WGU MSITM - The Bass Drops on 01/01/16

GSXR750K2

That's 01/01/16 for those of you in Europe.

It's almost that time. Just called the school to find out what bar my mentor is passed out in since I have yet to hear from them, they said that undergrads get mentors first and due to the time of year it could be January 4th before I hear from one (in fairness, I did apply on Dec 15th and was cleared to start on the 21st, so sort of late notice). No sweat on the mentor deal.

I finished up the BSIT-Sec this past May, and since my Cisco certs are good for another 13 months and my MCSE is good until November, I decided to tackle the master's degree in the mean time. I called the business college first for the MBAITM, but after some thought and a few conversations I opted for the MS...it's a better fit for me.

I decided to get a head start and work on some tasks for JIT2, LYT2, and TFT2...thanks markulous for confirming those are the opening classes. None of the tasks seem terrible, and LYT2 Task 3 is very close to what I did my Tech Writing and Capstone on for my bachelor's, so copying and pasting with a little rewording has yielded about six pages on that task so far.

I'm going to shoot to have it done in six months. I have time every day at work to research and write, and then I can put in a few hours each night when my girlfriend will let me. I did 31 units in three months to finish up the bachelor's (including C173/C169 ), so it's not inconceivable to work at roughly half that rate.

More to follow...

olaHalo

You only need 6 months?!
Congrats and good luck

GSXR750K2

I'm hoping to only need six months. The MSITM is all writing (as of this moment), so all one just needs to keep the mindset and focus to plow through how dull it can be. I cranked out both my Tech Writing and Capstone papers for my bachelor's over the course six days. Per the file properties, 25.2 hours spent working on the Tech Writing paper, and 12.8 hours on the Capstone (worked off of the Tech Writing file), so averaged six hours a day typing and editing.

How far along are you on the 300-101? I was studying for the 300-115 for a few weeks but switched gears for this. I need to get a couple more 3750 switches for my lab anyway.

olaHalo

I must admit I did the BSIT Capstone and Tech Writing papers in much less time. I literally made everything up and referenced papers from the provided links and from this site as templates. They both were accepted 1st time too =D

That would be great if you can do it in 6 months. Might even motivate me to do it...

I am about halfway through the 300-101 book. I have a physical lab but I havent needed to touch it yet. I may also switch gears soon though for work related needs in linux.

GSXR750K2

Finally got a mentor, first call is late this afternoon. I'm making okay progress given how long I've had to work on stuff...I have been slacking off some in the evenings to play some Just Cause 3 and Forza 6.

JIT2 - Task 1A is ready and 1B should be ready by Thursday or Friday (A, B, and C have to be submitted at the same time).
LYT2 - Task 1 is ready I just need to restructure a few chunks of the text and Task 3 is at about 60 percent.
TFT2 - Task 1 is ready to submit and Task 2 is about 75-ish percent.

I'm going somewhat overboard on detail so hopefully everything will be accepted on the first submission (example, my JIT2 Task 1A is 12 pages, the course tips doc says 4-5) . I could be in for a rude awakening though and have some revising to do.

The intro video and the Task Overview Guide for JIT2 are informative and give a good indication of what needs to be done for each of the sub tasks.

- EDIT -

There is a discrepancy between the intro video and Task Overview Guide for JIT2 Task 1B. The video says "Keep it generic to cover a wide range of disruptions...do not specifically tailor your BCP to just one type of risk or it's coming back for revision" but the task guide says "Select a specific major disruption to focus on in the BCP". My thoughts are to play it safe and keep it broad, if a BCP is too specific you'd have to have multiple BCPs depending on the circumstances.

- EDIT 2 -

Just watched a webinar deal on JIT2 and it appears they have synchronized things now...Erica's video now says Task 1B can have a specific disruption to focus on.

GSXR750K2

Update:

Had a chat with my mentor this past Tuesday (5th) but for whatever reason we did another phone call on Friday (8th) to enroll in the first term courses, so I wasn't able to turn anything into TaskStream until yesterday afternoon. Some consulting got in the way a few nights this past week so I haven't gotten much further ahead than I was earlier this week, but I'm not going to complain (too much). Nine days into term 1, here's where I stand...

