhu.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/museum-studies/

 

Now there is a college that MAY take some of your prior learning and experience and use it toward a bachelors. They do not enforce a time limit on credits. They are regionally accredited. You can also test out for a lot of courses.  The degrees are of a limited variety---but you could get a bachelors in business, or liberal arts ---you can even get a masters. Read about transferring life experiences and credits:https://www.excelsior.edu/transfer-more-credits

 

Note: Of course you realize that a big city like Chicago would have jobs relevant to your work history, as there are lots of historical buildings and many people restore them. And there are over 50 museums there. Even Louisville, St. Louis, Indianapolis or Nashville might have work for you. But that would be a major move. 

[ronniebreda 120]

I do not know how much help I can be of much help, but I do want to recommend the online college I go to. Fort Hays State University  (fhsu.edu}, it is an accredited college in Fort Hays, Kansas, but they offer degrees completely online. You can live anywhere in the United States and possibly international. They have many different degrees and certificates. I am sure you can talk to someone at the college about your Dutch education and how it would work.

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

12 hours ago, ronniebreda said:

I do not know how much help I can be of much help, but I do want to recommend the online college I go to. Fort Hays State University  (fhsu.edu}, it is an accredited college in Fort Hays, Kansas, but they offer degrees completely online. You can live anywhere in the United States and possibly international. They have many different degrees and certificates. I am sure you can talk to someone at the college about your Dutch education and how it would work.

Thank you! I'll look into it.