mzx380's WGU MBA: Information Technology Management Progress Thread

mzx380

1. Managing Organizations and Leading People - C200 | In Progress
2. IT Project Management - MGT2 |
3. Managing Human Capital - C202 |
4. Marketing - C212
5. Global Economics for Managers - C211
6. Accounting for Decision Makers - C213
7. Financial Management - C214
8. Ethical Leadership - C206
9. Data Driven Decision Making C207
10. IT Strategic Solutions MMT2
11. MBA, Information Technology Management Capstone - C218

Hey Everyone
Time has finally come; today I'm officially back to school to pursue my MBA in IT Management from WGU. Thanks to everyone on the boards for answering my questions about the University. I've already finished my required reading for this week and am starting to write my paper. I'll be using this thread to update on my progress and will answer any questions people have along the way.

For those currently enrolled in grad school @ WGU, Good luck and thanks for the motivation.

Hatch1921

A big congrats on going back to school. The program is worthwhile IMO... lots to learn... lots to work on. If you have questions about any of the classes, feel free to ask.


Good luck!
Frank

Moon Child

Hey that's great! A friend of mine got his teaching degree from WGU and is a successful teacher now. If the MBA helps you I might consider WGU later, but only after I can get more IT experience on my resume. I have thought about ... for years getting an MBA from Purdue-Calumet. I have talked to the faculty at Purdue about the MBA, but mainly because of the 35k it would cost me I never pursued it. If you think the MBA at WGU really helps you and it is cheaper then the 35k I would have to pay for an MBA at Purdue, I might consider it... after I get some more IT work experience under my belt. Purdue offers a MBA-Accounting concentration not sure if WGU offers that as well. I always wanted a nice blend of IT and Accounting to stand out from the crowd.

TranceSoulBrother

Good luck with it.
I'm in the same program. Just finished C202 HR course. I'm working on the tasks for C200 (been slacking on it for the past 2 weeks but will buckle down and write both papers this weekend), and then onto MGT2 IT Project Mgmt.
I heard that the Econ class is a beast. Hope it's not that bad.

Dakinggamer87

Congrats and good luck in WGU here to help in anyway if you need it!!

Look forward to tracking and watching your progress

jdancer

Thanks for updating your progress.

Currently taking a few pre-MBA courses here at the local B&M school and plan to start in Fall of 2017.

WGU is on the list of non-profit 100% online regionally accredited schools I'm considering.

Debating whether I should apply to an AACSB or ACBSP accredited schools exclusively.

mzx380

1. Managing Organizations and Leading People - C200 | Completed
2. IT Project Management - MGT2 | In Progress
3. Managing Human Capital - C202 |
4. Marketing - C212
5. Global Economics for Managers - C211
6. Accounting for Decision Makers - C213
7. Financial Management - C214
8. Ethical Leadership - C206
9. Data Driven Decision Making C207
10. IT Strategic Solutions MMT2
11. MBA, Information Technology Management Capstone - C218

Got the update last night that they accepted my last assignment in C200 so that class is officially complete and I get to start MGT2 today. I'm glad I stuck to my guns and finished this course within a month. Scheduling time for schoolwork was not so bad since I've spent this year scheduling time for certification studying. However, IMHO the hardest part was adjusting to writing papers since I haven't been in school for a while.

Hope my time in this course will be just as smooth
Will keep you guys posted, let me know if anyone has any questions.
Thanks

mzx380

1. Managing Organizations and Leading People - C200 | Completed
2. IT Project Management - MGT2 | Completed
3. Managing Human Capital - C202 | In Progress
4. Marketing - C212
5. Global Economics for Managers - C211
6. Accounting for Decision Makers - C213
7. Financial Management - C214
8. Ethical Leadership - C206
9. Data Driven Decision Making C207
10. IT Strategic Solutions MMT2
11. MBA, Information Technology Management Capstone - C218


Some welcome good news today after a long day at work. I Received confirmation on the commute home that my last assessment for MGT2 was accepted so that class is complete and I'm moving on to C202.
MGT2 was not so bad because I was able to rely on my skills as a PM to complete the work. C202 might be different because that is going to require me to buckle down for their exam, so I'll keep you posted on how that goes

PCTechLinc

I'm actually working on MGT2 right now, and it's a challenge since I've never managed a project before. I literally just started, working on Task 1, item A (the Tools Matrix). Good luck with the rest!