Evaluated and Complete:
--Current/Emerging Tech - Task 1
--Cyberlaw/Regs - Task 1
--Cyberlaw/Regs - Task 2

Goals to turn in within the coming week:
--Current/Emerging Tech - Task 2
--Current/Emerging Tech - Task 3
--Cyberlaw/Regs - Task 3

JIT2 (Risk Management) wore me down a little with its dryness so I've put it on the shelf until I complete one of the other courses.

- EDIT -

I changed the course codes to course names since not everyone knows what the codes correspond to.

GSXR750K2

Weekly Update:

Changed my plans around Monday and finished the subtasks for JIT2 (Risk Management) and submitted them on Wednesday. FINALLY got the "good job" results back this morning. Again, I didn't get as much done on the other courses as I would like to have done.

However, a little over two weeks in and one course down. Time to work on finishing up the other two courses and accelerate.

demonfurbie

good luck

GSXR750K2

Thanks! And congrats on obtaining your MSITM.

I'm hoping to have LYT2 Tasks 2 and 3 finished up by Friday. However, I feel like I'm trying too hard to find the "perfect" sources for Task 2 and I've been putting Task 3 on the backburner for the past couple of weeks since I'm about halfway through it.

I'm motivated, I just need to spool up and quit being leisurely in the evenings.

GSXR750K2

Yet Another Weekly Update:

Got the "evaluation complete" email for LYT2 (Current/Emerging Tech) Task 3 yesterday, so that wrapped up that course. Task 2 was sent back for revision on Wednesday because, while I was typing at 2:00 AM, my brain swapped the Technology Adoption Model for the Technology ACCEPTANCE Model. So while the evaluator said it was well done, it was the wrong...in my defense, the rubric says "technological acceptance curve", so that's probably why I wrote it that way in the first place. Luckily I was able to reuse the bulk of the Acceptance Model write up in Task 3 when discussing gaining support from users.

Now I just need to finish up Tasks 3 and 4 for TFT2 (Cyberlaw). For some reason, I'm unable to look at the Skillsoft book regarding SLAs for Task 3 (and WGU can't figure out why...I get a "You are not authorized to view the collection this title is in" message), so I may just have to wing it based on some sample SLAs I've found and see what happens. Task 4 is partly done...most of the materials I find list the U.S. Code numbers, but the Code of Federal Regulations is what enforces the content of the U.S.C, so in effect, a U.S.C. statute is powerless without a CFR to implement it and authorized a LEA to do something about it (a prime example of me being ****). I'll probably pick it back up tomorrow, I plan on doing nothing for the rest of the day.

The rundown:

JIT2 (Risk Mgmt) - Complete
LYT2 (Current/Emerging Tech) - Complete
TFT2 (Cyblerlaw, etc.) - Task 3 and Task 4 remaining

aspiringsoul

GSXR750K2,

Awesome to see the progress that you're making on your degree. I intend to enroll in the MS IT Management program after I finish the MS:ISA next term (two degrees for the price of one, essentially.)

GSXR750K2

That's a good plan, I've given some thought to doing the ISA after I complete the ITM. I know at least the first three courses are the same between the programs, so hopefully those won't have to be done over again, and if so, I don't see why we could reuse our papers since everything would be cited and/or in our own original words.

I'm sure someone here can shed some light on completing two programs that share some of the same courses.

cyberguypr

I think I read here that WGU doesn't allow two degrees from the same school. Someone with an authoritative answer can clarify.

GSXR750K2

Just gave them a shout...

Per the Continuing Grad Specialist, yes you can do more than one MS IT degree. As long as you meet the requirements, it's treated like any other degree. He didn't know about how the identical classes would work out though.

<Edit>
He had to call a couple of people to get the "yes" answer, so that's why he didn't know much else about the scenario. Doesn't seem to be a question they get asked a lot.
</Edit>

He also mentioned the new Master's in Cybersecurity coming soon ("MS CSA" if I recall he said). I have only heard one thing about it before, another student on a call mentioned being called by his mentor about swapping one course for a "Cyberwarfare" course related to that degree.

GSXR750K2

Quickie Update:

TFT2 (Cyberlaw) Task 4 was submitted before lunch today and has moved all the way up to 139 in line...my gut is telling me it will come back for one thing in particular, but my brain is telling me that my gut worries too much.

