WGU BS - IT Security Start Date 9/1/15

fjhesq

So, I decided to finish my degree after much deliberation. I transferred in 53 CU's and need 71 to be finished. So far, I have a great mentor. First up I have C182 - Intro to IT, and both A+ courses (C393 and C394). I've been studying for both A+ test and they bite. I've been in the IT field for roughly 15 years and been in the networking/telephony field for last 7 to 8 years. I'm so far disconnected from printer and PC support it's ridiculous. Oh well, it's been a chore to study but I got to knock it out. I plan to have all 3 done by the end of the month. I've been so nervous and anxious about the actual assessments.

One question, I've been studying quizlets and some brief notes I took during the course work, but I've been hearing mixed reviews on how similar the pre-assessment is to the actual assessment?

Background: I work as a network engineer about 40-60 hours a week, married, three boys, so nights and weekends during this football season into the next year are going to be very productive...LOL....the wasted time watching football from Thursday to Mondays will be put to use towards my education.

I'll be working on the below during Term 1 giving my self a strict timetable so I can stay focused and try to wrap this degree up:

C176 - 1 Week (Appears to be boring material and will be a boring read/study)
C299 - 2 Weeks (Work with most of these competencies with my job)
C132 - 1 Week (Already done with both PA's and notes done for class)
C697 - 2 Weeks (Very little background but most of my appliances at work are linux based so will go thru coursework)
C698 - 2 Weeks (Very little background but most of my appliances at work are linux based so will go thru coursework)
C484 - 1 Week (Appears to be common sense plus with experience, shouldn't be too bad, maybe terminology)
C483 - 1 Week (Appears to be common sense plus with experience, shouldn't be too bad, maybe terminology)
C179 - 1 Week (I haven't looked at this course yet)
C168 - 1 Week (Already done with 1 PA and working on the second one, appears to be lots of terminology and memorization)
C173 - 2 to 3 Weeks (I'm going to hate this class)
C169 - 2 to 3 Weeks (I'm going to hate this class)
C175 - 2 to 3 Weeks (I'm going to hate this class)
C170 - 2 to 3 Weeks (I'm going to hate this class)
C376 - 2 Weeks (Shouldn't be too bad but will need to learn the process)
C435 - 1 Month (To be safe)
C436 - 1 Month (To be safe)

Goal to have BS by end of August 2016....then start on Masters

Any insight on Assessments thru WGU and courses would be helpful. In particular, study material, the value of using quizlets, annd these programming and database classes. I'll be keeping track of my progress on here and this is the beginning of my journey! Wish me well and God Bless!

Arnie335

I too am starting my BS in IT - Security on Sept 1st. Still waiting on my student mentor to be assigned and I've almost completed the Intro to IT course in just about 2 days. Pre-assessment was pretty easy, so I plan to take the exam as soon as a mentor is assigned. I hope the rest of the IT related courses are as simple as this one.

Woah, that is a lot of classes to take in such a short period of time. How are you able to take this many courses at one time? Please educate me on that, because I'd definitely like to knock this degree out as soon as I can. Unfortunately, I am only coming in with 8cu, so my path will be somewhat different. Best of luck to you on your journey!

fjhesq

I've been working on course work, pre-assessments, and performance assessments for almost 3 weeks now. Reading forums on here and just googling the course codes with "WGU" can provide quite a bit of insight on how the classes really are. For the certification fulfillment, I've already been reviewing A+, Project+ is mostly terminology and process, and at my job and previous jobs I've been heavily involved with security and Cisco. Linux+ will be new to me but shouldn't be too bad because most of the hardware based appliances I work with are some form of Linux. Reviews on most of the WGU "in-house" testing is pretty much change your mind to "do enough to pass". Document pre-assessments and study them, use quizlets, go thru your weak areas and take notes and review them...again, you do enough to pass. I must admit that I do have a little text anxiety building up for Intro to IT just because it'll be my first time taking an "in-house" test with WGU for the actual assessment but I got a 79% on the pre-assessment.

