Is a WGU degree everything you hoped for?

I've read so many threads / posts on this forum and I am very interested in WGU, in fact I just applied there but i'm nervous about the payoff of the time investment in the real world. The problem I'm having is that there is so much conflicting information on the web about competency based education and what the real world thinks of it.

For example on this forum WGU is very highly regarded and loved by IT folks like us. On the internet, where many articles are written by B&M schools or affiliated organizations CBE schools are not so loved. I'd imagine that the reason that happens is that CBE bucks the established trend and model of their money making setup they talk down about it to discredit it.

I'm really interested in finding out from some of the prior graduates and/or hiring managers out there, how was a WGU degree actually evaluated in the real world?

1. Does a degree from WGU get looked down upon in major companies?
2. Do hiring managers even know it is from an online only school/do they care?
3. For those that went into a B&M masters program, how was the WGU B.S. reviewed in that process?
4. For executive level positions where prestige in your degree helps you stand out, does it matter at that level if not at lower levels?

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fabostrong

I hope its worth it cause I should be starting may 1st lol

YuckTheFankees

I received my degree from WGU and it has accomplished exactly what I needed, to get by HR departments that want to see a bachelor degree. I have worked many jobs...Dev Ops, security analyst, NOC, etc...and I have never been asked about my degree or has anything negative been said.

the_Grinch

I'll start this by saying I have not attended WGU. But with education as a whole, you get from it what you put into it. Having completed both my undergrad and graduate work at a brick and mortar school (though my Masters was online for all but one course) I've found that you still need to put in your own effort to truly make use of your work.

As an example, in my undergraduate career I did well, but put in minimal effort. Very much a pass the tests and complete the projects with whatever would get it done. Natural technical ability definitely saved me, but at the same time it cost me because I wasn't putting in the effort behind the scenes as it were. Looking back, if I had read every book assigned and put real effort into projects I would have had a very different career path than where I am today (that said I am very happy where I am today).

In contrast, my Masters was in a different field and thus natural ability wasn't going to cut it. It meant reading everything assigned, completing homework (even when it wouldn't be graded) and taking notes. I put a ton of effort into it and my grades reflected that, but also my skill set reflected that as well. It was easy to see the difference in thinking at work (and in life in general), but there was also something else that cemented for me that effort does make a difference. I took a law school course (I have a Masters in Legal Studies)on the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act that was open to JD students and MLS students. I was very much intimidated because here I am in a class of about 12 students, 11 of which were soon to be 3L's (meaning that were going to begin their final year of law school). Several were currently working in the legal field (either as clerks or one who was actually at a Prosecutor's office doing actual first appearances) and here I am an Investigator doing IT security at a regulatory agency.

To really make it interesting it was an accelerated course (8 weeks instead of 15). I more than held my own in the course. I was able to correctly analyze the legal cases we were assigned, could make valid legal points and hold my own in arguments with my fellow students and professor. Got an A in the class and without the effort that would not have been the case.

Thus, to summarize a long winded point, if you put in the effort I see no reason why WGU would be treated any differently than any other degree. My experience tells me that the degree, unless from an Ivy League school, is just a checkbox to everything else.

JCloud

Completing the WGU courses and acquiring the certs made me more confident during the interviews, which led to a new job & big raise (so I can pay more taxes). I'm doing the Cloud & Sys Admin degree and hoping to work in the cloud in the future. Looking forward to the Cloud+ and AWS courses.

Legacy User

1. Does a degree from WGU get looked down upon in major companies?
Only snobbish people would look down at it because its an "online" school not because its WGU because is not really a well known school like Rutgers or some sport school. So it would be irrelevant if its online or BM because they prob wouldnt have heard of it anyway. If its a smaller school and its out of state even if it was BM people would not have heard of it anyway. If asked just say its done online and if anyone says oh like university of phoenix you say no nowadays most schools offer full degree programs online like Rutgers, NYU, NJIT which offer engineering degrees online so its nothing out of the ordinary.