Task 3 is on hold for a minute since, one, I can barely spell SLA since I've never had to work with them, and, two, WGU's "tech support" is still scratching their asses as to why Skillsoft is denying me access to stuff (Tier 1 for the win). I've heard it's not a very difficult task, but without a reference point to start, I figured I'd use the book they recommend. I may overnight a physical copy so I can have something to work with. If anyone knows of some equivalent resources pertinent to the task, I will extol your virtues with resounding songs.

I may head out of town and do something foolish this weekend to give my brain a break, so I may not check in until TFT2 is complete. More to follow...

heyblue

Hey there, saw your thread and wanted to say that I am in the same program as you. Just waiting on Task 4 to be evaluated. We are pretty much neck and neck...slow start for me due to getting married and moving....but finished the three in about 6 weeks.

GSXR750K2

Welcome to TE and I'm glad to see another in the program. According to WGU's little student network map, there are many in ITM, but as for myself I usually only hear from the ISA students. Dakinggamer87 is another member that will be starting ITM in February.

My Task 4 is at number 40 at the moment. I may or may not have scanned over an SLA we have with another company, so I'm working something up for Task 3 with some good supporting information...hopefully it flies. I'm ready for this course to be over.

heyblue

I hear ya, I am currently number 36 in the queue for Task 4. Task 3 was not too bad, it is very similar to Task 1 in that you are suggesting modifications to the SLA, much like recommending policy changes and why.
I have 12 months of the GI Bill remaining and I need to try to pace myself so I can continue to get the $750/month to max out on the benefits.
I did look at the MSISA program first; however, my undergrad was MIS, not technical or code heavy at all.

GSXR750K2

Yea, I've decided I was putting way too much thought into Task 3, kind of like how I was LYT2 Task 2...probably a side effect from staying up late a lot.

What branch are/were you in?

heyblue

I was in the Navy.

GSXR750K2

On behalf of those of us whom support and respect our military, thank you for your service. I thought about the Air Force when I was younger (I'm 33 now), but I wanted to fly yet took too long getting the degree, so I stayed a civilian and settled for my private pilot's certificate. My father was Air Force Reserve as an avionics technician, he used to take me to the ANG base and watch the F-4s at the time and then the F-16s when they arrived. It leaves an impression on a four-year old kid. "They" have since taken our A-10s, but I still like going to the perimeter fence and watching the AF C-130s and Navy F-18s that stop for fuel while transitioning through.

---

In other news...Task 4 came back as expected (my gut was right). I received an email from the support folks asking if everything was working fine with Skillsoft, even though all they did was tell me it was a problem on my end. They've either failed to write down or failed to understand some of the things I've said to them, so I'm guessing they're under the impression Skillsoft doesn't work at all, but that's not the case...just wanted to throw that out there because my response goes to great lengths in an attempt to get that point across. I'm posting this in case anyone else has, or has had, a similar problem and are asked by support to clear their cookies several times...

"No, I'm still unable to access some of the Skillsoft resources. As I stated to Ray on the 20th, I only receive the error when trying to view certain titles.

I can access "The Adventures of an IT Leader" under the Current & Emerging Tech course, as well as "Managers and Their Impact on Strategic Risk Management" and "Business Risk Management Handbook: A Sustainable Approach" under the Risk Management course.

I cannot access "Service Level Agreements: A Legal and Practical Guide", "Information Technology Control and Audit, Third Edition", or "Information Security Law: The Emerging Standard for Corporate Compliance" under the Cyberlaw course.

I've tested other courses I have not yet enrolled in and get mixed results there too. I'm able to access "The Definitive Handbook of Business Continuity Management, Second Edition" in course code FXT2 (DR Planning) and "10 Steps to Successful Social Networking for Business" under code MBT2 (Techno Globalization), but I'm not able to access "Effective Communication for the Technical Professions, Second Edition" under MCT2 (Technical Writing), which will most likely be my next course.

I get the same results after having tested on three different machines (Win7, Win8.1, Win10), three different ISPs (one DSL, two cable), three different internal networks (home, office domain, coffee shop), and three different flavors of Internet browsers (IE10 and IE11, Chrome, and Firefox), so I'm confident I've addressed Shawn's belief that there might be a technical issue with my system. Since the error message states "You are not entitled to the collection this title is in" on the resources I'm unable to view, it indicates that a credential, token, or group membership may not be in effect or may be incorrect.

