What is your plan on "getting r done?" Civilian Education and Lifelong Learning (associates, bachelor's, master's, doctorate)

Working as a PSG in the WTU a few years back, I watched MANY Soldiers in the process of transitioning out of the Army with little done to set themselves up for success. The bottom line is when you go on USA Jobs, if you want a decent paying job, a bachelors degree is a min. requirement just to get in the door. It is disheartening to see those who have sacrificed so much and focused so much on their career to be left standing flat-footed once they are out. The sad thing is that much of what you've done and accomplished means very little in comparison to the accomplishment of completing your degree.
I am fortunate enough to be in an enlisted MOS that gives me a professional civilian license that enables me to get a job tonight if I needed to, but there are very few MOS's that do this.
A standard I've always tried to hold my guys to is to just take one class per semester, no matter what it was. I call it building your "credit." It does 2 things. It keeps you in mental shape to stay fresh in college level classes and it gets you one class closer to that little peace of paper that can change your life, your families life. As COL Lindenmeyer said; "get r done!"

Thank you CPT Aaron Kletzing for the heads up on this discussion. I entered the military with a bachelor's degree and went through ROTC. While still TPU (reservist) I started my Master's Degree utilizing my tuition assistance because my career (teacher) required me to have an additional 24 college hours post bachelor's within 6 years to keep my certificate to be able to have my profession still. So why not do a few more and get a Master's? I had decided to do it online. I am glad that I did that as I went AGR (full-time in the Army Reserves) and then completed my Master's a few months before I deployed. Since I was utilizing tuition assistance I did not have to take a certain amount of classes a term so I generally took one a term. After my deployment I was bored and figured why not go for a PhD so I applied and I am utilizing my Post 9/11 GI Bill. Due to be limited by time I had to go for two courses a quarter to keep within the timeline to not run out of benefits before I graduate. I am in my dissertation phase now and working on my research portion now. It is rough trying to balance work (company command and battalion plans officer), school, and have a life. So I decided, like most going for a PhD, that I can have a life after I graduate. I put my energy first in work and then in school. I have my parents pushing me to help me complete milestones based on my self-imposed deadlines. I plan to finish by March 2015. I am looking forward to graduating and not having to worry about another degree until War College. The only worry I have is that I am putting myself out of a job after the military as I will have a PhD and what school district will want to hire me to teach high school if I could teach college?

Education is more than just promotion points. Too many service members are interested in trying to maximize their points by taking CLEP/DANTES exams. Some even pay higher learning institutions to evaluate their AARTS transcripts to get credits that get points but do not necessarily help them for their post-military career that comes up faster than they realize. Don't get me wrong, there are many fields that have rediculously high promotion points to make it to the E-5/E-6 level. Without maxing civilian education, even the best eligible candidates can be left behind. Do what is necessary to max them out as soon as possible if that is your mid-term goal (4-year approx time frame), but focus on degree completion from a regionally accredited college. Sometimes that falls under a long-term goal (10-year time frame). These times have drastically reduced now that the deployments are slowing down. Education is incredibly expensive. On the outside, the majority f colleges only reduce tuition rates 10% for veterans so please use the DOD to pay the $4,500 a year towards your education every year. Colleges want that government money and they are prone to lower the rates to the exact maximum tuition that the government will allow. Again, post military tuition give the 10% off but the tuition rates are usually double then. No one wants to try paying $30,000 in student loans at approximately $350 a month for years to come. Let the military pay for your education. Remember all those leaders that said that they were "real soldiers" so they didn't have time for school? That is a statement made by people who are most likely scrambling now that they are civilians.
I spent my entire military career going to school whenever schools or deployments didn't make it impossible. Back in the day, we spent 2-3 years at one location going to the 4 or so schools that offered night classes on post. If you didn't finish the degree before you PCS'd you could find yourself at another assignment where they didn't even offer your degree at night. You found yourself changing majors, often several times. Online schooling has practially eliminated that nightmare. Again, ensure it is regionally accredited if you decide on that route.
Start your education now. It is never too late to start, but get on it. All those medals and awards that we earned in the military have great meaning and respect in the military community, but after your career their significance decreases immensely. If 1-2% serve in the armed forces that means that the majority of the civilian world will be clueless as to what you have been doing or what you can bring to the table. They want to know if you are certified, licensed, and /or what your level of education is.
It seems like a very difficult process and it can be a bit overwhelming but remember that no one wants you to fail. Colleges have advisors for every step of the way and Officers have all been through it at least to the bachelors level. RallyPoint is a valuable tool and full of resources as well.