BlueWolf's Howl

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May 03, 2003

Behind the Scenes

Ah, yes, I am still studying. My reading has slowed a bit and I've been focusing on all the administrative ka-ka (that's a technical term, use it wisely) that needs to get done so I can become "enrolled." Every "i" needs to be dotted and every "t" needs to be crossed in triplicate on several forms which are all sent to various places that have known me in the past (but by now have long forgotten I ever graced their hallowed halls). It is a nightmare of both mind and pen.

Excelsior has received two out of the five transcripts that they need to evaluate my prior college credits. Soon they will gather all these documents and perform an arcane ritual (known only to Human Resource Gurus) and hit the TOTAL button to find out how many credits I already have at each level. Once that voodoo completes, I will be able to find out how many classes (and what type) I need to get a degree.

Once I know what I need, the tricky part is finding ways to meet the criteria for those courses. There are supposed to be a number of ways to do this. We shall see... I'm dreading the necessity to take online courses. They're always SOOOO expensive. At one time, Excelsior offered their own testing for credit for the core classes in Computer Information Systems. But, the packet they just sent me says that this testing has been discontinued. Apparently, they have some sort of deal with ICCP (Institute of Certification for Computing Professionals) which would make their tests redundant. So, now I have to figure out the ICCP requirements and how to go about getting *that* credential.

I'm hoping that I can just study and test - which will be much less expensive. Online classes usually go for $1000 (US) a pop. And I have about 6 classes in the "core" area to finish (according to a previous "unofficial" evaluation). The "Core" exam from ICCP seems to be running at just under $200 (US). And I don't know how many credits that exam may cover.

Oh well, I guess it's all just speculation until I get the official determination... But it will be nice to have all my credits consolidated in one place. It will be nice when I next have to gather my credentials and it will only take one letter to one institution.

Posted by BlueWolf on May 3, 2003 02:29 PM