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Okay so since 2010 I’ve wanted to be an x-ray tech with an associates degree. I figured it was a good place to start. I applied to school but wasn’t accepted into the radiography program. Long story short, I ended up at a school that offers a certificate program. The school had evening classes, which meant I could keep my full time job-it sounded great. TBH I didn’t look around or consider the cost. It was VERY expensive. Too expensive if you know what I mean.
If you don’t want to read all this then skip to the space below……
So I get a job working alongside a CT (CAT scan) Technologist. She’s very cool and laid back. I keep asking her how she got where she is today, what kind of school she went to etc.
The school I just graduated from offers an ONLINE Associates. I JUST started this job in April and I like it here. IDK if I’ll be here “forever” but I don’t want to leave just yet. So if I do the associate’s, I get to keep my new job. But, this is also VERY expensive.The CT tech (I think) has it in her head that I should get my CT license and when the company expands (which is currently happening) she can go do PET scans (which I think she enjoys) and I can take over doing CT. That sounds great! CT is interesting…BUT…to get my license, I need at least an associates in Radiography and THEN another 2 semesters of CT classes (no big deal).
This lady put this seed in my head that I should get my bachelors in radiography. At first I was like “Pssh, what do I need that for? I don’t want to go into management.” She said it looks really good on a resume, and she predicts that in the future, you’ll need a Bachelors to get a decent job-that the job market is getting more and more picky. Which, I can attest to. I go onto the ARRT website (the governing body for all things involving medical imaging using radiation) and look at the qualifications and I’ve seen how they made changes effective 1/1/15 and a new update coming 1/1/16 that after that date you will be required to have an associates in radiography to do any post primary specialization (example: if you want to go into MRI or CT). As of right now, I could go sit for the CT licensing examination…but since I haven’t had any formal education on CT, I’d most likely fail.
SO I was thinking…okay maybe she’s right. I probably don’t want to be doing clinicals when I’m 50. I might want to work in the office, or be the Radiation Safety Officer, or something like that.
skip to here……………….
I looked into a few schools (online) and it would cost me the same to get my Bachelors from another school as it would to get my associates from my old school -_-.
What I’m dealing with is that if I go for the bachelors NOW, I’m stuck at this pay grade for another 4 years. If I do the associates (maybe look for another school…not much luck so far) then I get to “move up in the world” in 2 years (or 1 year with my old school-they have an accelerated program) and then I’ll be making close to double what I am now and I can go for my bachelors then.
The main problem I’m having is that I’ve only found my former, VERY expensive school that offers an associates in radiography online and there are several places that offer a Bachelors for the same price. Associates from a traditional school where you sit in the classroom is 1/3 the cost of my former online school. IDK what to do or who to ask for opinions so I’m going to you guys! I’ve been trying to get in touch with my program director at my old school (smart guy!) but Friday they were closed early and today they are flooded out. So….what are your thoughts and opinions? I really want to “get going” in my career, not stagnate at entry level for 4 more years. But then again, I’d like to have doughnuts and waffles for breakfast every morning.
Does anyone here have their bachelors and are glad/using it at work?
Does your local community college offer associates degrees in radiology? You might be able to look at a blend of online and offline classes and community colleges are typically the least expensive option. Additionally, they usually cater to non-traditional students meaning you might be able to find classes in the evenings/weekends that could work around your current job.
Even if you want to go back to your old school, you might be able to take some general ed/pre-requisite courses through a CC and transfer them in. Could be a way to lower the cost.
I have a Master’s degree, but all my education has been very specifically planned to support my job and largely subsidized BY my job, so I have little insight on Associate degree versus Bachelors. 🙂
Well the “big” popular community college in the area does not offer any hybrid classes for that program >.< I'm looking though all the schools in the area but doing so one by one is laborious. At this point I'm looking for other schools in Texas so as to avoid the "out of district" price jump.
What do you have your masters in? 😀
You will almost always have more options open to you later with a Bachelors than you will with only an Associates – generally speaking. I don’t know much about the field of radiography, but if you can afford to do it, I would suggest the Bachelors degree.