BTW, for C202, I thought the practice exam was harder than the actual exam. I got about 10% higher on the real exam, which was really nice.

mzx380

PCTechLinc wrote: »

I'm actually working on MGT2 right now, and it's a challenge since I've never managed a project before. I literally just started, working on Task 1, item A (the Tools Matrix). Good luck with the rest!

BTW, for C202, I thought the practice exam was harder than the actual exam. I got about 10% higher on the real exam, which was really nice.

In my opinion, the first assessment is the most difficult because it has the most parts which are time-consuming. Once you finish that, the next two will be easier.

I thought that all students in this program had to do it in a specific order. My mentor said MGT2 then C202, but you did in the other way around. Did you just decide to save that for later or is it in your degree plan that way?

PCTechLinc

You can actually pick whatever order you want, but you are strongly recommended to go the way your mentor outlines. The reason why my mentor set it up that way was because of the things I was going through. My degree started 10/1/16, and I knew I was going to be laid off from my previous job 10/31. For those reasons, she thought it would be best to do C200 and C202 first, since they would be less time-consuming than MGT2. I'm really glad we went through it that way, because now I have plenty of time to work on MGT2 before my first term ends.

mzx380

PCTechLinc wrote: »

You can actually pick whatever order you want, but you are strongly recommended to go the way your mentor outlines. The reason why my mentor set it up that way was because of the things I was going through. My degree started 10/1/16, and I knew I was going to be laid off from my previous job 10/31. For those reasons, she thought it would be best to do C200 and C202 first, since they would be less time-consuming than MGT2. I'm really glad we went through it that way, because now I have plenty of time to work on MGT2 before my first term ends.

Sorry to hear about that but at least you will be free to pursue your studies uninterrupted which is a HUGE plus. I see that you have done your MS ISA from WGU. I plan on studying for that within the next few years and wanted to get your thoughts on the compared programs.

PCTechLinc

Well, not entirely uninterrupted. I was blessed enough to get an awesome job offer before I was laid off. I started on 12/12, and so far is really enjoyable. Only thing that sucks now is that the job site is almost 200 miles away from home, so I'm staying with a former student and her husband during the week, and going back home on the weekends. This weekend my agent is having an open house to try to sell our house, and my wife and I are meeting with the agent down here to try to find a new house.


The MSISA program has turned into the MSCIA, but I haven't really looked into the differences. My former student that I'm staying with is finishing her CCNA so she can enter the program, since she doesn't have IT Security experience. I really enjoyed the MSISA program. I didn't know much of anything about IT Security prior, and although I'm definitely not an expert, I am more mindful of security practices. I can definitely keep you updated when I help my former student go through the program. I'll be moving relatively close to her, and we plan on having study sessions together. It works out well that my wife and I are really good friends with her and her husband.

mzx380

PCTechLinc wrote: »

Well, not entirely uninterrupted. I was blessed enough to get an awesome job offer before I was laid off. I started on 12/12, and so far is really enjoyable. Only thing that sucks now is that the job site is almost 200 miles away from home, so I'm staying with a former student and her husband during the week, and going back home on the weekends. This weekend my agent is having an open house to try to sell our house, and my wife and I are meeting with the agent down here to try to find a new house.


The MSISA program has turned into the MSCIA, but I haven't really looked into the differences. My former student that I'm staying with is finishing her CCNA so she can enter the program, since she doesn't have IT Security experience. I really enjoyed the MSISA program. I didn't know much of anything about IT Security prior, and although I'm definitely not an expert, I am more mindful of security practices. I can definitely keep you updated when I help my former student go through the program. I'll be moving relatively close to her, and we plan on having study sessions together. It works out well that my wife and I are really good friends with her and her husband.

