How do employers look at unaccredited diplomas, i.e. Stratford Career Institute?

Question

If possible, please answer all 4 questions:

Question 1

How do employers look at unaccredited diplomas?

Question 2

Is Stratford Career Institute a diploma mill or just an unaccredited institute?

Question 3

Is it better to have a (Business Management) diploma from SCI, than not having one at all (as I don’t want to go to college)?

Question 4

Are there any online schools that ARE accredited and that you can complete within 6 months to a year?

Answer 1

In my humble opinion any college, or business, that can promise you the same amount of education in 6 months that take a regular college 2-4 years is not a good investment of money. That said let's answer your questions.

1. This depends on the job that you are trying to apply for and who else is applying for the same position. If you were up against someone else that had a 2-4 year degree from an accredited school you would either have to blow their socks off during the interview (that's if you get that far) or possibly be willing to work for maybe less money. The only caveat to this is if you had job experience to bring to the table.

2. I can't say specifically on this particular college, but I would definitely be doing some research before plopping any dough down on the school. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people spend upwards of 30-40 k for a piece of paper that employers won't look twice at. Do your research, ask the counselors at the school for factual information such as job placement and such.  

3. It is better to have a degree than no degree. This at least gives you something to fill in the blank on the application form. If you are really not wanting to attend college, a best approach might be to start working on the low end of the totem pole and, with good old fashioned hard work, make your way up until you get to a position that you desire.

4. This is my bias coming through here, but learning everything that you need to know, including just the basics, will probably take longer than 6 months. In a typical college setting you are introduced to a well rounded range of classes. Some people think that the classes that don't pertain to their typical field are just fillers, but they really help to make you a well rounded individual and more capable of handling different tasks that may come up in your job. For example, engineers are more interested in completing all of their engineering classes, but what most don't realize is that the some of the English classes are just as important. I've seen great engineers get fired because they couldn't write in a way to convey their designs and ideas.

I sure hope this helps. If it's a matter of money for college I would try to talk to a local community college (which surely offer some online classes) to see if you qualify for any Financial Aid. You might be surprised at how much the government will pay you to go to school. The other thing to keep in mind is scholarships. There are some out there for EVERYONE. You just need to spend the time applying for them. Good luck!

Answer 2

Diploma mill