About CollegeOnTheGo.com
Your Host, David StevensonHi, and welcome to CollegeOnTheGo.com!
My name is David Stevenson, and I'm a part-time online college student working to finish up a music degree I started over 40 years ago! I started CollegeOnTheGo.com to provide a helpful reference for anyone of any age who wants to take college courses or even earn a college degree online.
My experience in searching for good information about online college courses and degrees was frustrating at times, although I did finally manage to find my way through the dozens of questions and trade-offs to come up with a viable plan for my specific situation.
Along the way, I discovered some of the secrets of online college success by trial and error -- secrets that I'll be journaling here to help others who also want to earn college credits and degrees online.
My Online College ADventure
When I decided to go back to school to finish my music degree while still working full-time as a computer programmer, I wan't sure just how to get started or whether it was even possible without having to start all over. At that point, in 2015, my only frame of reference for online college courses was the occasional ads I had heard and seen over the years for the University of Phoenix, one of the pioneers of online college education.
So, that's where I started looking.
First, I discovered that the University of Phoenix has a fairly broad list of possible online Bachelor degrees, but the list did not include any music degrees. So I actually considered whether I should switch from music to business just so I could earn some degree -- any degree -- to get that sense of completion that had eluded me since I left college in 1974.
Exploring the possibilities:
I started the process of exploring the possibilities by getting in touch with an advisor and sending them copies of my unofficial transcripts to get a quick evaluation. They responded within a day or two with a list of courses that they could successfully transfer to a business-oriented degree. So I had that option to fall back on if needed.
But I still had a strong desire to find some way to finish my music degree, since music is really one of my passions -- one that I had put on the shelf for far too many years while building my computer programming career.
I checked into online music courses at the University of South Florida near me in Tampa, FL, but discovered that the only music courses they offered online at the time were basic courses like Music Theory, which I had already earned at the first university I attended in Alabama. Most of the advanced courses I actually needed to finish the degree were offered only in-person and during daytime hours -- something that could not possibly work while I was working full-time.
This is exactly the dilemma that many colleges and universities are now trying to address by expanding the list of courses (and in some cases, complete degrees) offered online.
Berklee Online to the Rescue!
After searching and pondering for several weeks, I somehow discovered that Berklee College of Music in Boston was about to launch some online Bachelors degrees, allowing people in my situation to earn an entire degree online from one of the most prestigious music schools in the world!
I applied to Berklee Online and was accepted along with the first year's group of students.
Berklee graciously accepted a portion of my credits from over 40 years ago, along with some others earned at my local community college. I also was able to earn credit for 7 additional courses through their Prior Learning Credit option, which allows you to show how your life experience lines up with the requirements of various courses.
I am now working on a Bachelor of Professional Studies dual degree with Songwriting and Music Composition for Film, TV and Games (165 credit hours required), and plan to graduate in the Spring of 2020.
Come join me on this adventure by finding the perfect solution to your educational dilemma! As you read the articles here at CollegeOnTheGo,com, I'll try to point you in the right direction.
Wishing you success in your online college adventure!
David Stevenson, Owner
CollegeOnTheGo.com