That would be great, please keep me posted

mzx380

Passed the C202 final an hour ago, this was the first course in the curriculum that required an exam and I have the following tips/opinions:

1) The quizzes taken online vs taken on a mobile device are way more indicative of the level of difficulty of the questions.
2) Practice test was ultimately the best assessor as to if I was ready for the exam or not.

If anyone has any questions, let me know
On to C212 starting tomorrow!!!

Hatch1921

mzx380 wrote: »

Passed the C202 final an hour ago, this was the first course in the curriculum that required an exam and I have the following tips/opinions:

1) The quizzes taken online vs taken on a mobile device are way more indicative of the level of difficulty of the questions.
2) Practice test was ultimately the best assessor as to if I was ready for the exam or not.

If anyone has any questions, let me know
On to C212 starting tomorrow!!!

Congrats!

The format of the tests from here on out .. about the same. As I previously mentioned, Global Econ was the only one I've seen where the pretest didn't align with the final. This was a brutal course for me... others ... sail right through it.

Accounting... not bad... aligns really well with the final.
Ethical Leadership ... one of the easier courses IMO. Lots of common sense questions.
Financial Management... know the main formulas and how to apply them. The final has a few math questions... not hard... the main focus is what formula you would use to in various scenarios.

Data-Driven Decision Making(Stats) --- not Stats in the sense you are going to answer complex mathematical/statistical questions. This one took me the longest to complete... I was paranoid about taking the final. It's not horrible. It does however really make you think about the situations/scenarios they provide and what statistical methodology or formulas you would apply in the situation given.

Keep pressing on and congrats on the pass.

Frank

mzx380

Thanks for the tips on future classes Frank. How are you doing with MGT2?

Hatch1921

mzx380 wrote: »

Thanks for the tips on future classes Frank. How are you doing with MGT2?

Welcome:)

Working on Task 3... I should finish the course this weekend. I have a feeling, I put in more work than was necessary for task 2. The evaluation stated I provided an extensive and in depth communication plan.... translation... too much work/overkill LOL

Then... it is on to the Capstone. I had a chat with my mentor, I can choose to tackle the course in 4,6, or 8 weeks. I need to take a minute to review the course work before I commit to a time. It would really be nice to finish the degree in 4 weeks, but I have a feeling I'll go for the 6 week option.

Have fun with your courses... lots of quality info for sure.

Frank

mzx380

Hatch1921 wrote: »

Welcome:)

Working on Task 3... I should finish the course this weekend. I have a feeling, I put in more work than was necessary for task 2. The evaluation stated I provided an extensive and in depth communication plan.... translation... too much work/overkill LOL

Then... it is on to the Capstone. I had a chat with my mentor, I can choose to tackle the course in 4,6, or 8 weeks. I need to take a minute to review the course work before I commit to a time. It would really be nice to finish the degree in 4 weeks, but I have a feeling I'll go for the 6 week option.

Have fun with your courses... lots of quality info for sure.

Frank

That's great motivational news, please keep me posted on your progress and good luck!

TranceSoulBrother

Marketing was easy...just make sure you hit all the rubric points. They kept pushing back because I didn't relate one section to another (laid everything out, just didn't have a "transitive" sentence)
I've been stuck on Accounting and Econ for the past month. Just had a deluge of stuff at home and work that saps my energy at night.
Good luck.Keep on trucking.

mzx380

TranceSoulBrother wrote: »

Marketing was easy...just make sure you hit all the rubric points. They kept pushing back because I didn't relate one section to another (laid everything out, just didn't have a "transitive" sentence)
I've been stuck on Accounting and Econ for the past month. Just had a deluge of stuff at home and work that saps my energy at night.
Good luck.Keep on trucking.

Thanks TranceSoulBrother
Good luck with your accounting and econ courses, let me know how that goes.

Dakinggamer87

Nice work I'll continue to cheer you on even after I graduate

mzx380

I passed the C211 (Global Econ) course earlier this evening. This was my second attempt taking the exam and it was the hardest course of the curriculum so far. I felt that I had to alter my approach to how to study after reading through the material the first time and was definitely more deliberate the second time around. The exam can be tricky but I used the 90 minutes in order to go through the questions and found a couple of valuable mistakes that could have cost me on this exam.

