WGU Round 3: MSISA

ratbuddy

Hiya. Some of you may remember me from my old BSIT:Software thread, http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/94513-wgu-bs-software-starting-nov-1st-2013-a.html

Since then, I've also finished the BS:Accounting program with WGU. I started my most recent term on May 1st, and finished the last 20 CU a few days ago. That leaves five months in the term to accelerate into another program. I started speaking to enrollment counselors from the IT and business schools, and things didn't quite go as planned:

I wanted the MBA: IT Management, but you need three years of IT experience, and I only have ~nine months. The generic MBA requires three years of business experience, also a no-go. The MS:Accounting program is still in the testing phase of rollout, so it only accepts new students, no acceleration or transfers from other programs.

Finally, we come to the the MS:Information Security and Assurance.. I wanted to get this one after I finished an advanced business degree. It's not that I'm not interested in security, because I am. I just wanted to continue on to an advanced business degree while the accounting material is fresh in my mind. Now, the MSISA will be the first advanced degree I go for, because I can actually get into the program. Not right away, I need to rock out a CCNA (or CASP, not interested in more CompTIA though) to qualify for admission.

I started studying for the CCNA last Friday, and I'll be scheduling the exam for some time next week, maybe Friday. I'm going for the combined (200-120) exam, since it's half the number of questions and time. So far, most of the material is basically review stuff from Network+. I'm diving into the Cisco-proprietary material tonight, and I'll be labbing with GNS3. Should be fun. Worst case, if I really want to use real Cisco gear, we have some spare stuff at work. I'd rather not have to buy my own lab, since CCNA is probably as far up the Cisco tree as I'm going to bark.

My goal is to finish the program in about 8 months. I want my graduation date to be in 2016 so it doesn't look like I earned two degrees in too short of a time. Since much of the degree is performance tasks (writing papers), I'll be able to pre-write stuff during this first term, then submit it during the second term. WGU doesn't let you go too nuts when you've accelerated into a second degree during a term in which you've already completed one degree. The best I can hope for is to complete 2-4 classes during the current term which ends on November 1st, but no one says I can't write all the papers for the remaining classes during the downtime following those 2-4 classes.

That said, feel free to follow along, and please don't be shy with questions - I'll do my best to answer anything I can regarding the BSIT:Software, BS:Accounting, or MS:ISA programs.

Danielm7

Whoa, that's a lot of WGU, congrats on the 2nd BS! I'm wondering though, what's your end goal with a BS in IT, Accounting, MS in security and also an MS in accounting or business MBA with only 9 months in IT?

ratbuddy

End goal is to make myself as valuable as I can. I also just like to learn

xeruan

I look forward to your progress. You sound just like me, dual Bachelors and now going for dual Masters as well. After the Masters I think I'm just going to go for a single Doctorate though.

DeezyFF

Does getting 2 Bachelors and 2 masters that are in completely different fields make you more valuable than experience? I personally think you should get a bachelor and masters in the same field or emphasis that you are passionate about.

Mike-Mike

Why did you get the 2nd bachelors in accounting? why not just start the Masters back then?

ratbuddy

While I'm not certain I'd like to get into management some day, I'd like to have the option. Yes, you can go that route without formal training in accounting and leadership skills, but why not give myself every advantage I can?

Besides that, knowing the foundations of business is helpful for anyone who wants to make themselves more valuable their employer. In my role as a programmer analyst, I often interface with business users of our ERP system who are requesting enhancements or bug fixes. I can speak to them on their level when it comes to business and accounting functions. It makes a big difference.

An accounting degree is also super-helpful if you ever plan on opening your own business. No concrete plans there, but what's the harm in preparing early?

Deezy, after the MSISA, I'm going to apply for the Georgia Tech MSCS program. Development is definitely where my core interests sit. The WGU degrees are fast, cheap, and easy, so I'm front-loading with those.

cloudyknight

I've been following your progress. You've kept me motivated to stick to the grind.

What tips do you have for studying for WGU exams while working fulltime?

