DeVry: Worth it?

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Nice. Who offers these courses?

www.adlc.ca Alberta Distance Learning, they're located on 58th ave SE. You just walk in, sign up, grab some books and then have at er.

I'm currently doing English 30-1, and they have "recommended" time frames. IE: "Here's Week 1, when you complete that contact your teacher and let them know you're moving onto week 2...blah blah blah" I did week one in an evening, then got up the next day and completed weeks 2 and 3 before heading out for the evening. Trust me man, it's a quick easy was to upgrade your classes/marks.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by flameswin

www.adlc.ca Alberta Distance Learning, they're located on 58th ave SE. You just walk in, sign up, grab some books and then have at er.

I'm currently doing English 30-1, and they have "recommended" time frames. IE: "Here's Week 1, when you complete that contact your teacher and let them know you're moving onto week 2...blah blah blah" I did week one in an evening, then got up the next day and completed weeks 2 and 3 before heading out for the evening. Trust me man, it's a quick easy was to upgrade your classes/marks.

Sweet. Thanks, man!

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Sweet. Thanks, man!

I should warn you about two things though.....

#1 I believe it's about $250 - $300 per course (after textbooks and all that)

#2 If you're taking a course that requires a diploma exam, ie: math 30, english 30 etc, you have to take the diploma exam at a school (usually SAIT) and at a time when they're offering your specific diploma exam.

They tend to be pretty frequent though. For example this English course has final exams at Sait a few times in August, and then again in October. Basically every two months. But it could screw things up if you're looking to get things over with in a hurry.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by flameswin

I should warn you about two things though.....

#1 I believe it's about $250 - $300 per course (after textbooks and all that)

#2 If you're taking a course that requires a diploma exam, ie: math 30, english 30 etc, you have to take the diploma exam at a school (usually SAIT) and at a time when they're offering your specific diploma exam.

They tend to be pretty frequent though. For example this English course has final exams at Sait a few times in August, and then again in October. Basically every two months. But it could screw things up if you're looking to get things over with in a hurry.

Yeah there won't be enough time to do anything before Sept, but it's good to know about. I'll be looking to get them done in time to (hopefully) transfer to UofC next Sept.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

You're required to produce official High School transcripts proving your completion of the required courses. If you are unable to do so, you can apply as a "Mature Student" but you are still required to prove your ability to meet the entrance requirements.

In my case, this means Math and English 30. I have no problem with the English side, but I don't have anywhere near the level of knowledge required to pass a 30-level entrance exam in Math.

Don't forget that you are a hell of a lot smarter and more motivated now than you were at 17.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by photon

That's how it goes, if you don't use it it gets lost..

There's no way I could do a Fourier analysis or inverse Laplace transforms..



Been too long.

Crap, I'm feeling old. Not looking forward to the day when the boys are coming home with this type of homework...

[photon]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Crap, I'm feeling old. Not looking forward to the day when the boys are coming home with this type of homework...

Heh, you won't have to worry about kids bringing home Laplace transforms from high school, and if they bring it home from University you have bigger issues.

[GreatWhiteEbola]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Dude. The Bachelor of CIS is a 3 year program. It's not a sepcially-accelerated version of a 4 year program. You go year-round and finish it in 3 years.

I've already been offered the seat in the program, and the link I gave you clearly spells it out.

Dude.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

Don't forget that you are a hell of a lot smarter and more motivated now than you were at 17.

True, good point.

[Montana Moe]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Btw, is it not possible to take a semester/year at Devry and then transfer over to SAIT when you can in 2010, hopefully with a few credit courses under your belt?

I know in the States that there is a note on the bottom of the screen during DeVry advertisements that states "courses/credits are unlikely to transfer."

I'd certainly research that before proceeding.

[JustAnotherGuy]

I work in the IT field. When I am working with other developers I don't really care where they got their education from. I care about what they are contributing to the project and how easy they are to work with. They do need to have that base knowledge to be able to do their jobs. But their personality and commitment to a job well done is most important.

I have worked with Sait grads, university grads and some devry people. My preference is Sait, University and then Devry. But again it has alot to do with the person. I worked with on guy who was from Devry and he was awesome.

Finally after 2-5 years it doesn't really matter where you go your education. We all have learned so much more that the education we got is only a fraction of what we know now. Are you willing to keep learning on the side on your own time?

