WGU MSISA Done in 4 Months

cyberguypr

Funny, I was doing my weekly call with my mentor and told her to be ready to speed things up because I'm almost done with my first 3 courses. She mentioned that there was only one case of a person finishing the degree in 4 months. I immediately knew who she was talking about

jibbajabba

Kudos Sir. !!

People are quick in judging and although I don't think you should have to explain yourself, it was a nice read and inspirational.

auxiliarypriest

I just wanted to say congrats. That is quite a load to complete in 4 months. Here's hoping I have a tenth of that study dedication when I tackle the program.

coffeeluvr

Congratulations!! You prove determination and perseverance pay off!!

anoeljr

I say congrats as well! That kind of determination and perseverance helps motivate me to do better.

GarudaMin

To OP's defense, it can be done if one puts the time and mind. I did mine in 3 and a half months, a year and a half ago. It would have been less than 3 months but it took 2 weeks + to schedule for the oral defense.

For me, it was easy because I was already in the security field and have years of experience on all aspects of IT (networking, system administration, programming, VoIP, Virtualization, etc.). I also had certs so I was able to skip a few classes. And I put in 40-60 hours a week, every week. Sometimes, I put in 80+ hours by using my vacation days.

Congratulations to OP and good luck.

DonDeal

Thanks everyone.

RockinRobin

You guys are BEASTS!

zxbane

Were you unemployed at the time or was there any reason why you wanted to get it done in such short time, such as an employer requirement? Either way that is a great accomplishment for sure!

GarudaMin wrote: »

To OP's defense, it can be done if one puts the time and mind. I did mine in 3 and a half months, a year and a half ago. It would have been less than 3 months but it took 2 weeks + to schedule for the oral defense.

For me, it was easy because I was already in the security field and have years of experience on all aspects of IT (networking, system administration, programming, VoIP, Virtualization, etc.). I also had certs so I was able to skip a few classes. And I put in 40-60 hours a week, every week. Sometimes, I put in 80+ hours by using my vacation days.

Congratulations to OP and good luck.

DonDeal

GarudaMin wrote: »

To OP's defense, it can be done if one puts the time and mind. I did mine in 3 and a half months, a year and a half ago. It would have been less than 3 months but it took 2 weeks + to schedule for the oral defense.

For me, it was easy because I was already in the security field and have years of experience on all aspects of IT (networking, system administration, programming, VoIP, Virtualization, etc.). I also had certs so I was able to skip a few classes. And I put in 40-60 hours a week, every week. Sometimes, I put in 80+ hours by using my vacation days.

Congratulations to OP and good luck.

Before I got to the Capstone course, I asked my mentor about the 2 week scheduling for the oral defense and he said lately they've been doing it within 3-5 days. My Capstone was graded the next day after submitting it. Luckily, none of my work was sent back for revisions. The prospectus actually took longer than the capstone because of the research that I conducted. I was able to schedule my oral defense the next day after they graded the capstone. I spent all night doing the presentation slides and rehearsing.

abyssinica

A Masters that can be done in 4 months...?

Mr. Meeseeks

abyssinica wrote: »

A Masters that can be done in 4 months...?

When you have been in the field for 7 years and can dedicate 40-80+ hours a week... sure, why not?

8-12 hrs per day X 7 days X 16 weeks

vs

2-4 hrs per day X 5 day X 64 weeks


Whats the difference?

cyberguypr

And we're officially back to square one.

joneno

Let me add my two cent before the thread is locked. When someone completes a Masters in 4 months, certain questions need to be answered.
As a security analyst, some of my questions are:
1.What is or will be the ROI of such a degree?
2.Did the recipient of such a degree really learn or gain anything meaningful from the degree?
3. Will you advice someone else to go the same route?
4. Is there value in a Masters achieved in 4 months?

I just want to pick your brain, I'm by no means disrespecting your effort and achievement. Congratulations and good luck in the future.

DonDeal

Whether you complete it in 4 months or 2 years, the time frame is really irrelevant. We're all being tested against the same curriculum. We all passed the same requirements. I can make the the argument that all or most of the material is fresh on my mind compared to the person that takes 2 years.

Many brick and mortar universities have accelerated programs in all fields. Dragging your degree out has no benefits to you if you can complete it sooner.

This forum is really opening my eyes to the IT atmosphere of thinking. I really thought IT guys were trend setters and were willing to adopt new ways to accomplish archaic tasks. This forum really shows that this is not true and many people are stuck in prehistoric thinking levels. I guess that's why the "technology adoption curve" exists. Some companies are willing to adopt new technology and new ways to improve business processes, but others won't (e.g., Blockbuster vs Netflix). Don't be the guy in charge that's unwilling to change things that are out of the norm.

bobloblaw

This is no different than someone blowing through a Geography course in WGU instead of sitting in class for a semester at a B&M.