If you do the associate’s degree, can you apply the credits or two years to the bachelors so you would only have to do another two years there? In my opinion I would go for the associate’s to make more money sooner and then maybe look into the bachelor’s later if you need it. You don’t even know for sure if you will need it in the future. A lot of people can work up in their jobs without having to go back to get a bachelor’s. It depends how much time you want to spend in school versus working now to make more money to save for your future. What’s the pay difference in work if you have one degree versus the other? Would you get paid more with a bachelor’s in the long run? If not then maybe you don’t need it.
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I paid a big part of my way through my master’s as a TA. That helped a lot, plus I was working part-time as a teacher. But I wasn’t already working full-time. And as the years went by, I changed my focus too 🙂
If you go for your bachelor’s, can you still work where you are now? That might help your decision. The associate’s certificate might be expensive, but if it allows you to keep your job and build experience and study at the same time, it might be worth it.
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http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htmNot familiar with your field either…for me, I’m an environmental scientist by both education & profession (I have an AA,BA,BS,MS and in final year of my PhD) all of which I’ve worked & paid for myself so I more than understand the pain of tuition! Still, in both my job & among my fellow workers, you can’t even get your resume looked at/past stage 1 of the hiring process without at least a bachelors degree. For many government jobs, both federal & state, a BS is now the min required lvl of education for most jobs with a masters preferred for technical [engineering, science, env, computer sci, etc.] & this is esp. true for the younger gen under 50…
Really though the trick is to truly look long term at your overall job/career goals & what’s req’d to get there. While not forgetting that most jobs, esp. Science & technology related ones, more & more of the up & coming generation that will be competing with you for jobs are going to have full college degrees. I know among gov jobs, hiring pref is going towards education over experience & prof. certs.
So for me, it does suck all my life/time & money to work full time & do my research/courses esp. given how many years now it’s taken me to get it all done esp. the doctorate. But when I’m done my education will be maxed for my career arena plus I will also have the years of career experience I gained while getting my degrees. Not to mention any prof certs & training i can also obtain now on the job & later in my career just become the gravy on top. This combination then will help ensure that for my entire career & the type of work i want to do, I’ll stay competitive to ahead of my general competition.
So these are things i also looked at & considered along w cost, time lost to school, & time for degree to pay back.
Hope this helps… It’s tough either way to juggle work & school so GOOD LUCK!
Ok… I dont know a lot about the field your in, and I dont know anything about associates degrees… but I can offer you my 2 cents all the same !
Im in Canada, so take that into consideration, as things may be diff in the US.
I have my Bachelors degree in Science, BSc., majored in Biology (almost had a double major, but missed that by one course). I spent 4 years of my life in university, and a BIG chunk of change that took me a LONG time to get paid off. I did like going there (St Francis Xavier University, and yes, I got the “X” ring 😉 ) , and I LOVED the biology courses ! Yet, if I could do it over again Im not sure if I would go.
See, I didnt go on with my degree, I didnt further my education. I had initially planned on being a Veterinarian… but after doing on the job shadowing ( 40 hrs large animal and 40 hrs with a small animal vet) … well, I figured it may not be the field for me. There was too much pain and suffering involved….. its NOT like human medicine…. I could tell you stories.. but then I will be getting wayyy off topic.
So, anywho… I didnt go on with it, so to this day, I have a BSc and really, its kinda useless now, as its outdated. If I wanted to use it now, Id have to go back to university for a certain amount of time to update it and be refreshed in it all. I dont work in a field where a degree is even needed, and I currently love my job and been there for 16 years now, so Im planning on being here forever, hopefully, lol !
And I know MANY others who also went and got their degrees, but never used them for anything…a lot of people end up regretting spending thousands and thousands on a degree, when they end up with a job where all they really needed was a trade or a course taught at a local community college. Something they could get in 2 years, instead of 4, and with a lot less money spent.
I guess my main point is, life is too short. Why get into major debt, that will take years and years to pay off, and make it impossible to get ahead in life (cant afford a house or a nice place to rent), for a long time. I always tell anyone that asks me about education, to not go getting a degree unless your truly sure your going to use it and go on with it. I recommend people to go smaller and work their way up, like you said, getting your associates degree in 2 years, and then getting paid more that much sooner. Then when you get more established in life, and maybe have debts paid off (tuition fees) , then think about going for your degree if thats what you still want.