I was making good progress on the Software Development program. Now that I'm on the Data Management for Programmers C192 course, it feels like I'm buried in the ucertify reading materials.

ratbuddy

I get home from work mentally tired from thinking all day, so mixing some entertainment with the education is pretty important to me. I like to do other things while studying. Lately, it's been World of Warships. I'll play a game, then when my ship is sunk, alt-tab to my study materials. Read 5-10 minutes, go back and play another game, repeat. Yeah, I'm only spending 50% of my time actually studying, but I'm much more likely to stick to studying at all. Taking a break from the reading also helps me retain and understand stuff better than I would if I'd just read it all straight through.

I also like to watch Netflix or club-mst3k.com while studying. The distraction means that I often need to read things twice (or three times, etc, depending how interesting the show is) in order to retain them. I found it easier to learn that way, as compared to quiet study time with nothing but me and the materials.

I do wish they'd had the software development degree when I enrolled, it looks much more interesting than the IT-Software program. Just remember, if you put in the effort, you'll get the rewards. I think I saw that written on the side of the Michael Jordan Steakhouse at Mohegan Sun :P

cloudyknight

ratbuddy wrote: »

I get home from work mentally tired from thinking all day, so mixing some entertainment with the education is pretty important to me. I like to do other things while studying. Lately, it's been World of Warships. I'll play a game, then when my ship is sunk, alt-tab to my study materials. Read 5-10 minutes, go back and play another game, repeat. Yeah, I'm only spending 50% of my time actually studying, but I'm much more likely to stick to studying at all. Taking a break from the reading also helps me retain and understand stuff better than I would if I'd just read it all straight through.

I also like to watch Netflix or club-mst3k.com while studying. The distraction means that I often need to read things twice (or three times, etc, depending how interesting the show is) in order to retain them. I found it easier to learn that way, as compared to quiet study time with nothing but me and the materials.

I do wish they'd had the software development degree when I enrolled, it looks much more interesting than the IT-Software program. Just remember, if you put in the effort, you'll get the rewards. I think I saw that written on the side of the Michael Jordan Steakhouse at Mohegan Sun :P

Ok, nice. If the material is not too technical I make a text to speech itunes track. On a mac all I have to do is right click the highlighted text. Then I listen to it while playing a game. I can usually pay better attention to what I'm hearing when my hand-eye coordination is occupied. I can also repeatedly listen to definitions while doing chores around the house.

ratbuddy

Booked the CCNA for July 9th. I shoulda booked farther in advance, I wanted to take the exam (200-120 combined) next week, but the test center was booked out till July

I'm just finishing the CBT Nuggets CCNA series. You can get it free through WGU even if you aren't in a class that requires CCNA. Starting next week, I'll run through some dead trees a guy at work brought in for me, along with lots of GNS3 labbing.

Hopefully I can start the MSISA program by mid-July.

ratbuddy

Well, the testing center calendar changes like crazy, and I was able to rebook for today. Got my CCNA with a 931/1000. Not a super score, but not awful either. I'll take it. I primarily used the CBT Nuggets which are available to current WGU students even if you aren't in that class at the moment. You can access the material at these links: Part 1 Part 2. You'll need to log in, of course. I don't know if those links will work for potential students who have a WGU email address but who haven't started a degree program yet. I think you can log in to Lynda.com with just a WGU email address, so why not CBT Nuggets as well? The videos are great, highly recommended.

CCNA in hand, I called WGU and spoke to an enrollment counselor, and they have an EC who specializes in second degree acceleration calling me in a couple of hours. Hopefully I can start soon after that. $100+ a week is a lot of tuition money to pay while not actually doing any classes

ratbuddy

Spoke to my new mentor yesterday, and got my first course added.

It's LYT2, Current and Emerging Technology. This is a performance class with three tasks. They are all very straightforward, and involve demonstrating that you have a basic grasp of technologies such as virtualization, WAN connection types, and cloud-based productivity software. I'll write one paper per day, and be done with this one by Saturday, not counting revisions. Hopefully the next class is more interesting.

keymasher

I'm curious, what is your study process like for certifications? Do you take your own notes along with the videos? You seem to breeze through them absurdly fast. I went through Professor Messer's videos for Network+ (a far easier cert than CCNA, I know) and did not do too hot on the pre-assessment, so I'm wondering what the I'm doing wrong.

ratbuddy

I don't take notes. Dunno why, but I just don't find it helpful while studying. I do take a ton of notes at work, and it helps me stay organized, so I dunno why it doesn't help me to study.