Time frame is irrelevant. DonDeal is a beast. You naysayers are probably not. The end.

Mr. Meeseeks

DonDeal wrote: »

This forum is really opening my eyes to the IT atmosphere of thinking. I really thought IT guys were trend setters and were willing to adopt new ways to accomplish archaic tasks. This forum really shows that this is not true and many people are stuck in prehistoric thinking levels. I guess that's why the "technology adoption curve" exists. Some companies are willing to adopt new technology and new ways to improve business processes, but others won't (e.g., Blockbuster vs Netflix). Don't be the guy in charge that's unwillingly to change things that are out of the norm.

I am in total agreement with you here. If there is a measurable way to judge a person's knowledge during the interview process for a position, there should be one. There should be less of a reliance on degrees and other pieces of paper. Their personality fitting in with the organization's views and their ability to show competency for the subject at hand SHOULD land them the job.

Iristheangel

Haters gonna hate :P

Don't get stressed about a guy who's certification is listed as "WITP"

joneno

It's the world we live in DonDeal. People will always question what they don't understand; and I don't see anything wrong with that.

GarudaMin

zxbane wrote: »

Were you unemployed at the time or was there any reason why you wanted to get it done in such short time, such as an employer requirement? Either way that is a great accomplishment for sure!

No, I had a full time security role. There was no employer requirement. I guess I was going to do it in one term so I don't have to pay a lot. Second, I had no social life (sadly I still don't, I still have about 3 more certs I need to get, so it's work then hitting books). So, instead of coming back home from work and play video games, I just focused all game time into MSISA time .

GarudaMin

joneno wrote: »

Let me add my two cent before the thread is locked. When someone completes a Masters in 4 months, certain questions need to be answered.
As a security analyst, some of my questions are:
1.What is or will be the ROI of such a degree?
2.Did the recipient of such a degree really learn or gain anything meaningful from the degree?
3. Will you advice someone else to go the same route?
4. Is there value in a Masters achieved in 4 months?

I just want to pick your brain, I'm by no means disrespecting your effort and achievement. Congratulations and good luck in the future.

1. Having a MSISA degree is useful than not having one. I did get promotion/pay increase after the degree too.
2. I already knew most topics due to work experience, so it was a validation of what I know. Also, it was also kind of a review of all I knew. I did learn some new things though.
3. Sure, why not. Having it doesn't hurt anyone (well unless the cost, but it's cheaper than others).
4. I think I somewhat answered that in previous 3 answers. In traditional B&M, you go to an hour class 3 times a week for like 15 weeks. That's like 45 hours of lectures and whatever amount of hours it takes to do exam/paper/reading. In WGU, you bypassed the lecture (just like you skip lectures in B&M). Almost all of the lectures come from reading assignments anyway. But if I can put 40-60 hours in a week and do exam/papers, then why wait 15 weeks to finish a course? I don't like wasting time.
I hope that helps.

--chris--

Garuda min = don deal?

Iristheangel

No. Garuda mentioned that he got his degree in 3 and a half months. He was simply responding to the questions since it applied to him as well.

bobloblaw

There's an ongoing theme in this thread we need to put to bed. Some people work at a much faster pace than others due to drive, intelligence, and circumstance.

Notice no one that's credentialed is calling BS yet. You got your A+. Great(I mean that). Sit in the corner and listen for now.

Tech Exams has been instrumental in my path to improving my skill set. This place is invaluable. Don't run off a potential boss of a contributor because you're intimidated. Be inspired.

abyssinica

DonDeal wrote: »

Whether you complete it in 4 months or 2 years, the time frame is really irrelevant. We're all being tested against the same curriculum. We all passed the same requirements. I can make the the argument that all or most of the material is fresh on my mind compared to the person that takes 2 years.

Many brick and mortar universities have accelerated programs in all fields. Dragging your degree out has no benefits to you if you can complete it sooner.

This forum is really opening my eyes to the IT atmosphere of thinking. I really thought IT guys were trend setters and were willing to adopt new ways to accomplish archaic tasks. This forum really shows that this is not true and many people are stuck in prehistoric thinking levels. I guess that's why the "technology adoption curve" exists. Some companies are willing to adopt new technology and new ways to improve business processes, but others won't (e.g., Blockbuster vs Netflix). Don't be the guy in charge that's unwilling to change things that are out of the norm.

