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Answer: Elizabeth, there are several organizations that evaluate the equivalency of international college degrees to the standards of U.S. system of higher education. The big firms are AACRA0's International Education Services and World Education Services.

You can request a General Report which will give the status of the international university, or a course-by-course evaluation which will translate each course of study. The later report costs bit more, but may be what you are seeking. The applicant would pay these fees. - Faith

Question: I am 40 and have taken courses off and on at three different schools--two community colleges and a four-year university, over the past 22 years. I still do not have my bachelor's degree.

I have earned at least 80 credits, but my academic record is a complete mess. I'm out of work at the moment and can not afford to pay for college and was turned down for financial aid, probably because my wife earns decent money, but it takes all of her earnings to keep us afloat. Once I acquire employment--which I must do to retain my marriage, my shelter and pay bills, I will not much time to go to school.

I've always been a voracious reader of academic works. I write constantly, and I've even had an academic paper on philosophy of sociology published in a peer-reviewed journal. My knowledge in the arts is both broad and deep; it is easily at a graduate school level. However, my vocational desire is to teach--I'd be more than happy even teaching high school. I'm not looking to become rich. I just want a stable, rewarding job. It's extremely frustrating, as I feel that I'm more than qualified now to teach.

So my question is this: are there any legitimately accredited schools, either online or in my area, that offer credit not for general "life experience", which is a dubious academic proposition, but for extensive independent study over the course of 25 years? I need something affordable, and I'd prefer to attain my bachelor's degree before I'm 50 years old--especially as I imagine acquiring employment in a new field will be even more of a challenge at that age. Help! I do not want to be stuck in a white collar paper-pushing job for the rest of my life. I live in the New York City area. - Bob

Answer: Bob, contact your state's Department of Education K-12 division. Many states have funding and have agreements with colleges/universities to prepare people for the teaching profession - usually accelerated courses and assignments for student teaching. Most states are in need of teachers, so your timing may be good for financial-aid as well. Excelsior College may be good source of information and learning for your independent study needs and assessment of your prior learning/knowledge. You might be able to get employment as a teacher's aid while studying for your degree. - Faith

Question: At 27 years of age I feel I have learned many things, and one of those is that I may have chosen the wrong major while an undergraduate. I received my degree in chemical engineering in 2003 and spent two years working for a HVAC company as a sales engineer, but found that I didn't really enjoy the job. I made a drastic and questionable career move over to mortgages due to the fact I had many college friends whom were successful in this field by abandoning their respective degrees and jobs as well.

At this time I find that the industry of mortgages is very unfulfilling and due to current economic conditions, increasingly more difficult to make the same amount of income I did previously. I have many times considered going back to the engineering field, but my concerns are that my first job out of college was more sales oriented than engineering and I do not have true experience as a chemical engineer. Not to mention I am no longer particularly interested in this field, so I am considering going to receive another bachelor's degree or to pursue a master's degree in a field related to computers. Which degree would be better to pursue in this circumstance? Can one even be accepted for a master's program in a field in
which they do not have any educational experience?

I'm sure that I am like most people today in which our lives revolve around computers. I am behind one all day at work and amstill finding myself on the Internet when I am at home. It is something that I am greatly interested in and a field in which I believe a degree can provide a stable career for years to come. I live in Florida. Thank you for taking the time to read this. - James

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