WGU - BS: CSIA (8/01/2017) Progress Thread

NEODREAM

Hello all,

I just wanted to create this thread to track the progress of my WGU program starting on 8/01 for my B.S. in their new Cybersecurity and Information Assurance program.

Just completed the orientation modules today and am awaiting a mentor to unlock the PA for it. This may be due to a mentor not being assigned to me yet, but according to my enrollment counselor, I should have one assigned some time this week.

I am transferring in 48 CU's from a combination of certifications and some previous college work.

Here are the courses that I have remaining:

C182 - Introduction to IT - Completed 8/8/17
C168 - Critical Thinking & Logic
C768 - Technical Communcations
C683 - Natural Science Lab
C779 - Web Development Foundations
C173 - Scripting and Progamming Foundations
C175 - Data Management Foundations
C170 - Data Management Applications
C846 - Business of IT Applications
C836 - Fundamentals of Information Security
C845 - Information Systems Security
C839 - Introduction to Cryptography
C837 - Managing Web Security
C838 - Managing Cloud Security
C840 - Digital Forensics in Cybersecurity
C841 - Legal Issues in Information Security
C842 - Cyber Defense and Countermeasures
C843 - Managing Information Security
C844 - Emerging Technologies in Cybersecurity
IT Capstone Written Project

Excited to see how much I can get done this term and tracking my progress throughout this next term! To everyone else starting on 8/01, I wish you the best of luck!

SoCalGuy858

Enrolled in the BS:CIA and starting on 8/1, too! I knocked out the orientation today and spent some time working through some of my coursework to get a feel for everything. I was able to bring in 62 credits from prior work and certifications and I'm hoping to knock out the remaining credits in one term.

Tibs

I am also starting my BS:CIA on 08/01... hopefully... just awaiting my financial aid award letter to ensure it is covered (has to be done by the end of this week). My enrollment counselor said at the time I was admitted there were only 10 spots left for this degree plan for August, so sounds like I barely made in. Unlike you two, I am starting in with only 14CUs transferred (English comp I, Intro to Geography, and the two A+ courses). So I will be essentially starting from scratch and learning it all as I go along.

In addition to that, my wife is also interested in IT but doesn't want to continue school just yet. She's going to take her A+ soon, then she wants to follow me in obtaining other certifications like N+ and S+; I'll be supplementing her with learning material for it while I take the relevant courses. I may come back here to share progress since it appears I am the first one on these forums to be taking this degree plan with such little experience/transfer credits.

jcundiff

welcome to the party... I am currently working on BS ITSEC, but will be transitioning to the CSIA as soon as WGU opens it for current students... which will be Jan most likely for me... fortunately, there are some course overlap so I wont be wasting this semester

NEODREAM

Well first update, I have my first test scheduled for tomorrow night (C182 - Intro to IT) and although I wanted to test earlier, my mentor was adamant on not rushing my first testing experience. My methods for studying for this course were pretty straight forward, complete the PA and then study up on the sections I scored below 'Competent' in.

Hopefully all goes well with this and then I can move on to C836 - Fundamentals of Information Security.

NEODREAM

Just took my test and passed with a 93! On to C836...hoping for ~1 week on this one, but I'll have a better idea of the time-frame as I start digesting the course material.

Thinking of tackling C168 - Critical Thinking & Logic if all goes well this week and I'm able to stick to my ideal timeline.

NEODREAM

C836 down after 2 days! Just received my results I passed my exam yesterday since assessment scores were delayed last night. Methods for this course were similar to C182...took my PA and received a 95% - went through course flashcards/end of module quizzes and then tested the night of.

C168 here we go!

NEODREAM

Just passed C168 20 minutes ago! It was a pretty straight forward class, so if anyone is reading then and wondering how it is, I suggest you take the PA and then just go through the 2 sets of practice questions at the end of the course. Those 3 tests combined will give you a good feel for how the OA is structured and worded.

Next up:
C846 - Business of IT Applications
C173 - Scripting and Programming Foundations
C683 - Natural Science Lab

NEODREAM

C683 done and halfway through the C846 material!

Taskstream took longer than I expected for my C683 assignment (~48 hours + another ~12 hour wait for a minor revision I needed to make).

NEODREAM

C846 - Business of IT Applications just passed. Definitely over studied, but better safe than sorry....material is dry as hell and glad to be done with this one.

Next on the list is C173 - Scripting and Programming Foundations. Hopefully I can knock this out in 1 - 1.5 weeks.

NEODREAM

Just finished up with my OA for C173 and was glad to see I passed. Got an 80% which is my lowest score thus far on an exam, but its been a while since I've dealt with programming and I have 0 experience with UML diagrams.

Next:
C779 - Web Development Foundations (CIW-SDA certification)
C839 - Introduction to Cryptography (EC-Council ECES certification)

19 weeks left in my term

shoey

I'm know this is random, but does it bother anyone else they call them "Mentors"? I had my weekly call scheduled on Monday mornings (while at work), and always felt weird saying I had to "take a phone call from my mentor."

NEODREAM

shoey wrote: »

I'm know this is random, but does it bother anyone else they call them "Mentors"? I had my weekly call scheduled on Monday mornings (while at work), and always felt weird saying I had to "take a phone call from my mentor."

