Full-Time vs. Part-Time delivery for CPA
Hello everyone, so the Autumn schedule for the part-time intake of the Computer Programming & Analysis 3yr program is finally up. I work a standard Monday - Friday full-time job with benefits, and a short commute from my home. My schedule is fixed, and I get off the clock at 4:00pm. I don't have to take home my work 95% of the time, so I essentially have my evenings, nights, and weekends totally OFF to do what I want on my personal time... Besides external interests, investments, obligations, and hobbies, I pretty much have the liberty to be enroled in school during the evenings and/or weekends.
Would part-time studies for the CPA program be better for me, if I take 3 classes each semester non-stop year round (No summer breaks)?
Is there less of quality in teaching withint the part-time delivery when compared to the full-time delivery?
Could I eventually switch to Full-time studies the semester before and be eligible for Co-Op..? Yes or No?
If the answer is No: When I complete the program, would it be harder to get a job within IT without the co-op, but alterntaively have steady full-time work experience in an unrelated industry (E-Commerce & Merchandising) + Advanced Diploma in hand on my resume?
I work with computers but it is NOT program based at all, it is Inventory Software, Administrative, MS Project, Share Point and SAP. Could I somehow pivot this when marketing myself?
1 Reply
Hey, as someone who took some of the courses part-time, I can tell that there is a huge gap between what they teach you in day school or night school. Night school is VERY easy imo, but it's a bad thing because it doesn't make you job-ready, it just gives you that diploma.. Everyone in night school (part-time classes) including professors, have their main job. So for all of them it's like a side gig. They won't burden you with tons of assignments (except a few exceptions), lengthy labs, tons of assessments etc. It's way more relaxed. I only took classes that I deemed 'unimportant' part-time. The only important one was IPC144, but I took it after I finished Harvard's CS50, and I lucked out with professor, so it wasn't too bad for me.
And yeah, you can switch. I started part-time because the full-time CPA was wait-listed. And the next term I transferred. All the credits got transferred automatically.
In terms of finding a job, I think co-op job is a very good shot. Many people get hired full-time after their co-op terms. I know at least 7 people who were hired.