Well since I'm already being criticized despite not giving any detailed opinion, I might as well shoot away. A Masters degree that can be done in 4 months doesn't have a high level of challenge or difficulty, that's my opinion. It's cool if you got it, but like someone else said, don't go around telling certain people how long it took you to get it.

The reality is, there isn't any respected Masters that you can ever do in 4 months. The major projects alone (mandatory) would take you months of doing some or all of the following: research, traveling to locations, interviewing people, writing your dissertation - and they're not going to just accept a good effort. Your stuff has to be of an unusually high standard, which is another reason why, if someone boasts to me that they did an entire Masters in 4 months, I'd be very skeptical!

Iristheangel wrote: »

Haters gonna hate :P

Don't get stressed about a guy who's certification is listed as "WITP"

Wow, I hardly said anything and you're on my case, what about others who explicitly questioned the validity of the degree? Never mind, now I've said a lot more, so you have a valid reason to talk about me!!

SephStorm

bobloblaw wrote: »

Tech Exams has been instrumental in my path to improving my skill set. This place is invaluable. Don't run off a potential boss of a contributor because you're intimidated. Be inspired.

^ This.

puertorico1985

There seems to be some that disagree while others disagree. I will say this: Not everyone learns at the same pace as everyone else, and just because I would not be able to learn what is required of a Master's degree in 4 months does not mean that someone else can't.

Speaking for myself, I would not be able to take advantage of a short program due to the fact that I can only cram so much in my head (and actually retain it) on a given day. It takes me repitition and constant reading of the same material, and labbing, and rereading that same material for me to understand concepts in a way that are actually valuable to an employer. The questions that come to mind is: How much information was actually retained? How much information is actually tangible for employers? Is someone that got their degree in the standard (1.5-2 years) time frame versus 4 months better off due to the retention of the knowledge.

The reason these questions come to mind are due to the fact that I can only learn so much per day before my mind "wears out". I have come to understand that everyone learns at different rates and speeds, and just because I do not believe I can learn it all in 4 months, does not mean someone else can not.

I say all this to say: Congratulations! Keep us posted on your future success!

22306

a friend of mine who is a doctor once told me, he said school systems are rip off. he said what they make him do in 10 years, he could have done it in less than 5 years

cyberguypr

A Masters degree that can be done in 4 months doesn't have a high level of challenge or difficulty

I respect your opinion but I think you are making an extremely weak argument here. The fact that some of us have time and extensive expertise in our favor doesn't mean the program is easy. It's no different than people here asking how long will it take to achieve X or Y cert. There's no one answer. Some people learn quicker than others. You want easy? Try University of Phoenix were I saw with my own eyes one "professor" give students ****. Now, that we can objectively call easy.

When I did my undergrad I was pulling my hair out because the pace was stupidly slow for me. I was lucky I was able to kill a few video lecture-based classes in 1.5 weeks. For others I had to do a little bit of work, wait until next week for the professor to release work for that week, and so on. It was mind numbing. Did spending a full semester in a class make me a better student? HECK NO! As a matter of fact I remember more about the classes I sailed through in a week and a half for the mere fact that I was more immersed.

A Master's is a journey with many different options and paths. The path that you choose depends on your resources, capabilities, and many other factors including intangible ones. Some like to crawl, others like to walk, while some like to fly. They will see and experience different things along the way that will make them grow professionally, personally, and spiritually. They will arrive at the finish line at different times, but will always arrive. Choosing one path over the other doesn't make you a better or worse person.

There's obviously something wrong with higher education in America. WGU, MOOCs and others are trying to change that by refusing the status quo and disrupting the common, antiquated models. It may take 10, 20, or 30 years but I am positive new models will take over. We just have to fight the luddites.

ajs1976

There are at least two types of masters degree. the one described by abyssinica is of the research or academic type and requires formal research and a dissertation that may need to be published in peer reviewed professional or academic journal. I don't see how anyone would be able to finish that in 6 months. The work involved in gathering the research from original sources would be a number of months. This is typically why you see these programs taking 2 years even though they are normally 30-36 semester credits. Another type of masters degree is a professional or executive types. While these may have a research paper and even an oral defense, it is geared more towards showing advanced knowledge of a topic. these are the type that you will see as accelerated programs at some schools. While one type may take longer then the other, one is not necessarily better then the other since they may server different purposes.

Initially, I am skeptical when I hear that someone completed in 6 months or less. I understand WGUs competency based model and that it is a professional type masters degree, so I have an idea of what background someone would need and what they would need to do to complete it in a short time frame. when I read DonDeal's and GarudaMin's descriptions of how they did it, it works for me. They should be congratulated for what they accomplished and I look to them as inspiration as I try to accomplish my goals.

I do have concerns about WGU, but those are for a different thread some other time.