Glad that this course is finally over, I'm taking a break from studying until Monday to be with family and then Accounting & Marketing here I come!!!!!!!!!

Hatch1921

mzx380 wrote: »

I passed the C211 (Global Econ) course earlier this evening. This was my second attempt taking the exam and it was the hardest course of the curriculum so far. I felt that I had to alter my approach to how to study after reading through the material the first time and was definitely more deliberate the second time around. The exam can be tricky but I used the 90 minutes in order to go through the questions and found a couple of valuable mistakes that could have cost me on this exam.

Glad that this course is finally over, I'm taking a break from studying until Monday to be with family and then Accounting & Marketing here I come!!!!!!!!!

Congrats!
C211 =EVIL! LOL

Accounting...there isn't a ton of math on the exam. I think I had maybe 6 questions? The key to this one is to know where you would apply the Accounting principals to the scenarios they provide. Make sure you have a whiteboard and a calculator. I ended up taking the exam without the whiteboard, it was a challenge to keep the math straight. A couple of the math problems use historical data and keeping track of the numbers...in your head... not fun. LOL

Congrats again and good luck with Accounting.
Hatch

TranceSoulBrother

I'm studying for Econ now.
Can you share what kind of questions to expect? any calculations or just MCQ?
I'm not looking for specific wording of course, just the general bent. Thanks

mzx380

Tracesoulbrother
There are no calculations required for this exam but you will have to remember how things are generated
Ex- total revenue = price x qty sold

Other things worth concentrating are to know your graphs. There are several questions about what changes in scenarios would do to curves on graphs.

Make sure you clearly understand the different economic systems and institutions as well as different govt actions dealing with exchange rates.

mzx380

Hatch1921 wrote: »

Congrats!
C211 =EVIL! LOL



Accounting...there isn't a ton of math on the exam. I think I had maybe 6 questions? The key to this one is to know where you would apply the Accounting principals to the scenarios they provide. Make sure you have a whiteboard and a calculator. I ended up taking the exam without the whiteboard, it was a challenge to keep the math straight. A couple of the math problems use historical data and keeping track of the numbers...in your head... not fun. LOL

Congrats again and good luck with Accounting.
Hatch

Thanks again for your help hatch

mzx380

Finished C213 Accounting for Decision Makers late last night. The final had the majority of the formulas that you will need for the test, so you do not have to memorize them and are permitted to use a handheld calculator on the exam. The only formulas I did not see were the ones for CVA so make sure you are familiar with how that calculation is supposed to work because it is a two step process. I'm going to try and knock out two more classes before my term ends. Will keep you posted on how that goes.

Hatch1921

mzx380 wrote: »

Finished C213 Accounting for Decision Makers late last night. The final had the majority of the formulas that you will need for the test, so you do not have to memorize them and are permitted to use a handheld calculator on the exam. The only formulas I did not see were the ones for CVA so make sure you are familiar with how that calculation is supposed to work because it is a two step process. I'm going to try and knock out two more classes before my term ends. Will keep you posted on how that goes.

NICE!

A big congrats! Accounting wasn't bad at all IMO. Best of luck with the next couple of classes.

keep up the great work.
Hatch

mzx380

I passed my assessment for C214 earlier today! I don't know if it is because work/home have been really busy lately or not but I feel that this class was the most difficult of any in the curriculum just far. While Economics was tricky, the subject matter for this course was pretty deep. Here are my tips on how to get ahead
1) Make sure you buy a financial calculator, it is a must if you want to make things easier for yourself
2) The reading material for this course really doesn't help you much and the videos do not help at all so don't spend too much time on those.
3) Book time with the course mentor to help sharpen your focus on the financial topics that are relevant to the exam.

I'm off to finish C212 before my term ends later this month.
Questions, let me know.

mzx380

Passed my marketing assessment earlier this weekend. Very straightforward, just read the material and type up an assessment. The only thing of note is that my paper was returned a few times for edits before it was finally submitted which is odd but at least this class is over.

New semester starts this week. This will hopefully be my last semester.

Questions, let me know
Thanks