Okay, another point. I suppose it is just like other fields of work out there. As long as you are a high quality software developer you will always find work. It is the people who turn lazy that may struggle to find work if they find themselves without a job.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherGuy

I work in the IT field. When I am working with other developers I don't really care where they got their education from. I care about what they are contributing to the project and how easy they are to work with. They do need to have that base knowledge to be able to do their jobs. But their personality and commitment to a job well done is most important.

I have worked with Sait grads, university grads and some devry people. My preference is Sait, University and then Devry. But again it has alot to do with the person. I worked with on guy who was from Devry and he was awesome.

Finally after 2-5 years it doesn't really matter where you go your education. We all have learned so much more that the education we got is only a fraction of what we know now. Are you willing to keep learning on the side on your own time?

Okay, another point. I suppose it is just like other fields of work out there. As long as you are a high quality software developer you will always find work. It is the people who turn lazy that may struggle to find work if they find themselves without a job.

Yeah, that's the thing. I'm not really looking for my degree to get me a job, so much as I'm looking to stop not getting jobs from not having a degree.

...if that makes any sense.

[freakinsaprikin]

I graduated from Devry in October of last year with a CIS degree. My Track focus was Database design and administration. Let me give you some insight into the School.

First off I will say that any school you go to, you will get out what you put in. If you are interested in the subject matter and put in the effort to learn it and get good at it you will eventually do well no matter what School you go to.

Second, I had no Issue getting a job. It took me about a month after I finished, and I ended up getting a real good job and have already been promoted. You will find that the Student services will work hard with you to help you find a job. Because they are a private institution, employment rates of grads is something they are very concerned with. That being said, I found that with the interviews I went on I had to spend a lot of time explaining the Devry program and what we learn. Take that for what it is worth.

As far as the actual education is worth, I had some professors that were great and if I still have a question I can ask for help on things. I also had some terrible professors. One that I had, went so far as to show us Microsoft tutorial Videos he found on the internet, instead of taking the time to actually teach us things. I also had issues with the amount of courses that I had to do online. A lot of the core subjects for my program, were not offered on the Calgary campus. So I missed out on a lot of peer perspective on things.

When thinking about if you should go to Devry you should look at it like this. If you have at least four years to go do a degree, I would go to the U of C or MRC (doing their transfer program). I think that the level of theory you will receive is much better than anything you will get from a Devry or SAIT program. If you don't have 4 years and are somebody that is willing to take the responsibility to actually learn the subject matter, than Devry is the way to go. I was a mature student that had already done the University thing out of high school and it wasn’t the environment I was looking for. Devry offered me a quick way to learn some things and get a degree.

The last point I would like to mention is about the tution. Devry is expensive, but if you are getting student loans it will not matter. The Alberta government has a program completion credit. So if you graduate from your program and your debt level is above a certain level, they will pay off parts of you student loans. So you will probably owe the same amount, where ever you go.
Hope this helps you Fan. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me.

[FanIn80]

Hey that's awesome stuff, man. Thanks!

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by gottabekd

Just another FYI, if are interested in a University program:

At the U of C, you can there are spring and summer semesters. Each is two months, so the classes (and material) are jammed together. I couldn't see taking more than 2 courses at a time (and I doubt they'd let you take more). Naturally, the course selection is greatly reduced, so you have to make selections wisely. Few programs in your major will be offered, so you could take optional courses at this time to fill up your required course total. Doing this doesn't add up to a degree in three years, but you could make it in 3 and a half.

Summer normally offers 2 or more really interesting classes with guest professors, at least in Comp Sci. They are mostly the 3rd and 4th year offerings though.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Bumped over from your Apple thread

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Yeah, good points. My plan (as it stands now) is to finish the first year at DeVry and then transfer to UofC and finish my degree through them.

You'll really want to check this out carefully. Most Devry / ITT courses don't transfer over to UofC, especially in CPSC. Not that it's right, but Devry is worthless in the eyes of the University.

Not sure if I'm reading that right, but someone could do an entire 4 degree at DeVry in business, and have it only worth a handful of Jr level courses at the UofC. Wow.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Bumped over from your Apple thread



You'll really want to check this out carefully. Most Devry / ITT courses don't transfer over to UofC, especially in CPSC. Not that it's right, but Devry is worthless in the eyes of the University.

Not sure if I'm reading that right, but someone could do an entire 4 degree at DeVry in business, and have it only worth a handful of Jr level courses at the UofC. Wow.

Yikes. Thanks for posting that man. I'm going to give UofC a call on Monday and talk to then about it.