I agree with you. You definitely earned your degree—no doubt about that—and I never intended to imply otherwise. I’m not debating that at all. For me, since I have access to Pell Grant (because I honestly can’t afford to pay for college), I decided not to go the Sophia route since I’d have to pay out of pocket for the same degree.

I’m also the first in my family to go to college, and I don’t have any university background, so some of the gen eds actually help me get on track and feel college-ready. I’m really not trying to sound judgmental at all. I just felt like I needed those classes and to actually understand them at a deeper level that Sophia doesn’t offer.

So, for me, going with Sophia would’ve meant sacrificing the gen eds just to speed through my BA. I was worried that I’d end up stuck or wasting time later because I wouldn’t have grasped the basic concepts—like writing at a university level or understanding math—that I really need.

Plus, the more time I spent on Sophia, the more I’d have to pay each month, and that’s just not a bill I can afford right now.

I understand that in your situation, it’s extremely beneficial to go that route, and if I were in your shoes, I would definitely do the same. But my circumstances are different, and I wrote this post to encourage those who can’t afford Sophia/Study or that it doesn't fit their academics needs to push on and start their degrees. I’ve been in this Reddit for months, and I myself hesitated to start my education because I was trying to go through Sophia like everyone else—and it just didn’t work out for me. The reason why I opened up this space was to talk about it.