I'm not trying to be difficult or combative. My main concern at the moment is whether or not a resolution is even possible in the event I, or other students, encounter this issue in the future. In an effort to make up for lost time I've resorted to ordering the physical book so I can continuing working on the tasks I need to complete in order to accelerate my program.

Let me know if I can provide any more information from my end that may help determine the root cause."

I may not end up using the book I ordered, but I wanted to throw it in since I had to order something (and maybe more things before the end) that they're already providing access to.

heyblue

I had task 4 returned as well, apparently the security controls I recommended were more suited for internal rather than external. I fixed this and resubmitted it this morning. This is one thing I do not like about the process in that every section must be spot on before it is passed rather than the whole body of work.

GSXR750K2

Mine came back on the controls part as well.

Shawn from WGU has redeemed their support staff. Was on the phone with him for about an hour in total tonight working through it. The issue still isn't corrected, but at least he was able to repro the problem with a test account, and now that test account is as broken as mine. LOL It's a Skillport (or Skillsoft, whatever) issue that apparently hasn't been seen by WGU before and Skillport's suggested steps to try made things a little worse as far as accessing material (can't do it through the COS links now).

I'm pioneering new frontiers in breaking stuff.

GSXR750K2

Shawn and the guys at Skillport got the Skillport thing figured out so I'm now able to access all of the resources via the COS that were previously off limits. From our phone call the other night, my problem was very close to a known issue that occurs when Skillport pulls or moves a title and something in the database is waiting to sync the changes, so he said that may have been why it got so little attention at first.

I hereby rescind the aforementioned condescension and conversely exude a plethora of gratitude and contrition.

GSXR750K2

UPDATE:

It's been a minute since I cleaned the dust of this thread. I took a bit of a break from the program over the past several weeks, I think I burned myself out a little by consistently working on three or so tasks simultaneously for the first month of the program. I was in Houston most of last week helping relocate one of our branch offices to a new building, and I think the break from the norm got me back in the right mindset. I'm down to needing Task 3 for TFT2 (still), and then I'll be accelerating to SJT2 (Advanced Networking).

Hopefully, I'll get Task 3 wrapped up this week and get back on track. I don't know if my original six month goal is attainable now given the squandered time, but within a year should be doable.

GSXR750K2

TFT2 is finished. My suffering has come to an end, at least for now. Decided to check PocketWGU a minute ago and saw I had an unread email, but more importantly I saw my progress bar at 100% for the term, so I had a pretty good idea what the email was about.

Time to accelerate.

GSXR750K2

Happy Easter.

SJT2 (Advanced Networking) is complete, had to revise one little area and the 2nd submission passed.

From here on out, progress may be a little slower since it involves the business classes that I'm not as knowledgeable on, so I'll have to do some studying now.

GSXR750K2

I almost feel bad for rehashing this old thread.

After a two month break I decided to take on FXT2 (Disaster Recovery Stuff, etc., etc.) to finish out the term. Completed it in two weeks with all submissions accepted on the first attempt (with Task 3 being stuck in "Evaluation In Progress" for 16 freaking hours). Tasks 2 and 3 were pretty straight-forward, though I think they designed task 3 to require you to look at the situation quite closely. I think I went overboard with my presenter notes on Task 1, but what better way to complete a task than to wear the evaluator down with lots and lots of details.

This is a fairly light course that is more or less an extension of JIT2 (Risk Management). Bryan's webinar has some good tips, FAQs, and task overview documents, so definitely sit in on that when you start the course.

EnderWiggin

Nice progress! I've had the "Evaluation in Progress" issue before too. I feel like their system may be flawed, where when the evaluator finishes a submission, it automatically gives them the next one, but if they're done for the night, it sits in limbo in their account. I don't know, it's complete guess, but it feels that way sometimes.

GSXR750K2

Thanks. I'm not as far as long as I'd like to be, but I've got a couple of new certs to study for and a couple of recerts coming up so I eased off the throttle regarding school.

I've been stuck at number three for a long time before (equally frustrating) but never on an actual eval in progress. I thought they had received my paper then went out to party and didn't wake up until 3:00 PM the next day. I guess even evaluators need a break, they just need to take them after my task is evaluated. In all I've had pretty good luck with TaskStream, so I consider myself fortunate.

EnderWiggin

Yeah, I get that evaluators need a break, but Taskstream just needs to be fixed so we don't hang like that with one particular evaluator. For an organization that has so many students getting degrees in IT, they really need to clean up their tech