2. Do hiring managers even know it is from an online only school/do they care?
Usually they do not care and do not ask. Degrees are usually only a HR requirement most managers look for someone that can do the job not anything else. Do not forget most well known schools offer degress online. An example would be is NYU which is commonly known school they offer full bachelors and master degrees online. So the whole online/BM mentality is being washed away.

3. For those that went into a B&M masters program, how was the WGU B.S. reviewed in that process?
I have been looking for a MS program at another school and as long as its accredited and the masters program you go through the same review process as if you transfer from any other school.

4. For executive level positions where prestige in your degree helps you stand out, does it matter at that level if not at lower levels?
I would say at this level it would probably be beneficial to have a well known school when going for this level.

Oh and just to add I have a BSIT from WGU/ w experience and I get calls left and right. My current role required a BS and this degree fulfilled that requirement no questions asked.

NetworkNewb

dmarcisco wrote: »

Only snobbish people would look down at it because its an "online" school not because its WGU

To be fair, I look down on it a little bit because of the a lot of the reviews I've read about it from the people who went there, and completed it, say the quality of their program wasn't that great. I have nothing against online schools. Degrees fill a checkbox and WGU is probably the quickest and one of the cheapest ways to fill it. Wouldn't knock someone for choosing it.

Paulieb81

NetworkNewb wrote: »

To be fair, I look down on it a little bit because of the a lot of the reviews I've read about it from the people who went there, and completed it, say the quality of their program wasn't that great. I have nothing against online schools. Degrees fill a checkbox and WGU is probably the quickest and one of the cheapest ways to fill it. Wouldn't knock someone for choosing it.

I feel very similar, I wouldn't personally ever talk bad about someone with an online degree. I too am very much weighing the option while finishing my A.A. at a local college BUT my main focus is on going to a state university and WGU is just a side thought.

Now, as a hiring manager in IT I can't discriminate and I would not based on degree, but if I had a stack of resumes on my desk, two candidates of which were otherwise equally qualified, I might have to weigh heavier on the candidate that put the grit into going to a B&M school. Not because it was simply a "B&M vs Online" degree, but because I know based on experience in life that forging the path through getting a degree from an established B&M school shows an understanding of the bigger picture and their level of understanding about the system and decisions. Remember, before an interview, you are just a piece of paper in a stack of many, you have to find ways to whittle down the stack. I just read an article this morning from inc.co and I'll link it below, about how Google does it. The number 1 way they cut the stack, typos, simply that will get you cut no matter how good or perfect you are for the position.

https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/google-resume-mistakes-laszlo-bock-job-hiring-employment.html

DatabaseHead

IT DEPENDS

I had a weak bachelors degree and I ended doing the MBA from WGU and it actually helped in one particular scenario. With that said I have had some strange looks and some passive aggressive comments made in interviews.

Overall I think it's fine and helpful.

I would agree the quality is average at best. Some courses I took were very good and I learned a lot others....

Danielm7

Paulieb81 wrote: »

I might have to weigh heavier on the candidate that put the grit into going to a B&M school. Not because it was simply a "B&M vs Online" degree, but because I know based on experience in life that forging the path through getting a degree from an established B&M school shows an understanding of the bigger picture and their level of understanding about the system and decisions.

Having done both, and interviewed enough people who have gone different directions, I really don't agree.

Legacy User

If you are on the fence about state or wgu go state. You get more connections and more commonalities with that. Most people that go to wgu for IT have years of experience and just need a degree to satisfy that checkbox. What's the likelihood of having 2 identical candidates with the same skill set, same personality, same likeabilty? If the tie breaker is the school maybe you should ask more scenario based questions to really get the best candidates? Leaving it down to the school as the tie breaker only seems relevant for new grads not seasoned professionals. But this is all my opinion of course.

To add about reading reviews about quality or negative reviews everyone miles vary and using that to assess candidates doesn't make sense. Some people can do independent study while others struggle so can't do a side by side comparison. Frankly I did the required work and passed the exams or required assessments. Got in and got out. I did not enroll into college so someone could tell me how to do my job I already know how to do that. I enrolled just to finish my degree to bypass all of the mandatory bachelor requirements that were disqualifing me for roles.

