I knew I kept this icon for a reason

[aoi_tsuki1]

This is what I just posted on Facebook:

Remember when I was irked that I couldn't get state or federal aid (loans, grants or otherwise) because the school thinks having a B.A. counts as "too many hours

Comments

[scribefigaro]

I find this very confusing. Why would you be pursuing an associate's degree after receiving a bachelor's degree? I can't imagine what kind of damage it would do to your resume to regress back in education. (Unless you're going to just disclaim and disown your B.A. because it's in something unspeakably shameful like Holocaust Engineering or something, but even then a background check might pick it up and you'd get kicked for falsifying your application.)

Remember when I was irked that I couldn't get state or federal aid (loans, grants or otherwise) because the school thinks having a B.A. counts as "too many hours"?

The system isn't really designed for going backwards; having a B.A. makes you ineligible for many forms of Federal undergraduate financial aid because you already had your fair shot, and those few you still qualify for, AFAIK, can't be used for an associate degree. Most legitimate schools follow Federal guidelines for in-house aid.

Remember the e-mail I got this morning, and the furious call to the office I made

[mister_valiant]

No no, she's got a B.A. in English. This is for a new associate's in journalism.

[aoi_tsuki1]

I already got that, or will once the last class is sorted out. This is for Paralegal Studies.

[aoi_tsuki1]

I'm getting an associate's in Paralegal Studies not because I think it's a more prestigious thing than a bachelor's in English, but because I wanted to learn some basic practical skills in legal research, writing, and the specialized software many law firms find useful; I don't need any kind of particular education to become a paralegal, but it's one of those things no one is going to teach you from scratch on the job, not when so many people already have experience and are also looking for work in the field.

Frankly, I don't know what you're getting at. I disagree that getting job training in the form of another, lesser degree is going to somehow cancel out my bachelor's and disgrace my family name, and while I can understand not being allowed to take out more federal or state loans - someone else with no B.A. might need them more - I'm mad as hell that the college district has slapped my entire account with "suspension" based solely on having a bachelor's, because "suspension" means I am not permitted any aid, from any source

[scribefigaro]

There's the question of your school denying to certify your financial aid despite you being eligible for that aid, which, if that's the case, is wrong and unfair and something for which I hope you gain satisfactory resolution.

But there's also the question of what your motivation is for collecting additional degrees and that's the thing that really worries me as a friend, if you'd allow me to call myself that.

I think I'm misreading this, but do I understand you have a B.A. in English, you returned to complete an A.A. in Journalism, and now you're pursuing another A.A. in Paralegal Studies?

I wanted to learn some basic practical skills in legal research, writing, and the specialized software many law firms find usefulI could see then taking a class or two if you wanted to learn some specialized software that might be impractical to learn on your own, but if you were able to obtain a B.A. you should already have the learning skills to learn this sort of stuff on your own. To go back to earn a full A.A. would indicate to me - and

[aoi_tsuki1]

I think I'm misreading this, but do I understand you have a B.A. in English, you returned to complete an A.A. in Journalism, and now you're pursuing another A.A. in Paralegal Studies?

I returned to pursue the A.A. in Paralegal Studies, and was only a few classes short (one, actually, with some clever substitutional wrangling on the adviser's part) of the Journalism one. I went after the completion of Journalism and the full Paralegal one instead of some useful coursework, not only because having two semi-A.A.s sounds ridiculous on a resume ("some coursework" just means to me that you couldn't even finish your baby degree), but because the classes are almost universally useful, and interesting, and include an internship.

I'm going to cut through quoting the rest of your reply and sum it up: you're worried that I'm coming across as (or are too polite to come out and say that I am) an eternal student bouncing back and forth between school and the real world, unable or unwilling to apply myself to learning a grown-up job