Posted on Mar 29, 2017
LTC Operations Officer (Opso)
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With all sorts of programs that take military experience and transfer it to college credit, free CLEP tests, free college courses (ASEP for example), tuition assistance, and GI Bills is there really any excuse why people leaving the military should not have at least an Associates Degree upon retiring from the military?
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Cpl Justin Goolsby
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No... people should have a degree if they want a degree. Sure there are plenty of resources to utilize to get an education, but what if you don't want an education. I've seen people going to college and they purposefully sign up for the easiest classes so they get high grades in subjects they don't care about and essentially learn nothing.

Some people also might not want a career in anything that requires a degree, so they might opt to go to a trade school instead and get a certificate.

Believe me, I love learning and I think education is it's own reward, but I don't expect everyone to have that same passion for knowledge.
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SPC Cryptographic Technician
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7 y
Totally agree
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MSG Mechanic 2nd
MSG (Join to see)
7 y
you pretty much summed up my response, I went the college way before joining and discovered trade school would have been better, and the older I got and my real interests became visible trade school was for me, I love working with my hands, building things, repairing, analyzing, so I went full circle college, community college and OJT at work they recognize my ability and skills, i'm finally doing something that makes me happy, increases my pay check
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Cpl Justin Goolsby
Cpl Justin Goolsby
7 y
MSG (Join to see) - I had a similar experience. Went to college after high school. Didn't like the lack of seriousness most students gave their education. Floated around for a while. Finally joined the military and learned a trade which I actually enjoyed doing and continue to do after I got out.
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SPC Cryptographic Technician
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7 y
MSG (Join to see) - Nothing like working with your hands doing something you love. Many highly educated folks do not understand the thinking process behind creating something, or the feeling of accomplishment. Better yet if you get paid for doing what you love it doesn't get much better.
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CPT Student
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I think everyone should at least have a bachelors or have a plan to obtain a bachelors upon ETS.
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CPT Student
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7 y
MSG (Join to see) I mention in a comment that I support trade schools. I hold them equal with a bachelors degree.
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SPC Cryptographic Technician
SPC (Join to see)
7 y
CPT (Join to see) - I'm not sure but I think most of the trade skills jobs were sent out of country when our wonderful education brains in government decided that no one really needs a shop class in high school, and that everyone must have a collage degree. Granted, way too many kids finishing high school today are missing the basics, but I have to wonder if they had an opportunity to learn a trade wouldn't we all be better off..
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SPC Cryptographic Technician
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7 y
I agree if you're going into one of those fields you should advance your education, preferably by non politically biased professors. Oops oxymoron...
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1LT William Clardy
1LT William Clardy
7 y
SPC (Join to see) and CPT (Join to see),
The diminished respect given trade skills is a serious issue:
https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fattn%2Fvideos%2F [login to see] 93836%2F&show_text=1&width=560
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SGM Erik Marquez
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yes they should..
And Yes, the Services SHOULD be hiring accredited professors to teach professional military education for enlisted SM. So that when said and done, they have many credits to complete a degree.
Instead we "save money" by assigning military members to teach our own..Mil members that have only most basic training in being an educator (couple of hours in a classroom at best, and then some left seat./ right seat time with an outgoing instructor if lucky) and many times are only educated enough them selfs to hand out POI approved tests, and "correct" a multiple choice answer sheets.

I have the 1059's, NCOERs, award recommendations ect that PROVE only one out of a dozen are capable them selfs at having a chance in assigning and reviewing a written assignment.

With writing now being a components of NCOES, I struggle to understand who and how NCOES school instructors are reviewing and grading these papers tuned in.
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SGM Erik Marquez
SGM Erik Marquez
7 y
Absolutely
Not saying a SPC p should come away from the basic leader course with a degree
But there could be an accredited English 101 course as part of it
A SFC graduating SLC might have had several accredited courses as part of SLC and ALC and need only a core class in a 303 level math or eng subject.
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