Im in no way against people who get their degrees though ! Dont get me wrong ! I think its wonderful, the people who do go get their degrees, and do something with them 🙂 Makes me jealous actually, lol ! If a person is sure they want the degree and that they can infact use it to get ahead in their field of work, go for it ! And to the people who can also afford it, thats awesome as well 🙂 I think education is a wonderful thing 😀 (I just dont think it should be so expensive… but thats another topic, lol !)
I just tell people to be careful, and dont go getting a degree just because you think it MAY help you. If your sure its what you want, then of course, go for it !! But personally, like Kim said previously I think, maybe get your associates degree first, and go from there 😉
Either way, do what you think is best ! And yes, talk to your program director and get his advice as well. Good luck ! Its a tough decision, I know !
Ok… I dont know a lot about the field your in, and I dont know anything about associates degrees… but I can offer you my 2 cents all the same !
Im in Canada, so take that into consideration, as things may be diff in the US.
I have my Bachelors degree in Science, BSc., majored in Biology (almost had a double major, but missed that by one course). I spent 4 years of my life in university, and a BIG chunk of change that took me a LONG time to get paid off. I did like going there (St Francis Xavier University, and yes, I got the “X” ring 😉 ) , and I LOVED the biology courses ! Yet, if I could do it over again Im not sure if I would go.
See, I didnt go on with my degree, I didnt further my education. I had initially planned on being a Veterinarian… but after doing on the job shadowing ( 40 hrs large animal and 40 hrs with a small animal vet) … well, I figured it may not be the field for me. There was too much pain and suffering involved….. its NOT like human medicine…. I could tell you stories.. but then I will be getting wayyy off topic.
So, anywho… I didnt go on with it, so to this day, I have a BSc and really, its kinda useless now, as its outdated. If I wanted to use it now, Id have to go back to university for a certain amount of time to update it and be refreshed in it all. I dont work in a field where a degree is even needed, and I currently love my job and been there for 16 years now, so Im planning on being here forever, hopefully, lol !
Wow, this is almost me exactly. A few things are different, but not much. Got a BSc. in Biology (took 4 1/2 to 5 years on the HOPE scholarship) and thought about being a vet…but realized it probably wasn’t for me for those reasons. I actually do use my degree…but any higher paying job would require me to go back to school. Not exactly feasible at this time or to my interest. It’s very frustrating. All the jobs are wanting higher and higher education degrees now. Ugh. EVERYTHING wants you to have something higher than a Bachelors these days even though sometimes even a monkey could do the work.
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https://www.redbubble.com/people/prezaurian?ref=artist_title_name@prezaurian Cool that you wanted to be a vet also 😉
Hey, at least your using your degree 🙂 Thats a plus there !
When people I work with find out I have a degree, they are like why are you working here? I say because my degree is pretty much useless to me now, plus I like where I currently work, and the money is good enough that I can actually get by on part-time hours if I had to 🙂 So Im happy overall…. just sad about all the years it took me to get ahead in life …. from years I couldnt get ahead or hardly function in life cause my student loans bogged me down for soooo long…. but thats behind me now, thank god ! 🙂
It honestly depends on how far you want to go. Right now, schooling is becoming ridiculously expensive, and if you don’t plan to move up into management then I recommend going as cheaply as you can. I got my B.S. in Chemistry, which apparently only get’s you so far these days, but anything higher requires you to specialize, which limits your work, so you only would go any further if you knew EXACTLY what kind of research you wanted to do. I’m also finding that EXPERIENCE makes a much larger difference than schooling.
As of now, I’m switching to tutoring so I can be more wifey and do more art.
I guess my bottom line is this: if the associates will get you by and the units will count towards a B.S. if you must ABSOLUTELY have it later, then just get the associates, and get it somewhere inexpensive. By the time you would have a Bachelor’s you will have had much more practical experience from just doing the job, which I believe will take you farther. Of course, I don’t know your field that well so there could be something I’m not considering.
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