Hello, I am currently attending a community college in the Illinois and I wish to transfer from this college to an online college that does not require gen ed classes to be taken. I do not like the general education classes as it slows me down on what I want to be in the future. I also struggle in math but the last math class i took was in highschool and it was algebra 2/trig. For my career I want to be a cybersecurity expert or in the computer science field and I know that it requires HEAVY math. I am willing to deal with it but I do not want to deal with general education math (from the beginning) when I should really be starting in pre-calculous. So my question is… for a current community college student who lives in the illinois and wants to transfer out to an online college that is good for computer experts and do not require general education, what college should I be looking into. My community college is TERRIBLE and it literally hires teachers who couldn’t possibly be qualified for teaching. Another thing is I do not have money, I am not a wealthy person and it makes college searching way harder. I only want to find the best school for a person like me.
Computer science majors typically need to take math like calculus, linear algebra, and discrete math for the major, which is more than math general education requirements at most colleges.
Why do you want an online college? If you expect to struggle with the math that you need for your major, you probably should be at a place where you can work directly with your instructor and the campus tutoring center to get the help that you need.
Are you a recent immigrant who is still mastering English? I ask this because you wrote “the illinois” twice, rather than “Illinois”. If you are still learning English, that could be part of the reason why you have had difficulties with your gen ed classes. You might still need extra support for Academic English. That is not a bad thing. Meet with the tutoring center at your community college, and get the help you need to do better in those classes.
The transfer counselor at your community college should be able to help you identify places to finish your education where you will not need to have many gen eds. If you can complete your full associates degree at your community college, many places will not require any more gen eds after you transfer. Talk with the transfer counselor about your financial situation as well. If you will need significant aid in order to complete your education, you will need to have excellent grades and choose the places that you apply to very carefully.
Sorry about that, I am not an immigrant I am actually bad at english but still manage to pass with A’s or B’s. The only reason why I want to do online is because I have to travel far to get to any college from where I live and I would prefer to do the online web cam method for talking with instructors. I cannot trust the counselors with correct information. The counselors at this college do not care for the students. They only care about getting their money. They would suggest anything just to get me out of their faces and move on to the next struggling student just looking for help and REAL advice. I really want to get through college but it is very hard with a mindset like mines. I looked online and many cyber security people said they did not even need to use their degrees. Many said the degrees were for the top notch companies but I do not know if i can rely on that type of information. Since I am already in college it is like i might as well get it over with. But it is very hard when every teacher I get is terrible.
@NotSoCollegeJay Without knowing more about your computer skills, and math classes you have completed in high school, its hard to advise you, but maybe a bootcamp is more your speed than college? The problem with bootcamps is they may or may not lead to a job, and some jobs require a bachelors degree. Community colleges often have great math teachers, so I am not sure why you want to skip math, but what were the four math classes you took in high school and what were your grades? If you are in Chicago, there might be several community colleges available, within driving distance, and maybe you could transfer to one with better teaching. Are all the teachers “adjunct” (part time, temporary instructors ) at your community college? That can lead to inconsistency in teaching. Also, what about a 4 year school like Western Illinois or any of the less expensive 4 year colleges, to find better teachers? Are you within driving distance to a 4 year college and can you afford that?
Here is a guide to cybersecurity bootcamps, I think they are expensive, but short.
Also they may require classes you don’t have yet, to get in, but this may help you see what you need to become a cyber security professional.
https://www.coursereport.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-security-bootcamps
Full Stack Academy Bootcamp has a campus in Chicago and on line school.
https://www.coursereport.com/schools/fullstack-academy
I would like to attend the Bootcamp but watched videos on it and one said it helps but it is a big hit or miss. The math classes I have taken in high school was algebra 1, geometry essentials, stats/probability, algebra 2/Trig (which is a combination of algebra 2 and trigonometry), also I have taken physics. My grades in math were always C’s or D’s. But I think I ended my last class which is algebra 2/Trig with a B. I hope that helps explain more about my high school math. For my computer skills, I have started teaching myself kali Linux earlier this year, well I am basically using Kali Linux, and Parrot OS. I was at one point teaching myself java and python but stopped due to me having school and it making me tired to learn even more. So that led to me teaching myself over the summer whenever I can. What I know so far about coding is VERY beginner (it is not as easy as I thought it would be). Kali Linux seems to be somewhat easy but that is because most of the programs tell you what to type, so I don’t really consider that coding, I am basically reading scripts. The teachers in my community college (College of Dupage) are terrible. They are part-time like you said. They are a bunch of foreigners who do not know how to teach (no offense to anybody who is foreign). The accents do not help by the way. My HUGE problem is my financial aid, I am currently depending on it and recently got put on the probation list because I have failed 3 classes already! The worst part is, my 3rd class was English. My main reason why I failed it is that my teacher did not turn in grades till the last minute, a friend and I then reported the teacher and emailed her asking if she can turn in our grades. She just recently sent me an email saying she had a talk with the grade people or whatever and had my grade updated to a B. The damage is already done cause now I’m on probation due to my GPA falling under 2.5. That is why I wish to leave this community college and goto one that does not require me to go through these irritating classes that I should not even be in. I would rather get to the point and get my degree like how everybody else does. The two classes I failed was math and geography since it was my first time ever doing college classes I did not realize how the classes were and put myself in a hybrid class. I thought it was normal until they started throwing tests at us every day. Geography was the hybrid class and the teacher ALSO did not turn in grades so I had no clue how I was doing in the class.
Talk to the financial aid office now that your grade has been recorded. Find out if you can have the aid resriction lifted.
No matter where you study, there will be good instructors and not-so-good ones. There will also be lots who aren’t native English speakers, and plenty who won’t post grades as quickly as you would like. This means that you have to take charge of your learning. Go to the tutoring center at your CC or wherever it is that you atudy next, and take advantage of all of the services that center offers.
Yeah I will have to schedule with a counselor to talk to the financial aid people and see where I stand. I hope I can get off the probation list cause financial aid is the only reason why I am able to go to college. I just think it is bad that “teachers” can do things that jeopardizes students grades. They should be willing to ensure the students are in good standing and do what they can to make sure the student learns and passes the class. I do not want to be a jerk and point out all the teachers flaws but with the situation I am in, I might have to start confronting them in a mean way so they know I am serious. I was never the type of student to speak up but now I know for sure I need to take charge.
Don’t be so quick to blow off gen eds. You need more than just computer related courses in a computer career. Take a history of technology class, if there is one. Take an ethics class. Take writing classes. You admit you’re bad at English, but say English is ‘an irritating class you shouldn’t even be in’? You will need to be able to communicate clearly and document what you have done in a CS career.
What math classes did you take in CC and did you pass them? Are there office hours or a tutoring center available? Are you able to meet with a counselor to figure out how to get off probation?
I only took one math class in CC and did not pass it because I am terrible at math. There are tutors but it is a mix of student tutors and teachers. I would have to schedule with a counselor about the financial aid problem, I just need to hope they do not send me off like the last time. Gen eds are important but I would rather go to some computer school and get my degrees from that, if there is a school like that. I just really dislike the college in general. It is a 30 minute drive from where I live. I only have 1 more year left at the college and then hopefully I can transfer to a better college (preferably online). Since i failed 2 class though, i do not know whether or not I will be able to transfer.
Also if possible I would like to get a beginner computer job. I want to start working at a computer job now just in case I need to make money for college due to the loss of my financial aid. I do not think I will make it through college which is why I am searching for different options. I really do love computers and coding but college is holding me back on my dreams which is really messed up because I have to go to college in order to pursue those dreams…