I use videos and repeat them over and over until it sticks. I like to do something else while I watch or listen to the videos, either play a video game or watch a show or movie. The distraction forces me to pay more attention to the study materials. Weird, I know, but it works for me.

ratbuddy

LYT2 is done. The three tasks were relatively simple. Five-ish pages each for the first and third, and around nine pages for the second task. As with almost all WGU task-based coursework, you can paste the assignment outline into a Word document and just start writing. If you don't know something, go look at the course materials, learn enough to write the assignment, lather rise repeat

I was lucky in that I already knew the material for this course, so there was very little studying involved; the time was mostly spend waiting on Taskstream.

Next up is TFT2: Cyberlaw, Regulations, and Compliance. This one seems like more of the same, although the subject matter is a bit more interesting - not that I'm calling SLAs and password policy interesting, mind you, but it does seem more interesting that the last course :P

ratbuddy

TFT2 (Cyberlaw, Regulations, and Compliance) is pretty fun so far. I've passed task 1 (modifications to security policies to achieve compliance with industry standards) with one minor revision, and task 2 (create policies that could have prevented a data breach) with no revisions.

If you're a bit of a security hobbyist like I am, this class will be fairly simple - I haven't even touched the learning materials so far. You'll need to go look up applicable security standards and regulations (HIPAA, PCI-DSS, NIST stuff, etc) to cite as sources, but you won't need an exhaustive knowledge of any individual standard.

Part 3 is up next, which involves modifications to an SLA. I'm at a bit of a loss for where to start on this one, so I might actually read some of the class materials. If anyone has any pointers on getting started with TFT2 task 3, I'm all ears

ITBot

I love following your progress. Keep it up!

ratbuddy

Sadly, I have none to report. I'm not rushing at all, since I can only take 2 more classes before November anyway

I'm going to submit my 4th revision for TFT2 task 3 in the next few days. The instructions for this task are (IMHO) super vague, and every time I resubmit with more detail as requested, they ask for more detail in another area. Oh well.

ratbuddy

Back in the saddle. TFT2 task 3 passed, and with the term ending in a few weeks, I'm going to knock out TFT2 task 4, then start studying for the CEH and CHFI.

I'll say I was really disappointed with TFT2 task 3. The materials were really thin, and the task instructions were vague. Yeah, I finally got through it, but I would have rather had decent instructions so I knew what they were looking for in the first place. At least it's over now.

As a hint to future victims of this task, they are not looking for you to write the actual SLA revisions. Just make suggestions as to the nature of clauses that need to be added and write solid justifications and you'll be good. If you interpret the task instructions literally and provide them with actual revised SLA clauses, you're gonna have a bad time. Sigh.

ratbuddy

Task 4 written and submitted this morning. I actually feel pretty good about this one, hopefully it'll pass on the first go. Really hoping the task instructions line up with what the graders want to see.

Anyone have recommendations for CEH/CHFI video training resources? I have access to Lynda through WGU and a Pluralsight membership as well..

ratbuddy

TFT2 task 4 passed today after one minor revision. That's it until my new term on November 1st.

From what I can gather (nothing is official until then), I need to complete the following courses to finish the degree:

FNV2 - Ethical Hacking (CEH) - 4 CU
FMV2 - Forensics and Network Intrusion (CHFI) - 4CU
VUT2 - Vulnerability Assessment - 2 CU
UVC2 - Cryptography - 3 CU
JIT2 - Risk Management - 2 CU
VLT2 - Security Standards and Policies - Best Practices - 3 CU
FXT2 - Disaster Recovery Planning, Prevention and Response - 2 CU
LQT2 - Information Security and Assurance Capstone Project - 4 CU

So 24 more CU to go. Hoping to knock it out by March. I'm going to be studying for CEH and CHFI for the next two weeks, hopefully I'll be ready to take both exams by the time my new term starts. I found a great video series on Pluralsight, but they haven't finished it yet

ratbuddy

Can't believe it's been a month since I updated. Yikes.

The usual administrative screw-ups and delays meant that my term didn't start until November 7th or so. I've been plugging away at JIT2, Risk Management. It's a single big task with three sections: one Excel doc and two papers. I'll be finishing it up tonight or tomorrow. The material is hella dry, but thankfully easy to get through. This is much more of a general management class than it is about infosec.