Lol I suppose they are a mentor in a sense they are there to keep you on track/focused/accountable? Not sure...but doesn't bother me too much as most of my weekly calls with my mentor are 3-5 minutes.

Update: Just tested for C779 and passed pretty easily as the cutoff score for this one is 63.33. Next up will be C839 which is probably looking like 2 week course for me realistically. I'm reading mixed things about the course material they provide so I may have to go a bit out of the box on this one.

SoCalGuy858

NEODREAM wrote: »

Update: Just tested for C779 and passed pretty easily as the cutoff score for this one is 63.33. Next up will be C839 which is probably looking like 2 week course for me realistically. I'm reading mixed things about the course material they provide so I may have to go a bit out of the box on this one.

Doing the exact same right now. Sitting for C779 on Monday and trying to jump into C839. I'm interested in hearing anything at all from those who have taken the ECES exam.... from the practice questions in the WGU material, it seems pretty straight forward, but ya never know!

NEODREAM

SoCalGuy858 wrote: »

Doing the exact same right now. Sitting for C779 on Monday and trying to jump into C839. I'm interested in hearing anything at all from those who have taken the ECES exam.... from the practice questions in the WGU material, it seems pretty straight forward, but ya never know!

I felt the same way actually, didn't do amazing on the pre-assessment as I don't have a lot of experience with some of the encryption methods that were listed like FISH, Skipjack, etc. However if anyone out there does have experience with the ECES exam I am all ears....seems to be very little information out there about this one.

NEODREAM

Just completed the assessment for C839 (EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist) and want to give a big shout out to the folks at ITProTV for their course on this one. Awesome videos that really helped with preparing me for this exam!! 1.5 weeks overall which was right in line with what I was hoping for.

Next Up:
C837 - Managing Web Security (CIW: WSA certification)
C175 - Data Management Foundations
C170 - Data Management Applications

NEODREAM

C837 has just been completed.
Now its onto C175 and C170 which seem like they will be a PITA considering everything I've read about how picky the graders are on the PA for C170.

Current Status:
Transferred - 48 CUs
Completed - 30 CUs
Remaining - 44 CUs

16 weeks left in term.

NEODREAM

C175 completed as of tonight. Now onto the dreaded C170, lord help me...hopefully all the ones who have spilled blood before me in this class will make it more bearable.

Jason F

Nice work. I also transferred in 48 CUs. My list of remaining courses is similar to yours, except all my general credits are complete. I won't be starting until Jan 1, but I will be keeping an eye on this thread.

NEODREAM

Awesome let me know if you have any questions about the courses and I'll try my best to provide some insight.

In other news I just passed C170, I was able to get through the OA before the PA as it was kicked back twice for minor revisions (literally missing a sentence).

Next:
C842 - Cyber Defense & Countermeasures (ECIH)
C843 - Managing Information Security

14 weeks left in term.

Jason F

Good work. What did you think about C170? Was it as bad as most make it out to be?

NEODREAM

Jason F wrote: »

Good work. What did you think about C170? Was it as bad as most make it out to be?

The class isn't terribly hard, but the project is annoying as its quite vague when it comes to the graders. Luckily people are helpful in the Slack channel and there are lots of resources out there now to pull guidance from.

Definitely one of my least favorite classes this far.

NEODREAM

C842 completed, onto the next one.

NEODREAM

C843 done with. Now I'll be going over the practice tests for C845 (SSCP), possibly looking to test in 1-2 weeks from now.

12 weeks left in term.

Status: 95/122

NEODREAM

Passed the SSCP provisionally today, now just waiting for the endorsement.

Looks like I'll be able to add a couple more classes. Thinking of going with:

C840 - Digital Forensics in Cybersecurity
C841 - Legal Issues in Information Security

Status: 99/122
Remaining: 11 weeks

NEODREAM

Been a while since my last update, but had a week of little progress due to the Thanksgiving holidays.

C841 Task 1 passed about a week ago, and just received notification Task 2 was accepted. C841 completed.
C840 Task 1 and Task 2 are done for the PA, so that just leaves the OA to take care and I can scratch that off my list...hoping to test this week sometime.

Status: 103/122
Remaining: 8 weeks

Thinking of taking C844 (Emerging Technologies in Cybersecurity) and C768 (Tech Comm), if everything goes smoothly this week.

NEODREAM

C840 OA passed, onto the next 2!

C768 - Technical Communications
C844 - Emerging Technologies in Communications

Status: 107/122
Remaining: 7 weeks (Jan 31.)

Might be able to press this thing for 1 term...only the Capstone and C838 (CCSP) stand in my way after these 2.

NEODREAM

Just got notification that both tasks for C844 passed this morning. Going to try and knock out Tech Comm before the end of this month while weaving in some study time for my CCSP. Hopefully I can sit for it mid Jan.

Capstone will get done at some point, depending on how Tech Comm goes.

NoNameNoob

Wow that's an awesome pace! Are you currently working in the IT field or are you a full time student? Any specific position that you are looking forward to applying after completion?

NEODREAM

NoNameNoob wrote: »

Wow that's an awesome pace! Are you currently working in the IT field or are you a full time student? Any specific position that you are looking forward to applying after completion?

Thanks! Yes, I am currently working full time as a security analyst in a SOC.

Honestly I am just wanting to complete my degree as a personal goal of mine and something to check off on the resume.

NotHackingYou

Great job and thank you for sharing your progress.