Nyblizzard

I wish you luck good sir. I am attempting a similar achievement (8/1 start date 70CU's)

bpenn

I am taking SQL and then the programming classes first. Getting the classes out of the way I hate first. And yes, C170 sucks hard. I am hating life...

fjhesq

C393 - Passed 9/10...Scored 819
C394 - Scheduled for 9/17
C182 - Scheduled for 9/26

So far, I'm on track to be finished with 12 CU's by end of first month. Next up will be CCNA Security which is 6 CU's, then Project +, then Linux +. If I keep up the pace that I'm on, I should have almost 47 CU's done before the end of December.

Arnie335

fjhesq wrote: »

C393 - Passed 9/10...Scored 819
C394 - Scheduled for 9/17
C182 - Scheduled for 9/26

So far, I'm on track to be finished with 12 CU's by end of first month. Next up will be CCNA Security which is 6 CU's, then Project +, then Linux +. If I keep up the pace that I'm on, I should have almost 47 CU's done before the end of December.

Right on dude. What materials did you use for the C393? Just the ones provided by WGU or did you pickup a book as well?

Dakinggamer87

Congrats on starting your new journey towards your degree!! I am doing the same degree with WGU. I am finishing up my Capstone Written Project so I will be graduating soon. I have been through all the major courses so if you need any extra help don't hesitate to ask.

Good luck and God bless you and your family!!

Nyblizzard

Great progress so far!!

fuz1on

Great job everyone!

I decided to apply to the BS IT - Security program at WGU today as well. I have quite a bit of transfer credit to all be sorted out but I hope I can finish pretty quickly (and probably start their MS Information Security and Assurance program).

Good luck fellow WGUers!

fjhesq

Thanks! @Arnie335, professor messor videos and youtube areas that I didn't feel comfortable in. I've been in IT quite a while so most of the material was more so of a review than learning new material.

I scheduled the 802 exam for 9/21 due to this week being my week on-call for work and don't need an interruption while I'm away testing. I'll load up C182 for the 27th or 28th. After I pass those then I'll take a stab at the CCNA Security. I got the Cisco press book and can't go wrong with CBT Nuggets from past experience.

fjhesq

C394 - Passed with 785...it really is tough...best advice is to read, re-read, and then re-read the questions....

Scheduling C182 on Wednesday for either 9/26 or 9/27, then on to C299....

8 CU's down and 63 to go...only 19 days in...

Arnie335

fjhesq wrote: »

C394 - Passed with 785...it really is tough...best advice is to read, re-read, and then re-read the questions....

Scheduling C182 on Wednesday for either 9/26 or 9/27, then on to C299....

8 CU's down and 63 to go...only 19 days in...

Good job on passing! C182 should be a walk in the park for you. I just took it and scored an 85% with minimal review. It is similar to the pre-assessment, so just spend a little time focusing on your "weaker" areas and you'll pass. I promise!

May I ask why you found C394 so difficult?

Elegyx

No C480 for you? I'm actually taking the same track right now (Security) and am studying for the Net+ right now (C480). Breezed by the A+ classes and exams but failed the Net+ on my first attempt. Any other suggestions before taking it the 2nd time? I'm actually going through Professor Messer's videos and going over the sections that CompTia shows on the report that you get wrong. I'm staying CLEAR away from looking at "review questions." 99% of the time those question are not even on the actual exam and I feel like I just wasted my time with looking at those before my first attempt.

fjhesq

@Arnie335...Thanks! OMG C394 was very tricky. Be careful with the wording...unlike C393, eliminating the wrong answers was a little tough on some of the questions. Read and re-read questions, then answer then verify you're answering what "they're really asking". Take your knowledge and sense out of the equation. Best advice for that one! Mostly real world stuff...Yeah, I just scheduled C182 for Sunday night, going over quizlet and my notes from where I went thru the module. Lots of terminology, models, processes...this will be my first WGU exam so a little nervous but good to hear that it's similar to the pre-assessment.