Also added for the new term are VLT2 (Security Policies and Standards - Best Practices) and UVC2 (Cryptography). I'm told that VLT2 has been revamped and I should have less trouble with the course material not lining up with the tasks. From what I can gather, this course is probably the most-complained-about in the whole MSISA program. WGU is slow to change, but apparently they've finally taken steps to fix this course. We'll see

UVC2, I already took the pre a few months ago and scored 10 over cut, so this is a one-week course at most. I'll knock it out when I get sick of writing papers.

CEH.. Well, that's a whole debacle.. AFAIK, the new learning materials for the version 9 CEH aren't even out yet, but they released the new exams and retired version 8 anyway. Gonna save this one and the CHFI for the end of the program - I want to pass first try, so EC Council gets as little money as possible. Screw them.

Work is going well. One week ago was my one year anniversary since they hired me off my temporary contract. I anticipate staying another year or so, depending how they treat me at raise time in February. I'm working for under market value to get my foot in the development door, but now that it's firmly in, I'm starting to think about what's best for me and my family. We'll see.

We're looking for a software architect and a Linux admin in the central CT area, if anyone is looking for new work.

Danielm7

ratbuddy wrote: »

CEH.. Well, that's a whole debacle.. AFAIK, the new learning materials for the version 9 CEH aren't even out yet, but they released the new exams and retired version 8 anyway. Gonna save this one and the CHFI for the end of the program - I want to pass first try, so EC Council gets as little money as possible. Screw them.

That's a good idea. I was following the CEH threads in the security forum as well. Seems like they just put the V9 questions in before the V9 date, a bunch of people failed, the materials and course they sell themselves wasn't even updated yet, ugly.

cyberguypr

Looking forward to VLT2 feedback. I call that class "the one that got me to the edge of quitting the program".

markulous

Thanks for the updates. Now that they have certs in their program, I'm really debating doing this sometime in 2016.

ratbuddy

JIT2 (Risk Management) passed on the first try. For the record, I submitted my risk register in a single Excel document with the required 'global' explanation as a paragraph in a cell below the table. Part two was a seven page (double spaced) word doc, and the implementation plan was a single page, also double spaced. I followed the self paced guide from one of the webinar links they sent me, and watched the slides from the webinar when something was unclear.

Next up, VLT2 (Security Policies and Standards – Best Practices). I'll start it tomorrow.

techfiend

When you accelerated into MSISA from BS were you able to choose CEH or CHFI courses?

I'm about to graduate with 2+ months left on my term and thinking about pursuing another security cert to see if I really want to be in that sector. I'm kind of at a crossroads right now, my experience is microsoft, but hesistant about MCSE or servers being my career. I have a feeling networks would be more interesting but without experience it's tough to know, going on to the CCNP without experience seems kind of odd. On the other hand, I could grab the VCP voucher from wgu's dreamspark and get going on it, I have interest and some esxi experience but it's not much more than what you can do in the basic vSphere client.

cshkuru

The instructions I got from my mentor on TFT2 task 3 were to provide the actual suggested clauses. That's what I did and passed first time it must really be dependent on the taskstream grader.

ratbuddy

Just about done with VLT2 task 1, will submit it tonight for sure. There is some annoying ambiguity in the instructions, but I think I've done OK. I'll update with more details on the task and my methods once I've passed it :P

Techfiend, I didn't try to pick CEH or CHFI due to the state of those certs (well, the CEH at least) at the moment. I want to take them as far towards the end of the degree as I can, so there's as much study material available as possible. The whole CEH v8 to v9 transition has been a typical EC Council disaster.

JoJoCal19

ratbuddy wrote: »

Just about done with VLT2 task 1, will submit it tonight for sure. There is some annoying ambiguity in the instructions, but I think I've done OK. I'll update with more details on the task and my methods once I've passed it :P

Techfiend, I didn't try to pick CEH or CHFI due to the state of those certs (well, the CEH at least) at the moment. I want to take them as far towards the end of the degree as I can, so there's as much study material available as possible. The whole CEH v8 to v9 transition has been a typical EC Council disaster.

Let me know if you need tips on VLT2. I'm about to resubmit task 1. I also received a bunch of tips and stuff from the course mentor on VLT2. Shoot me a PM.