@Elegyx...I came in with CCNA and CCDA so it waived a few classes and I transferred in 53 CU's. I'm on pace to finish first term with 50 CU's. I should be done with all the cert portion of CU's by end of October/mid-November and that will give me 30 CU's. Then I'll tackle the mgmt classes, speech, and critical thinking and logic...will try to squeeze in web fundamentals before term ends on February 16.

Segovia

First of all, good work everyone!

Not wanting to hijack your thread or anything but I am starting the IT security BS on 10/01.. Although I have already worked through about 70% of C182... I came in with about 29 CU so I'm hoping to finish the rest ASAP!

So far my experience with the first course.... I'm not very enthusiastic about the Acrobatiq system. I mean it's all right, but I hope this isn't what the whole degree will be like.

Cheers!

ImThe0ne

Segovia wrote: »

First of all, good work everyone!

Not wanting to hijack your thread or anything but I am starting the IT security BS on 10/01.. Although I have already worked through about 70% of C182... I came in with about 29 CU so I'm hoping to finish the rest ASAP!

So far my experience with the first course.... I'm not very enthusiastic about the Acrobatiq system. I mean it's all right, but I hope this isn't what the whole degree will be like.

Cheers!

C182 is a very dry course, hard to get through. It has a very large amount of information, some of which isn't relevant to what most people will do with their degree. They try and squeeze in a couple of years of general knowledge into one class and they do it in a very boring way.

Arnie335

Segovia wrote: »

First of all, good work everyone!

Not wanting to hijack your thread or anything but I am starting the IT security BS on 10/01.. Although I have already worked through about 70% of C182... I came in with about 29 CU so I'm hoping to finish the rest ASAP!

So far my experience with the first course.... I'm not very enthusiastic about the Acrobatiq system. I mean it's all right, but I hope this isn't what the whole degree will be like.

Cheers!

From what I've seen, there arent many courses that utilize the Acrobatiq system. I agree, the material is dry and boring. Just hang in there and knock out this course quick. The Pre Assessment in my opinion was very similar to the actual Assessment. Good luck on your journey!

AC

Segovia

Thanks for the tips, and I'm glad that this course is the exception rather than the rule. Yes, they try to fit way too much in and some of it has confused me a bit like business intelligence and MVC, etc. It's like they want to tell you about these systems but give you no real life example of what they actually are. o_O

I'm excited to do the A+ part, while I've had the A+ knowledge for like 10 years I never actually got the cert for some reason. I'm hoping it will land me a job in IT. (Just finished two AAS degrees but haven't been able to find a job)

Scottdt

Segovia wrote: »

First of all, good work everyone!

Not wanting to hijack your thread or anything but I am starting the IT security BS on 10/01.. Although I have already worked through about 70% of C182... I came in with about 29 CU so I'm hoping to finish the rest ASAP!

So far my experience with the first course.... I'm not very enthusiastic about the Acrobatiq system. I mean it's all right, but I hope this isn't what the whole degree will be like.

Cheers!

If you don't mind I was wondering if you could share how you obtained access to the courses without starting? The reason I'm asking is because I'm starting the exact same major on the exact same date as you. If inclined, we could work through the degree together, although I think TE people tend to be more self-learners.

Segovia

Interesting, you don't have access to every single course like I do? Maybe it has to do with your mentor approving it once you have everything lined up to go. For instance I can look through every course on my degree plan, but I am not enrolled in a term, and I cannot take exams beside the first pre-assessment.

I would love to have a study partner! Shoot me a private message and we can exchange information.

Scottdt

Segovia wrote: »

Interesting, you don't have access to every single course like I do? Maybe it has to do with your mentor approving it once you have everything lined up to go. For instance I can look through every course on my degree plan, but I am not enrolled in a term, and I cannot take exams beside the first pre-assessment.

I would love to have a study partner! Shoot me a private message and we can exchange information.

I found that odd as well, I'll see what my mentor has to say. He has been a little bit unresponsive. Now how to send a pm... lol

fjhesq

C182 - Passed with 86% cut score 65% on 9/26...best advice is to go over the quizlets, they were great...IT 101 but the quizlets filled in the gaps. I used like 3 or 4 of them and just studied over them an hour or so a day for the week.

C299 is up next and I'll probably schedule it for 10/6. My goal is to knock this one out at and C697/C698 (Linux+) for October. That'll give me 14 CU's for the month.

12 CU's down and 59 to go...only 24 days in...

fjhesq

C299..640-554 scheduled for 10/6 and just bored with looking at material and studying. Navigating thru CCP and all and just googling topics now. I hate that the passing score is so high, doesn't leave much room for error. I'm actually looking forward to Linux+ now and hoping that will keep my interest for a moment. I was just tasked at work to get a couple of Avaya certs so I'll add that into the mix with school. Just really rambling and needing a break at the moment.

Dakinggamer87

The CCNA: Security passing score is rather high. I would make sure that you know how to configure the CCP GUI in-and-out as it is tested heavily on the exam. Simulation questions are weighted far more then the multiple choice as well. I used CBT Nuggets and the CCNA study guide book. I wrote down my resources in this thread: http://www.techexams.net/forums/ccna-security/112352-passed-ccna-security.html

Hope this helps!!

usman4673

@ fjhesq: Your background is almost similar to mine except I have two daughters. lolz. I plan on starting WGU Nov or Dec the 1st, for IT-Security. Nothing scares me more than going through both "scripting and programming" courses i.e. C173 and 169. Being a network engineer, I can understanding scripting is related, but OOP in Java/C/.net is not even close. Worrying about those two courses is the only thing holding me back from enrollment.
I just hate programming. I dont know if I will be able to put my mind to pass those. What do you suggest, should i do rest of all first and keep those two for the very last? This way, knowing that those two are only left, and I am so close now will ignite some motivation to race through them?

Sorry, I didnt want to hi-jack your thread. I just felt that your job/family/WGU and everything matches so closely to my circumstances. Therefore, thought to ask.

Lastly, I am new to this forum. Whats the best to personal message someone here?

Dakinggamer87

usman4673 wrote: »

@ fjhesq: Your background is almost similar to mine except I have two daughters. lolz. I plan on starting WGU Nov or Dec the 1st, for IT-Security. Nothing scares me more than going through both "scripting and programming" courses i.e. C173 and 169. Being a network engineer, I can understanding scripting is related, but OOP in Java/C/.net is not even close. Worrying about those two courses is the only thing holding me back from enrollment.
I just hate programming. I dont know if I will be able to put my mind to pass those. What do you suggest, should i do rest of all first and keep those two for the very last? This way, knowing that those two are only left, and I am so close now will ignite some motivation to race through them?

Sorry, I didnt want to hi-jack your thread. I just felt that your job/family/WGU and everything matches so closely to my circumstances. Therefore, thought to ask.

Lastly, I am new to this forum. Whats the best to personal message someone here?

When you login to your account there is an icon that shows a number next to your username. After you click on that it brings up your inbox where you can send message to specific users.

Hope this helps

fjhesq

@usman4673, I sent you a PM and no worries...I'll take any info I can at this point! @Dakinggamer87, I'd love your file/note repository...LOL...

Dakinggamer87

fjhesq wrote: »

@usman4673, I sent you a PM and no worries...I'll take any info I can at this point! @Dakinggamer87, I'd love your file/note repository...LOL...

I'd be happy to help however I can.

fjhesq

C299..640-554 failed on 10/6...scored a 874. It was a monster! I rescheduled it and took it again today 10/14 and passed with a 938! Definitely know CCP even though no one really uses, heck I know I don't. Next up for me is C697...LX0-103. So far that's 18 CUs in 44 days. I'm hoping to knock out C697 and C698 before the end of the month....We shall see....

usman4673

Great pace bro! Keep it up.

One quick question: Does one have to go through WGU material, take quizzes, do assignments, pre-assessments, and only then mentor issues you a vendor voucher to schedule the cert exam or can one self-study and then just ask mentor to issue a voucher and be done with it? I am a bit confused on how hard getting that voucher will become once my term kicks-off?