NetworkNewb

dmarcisco wrote: »

To add about reading reviews about quality or negative reviews everyone miles vary and using that to assess candidates doesn't make sense.

A very high percentage say the quality wasn't great.... Doesn't vary far from the many I've read and the people who I have talked to that went there. But really it doesn't matter a whole ton, experience and how well the person interviews will matters a great deal more. Just don't expect WGU degree to amaze or impress people. It is there to fill the checkbox and to get that interview. WGU is the smartest option for a lot people due the time it takes to complete and cost.

Legacy User

I do agree if the question is whether or not it will amaze people it definitely will not. If the question is whether or not employers look down on it in my experience interviewing no manager ever asked about it. They assessed my technical abilities and my soft skills. There is a skill gap with IT jobs and employers need people to hit the ground running so the managers that understand the need of their company will drill down to weed out weak candidates and you won't determine that by what school they went too. If you are fresh out of high school looking at wgu because it's cheap I'd say go to a BM school there's alot of good experiences to be had.

NOC-Ninja

1. Does a degree from WGU get looked down upon in major companies? No
2. Do hiring managers even know it is from an online only school/do they care? They dont care, I got main hired due to my Cisco Skills.
3. For those that went into a B&M masters program, how was the WGU B.S. reviewed in that process?
4. For executive level positions where prestige in your degree helps you stand out, does it matter at that level if not at lower levels? In my little world. The people who are in exec level have been in the company for 30years. They were lead engineer first, then manager then exec. I have not met anybody who became a exec after graduating a MBA on any schools. THere are special cases such as the kids of a Exec which is everywhere. Nepotism in strong in ALL corp.

Squished

I have a very strong BS from a B&M school and will be starting my MBA in IT Management on May 1st. For me, it's filling a checkbox to get to the c-suite eventually. Nothing more, nothing less. It's fast and inexpensive and the degree is just as good as one from a big B&M school. Read up on the accreditation agency that does WGU, same as other huge B&M schools. Don't think for a second the degree isn't as legit as a B&M.

Hiring managers don't really care. HR really doesn't care.

TeKniques

As a hiring manager I don't think an online degree is any bit worth less than a B&M degree. What I really care about is if you can do the stuff you say you can on your resume ... funny enough, a lot of people can't.

Evalador

I have my Bachelor's from WGU and am working on a Masters now. My B/S is in Computer Software Engineering and when I talk with typical B&M Students my capstone project for the B/S was more thorough and in-depth than most master's programs. My end project was over 180 hours of work spanning an entire project life cycle from PM work, to the development and then Operational Support. The capstone paper was over 40 pages long. I went from being an application support person to a Site Reliability Engineer. It accelerated my career tremendously because of the level of effort I put into it. Most people that talk down about the school probably failed as it is very self-paced and self-discipline is of the utmost importance. As I transition into management I actively seek out those who haven't done traditional schooling because they generally have unique skill sets.

Blucodex

I went for my MS while already having the job I wanted so I don't have anything concrete to share. But prior to being converted from contract to FTE I did do a couple phone interviews and one in person in case things didn't work out.

The in person was for an aerospace company and it would have been to work with engineers to test the security of all things flight related. I got the feeling they were not impressed, and maybe even skeptical that I acquired my MS (MSCIA) the same year I received my BA (MIS). It did feel a little weird saying that yes I did. But should it feel cheap? I have been in IT for almost 20 years now.

In hindsight, I could have explained in more detail but it really didn't matter. It wasn't the position I wanted going in but I wanted to at least give it a shot.

Paulieb81

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

1. Does a degree from WGU get looked down upon in major companies? No
2. Do hiring managers even know it is from an online only school/do they care? They dont care, I got main hired due to my Cisco Skills.
3. For those that went into a B&M masters program, how was the WGU B.S. reviewed in that process?
4. For executive level positions where prestige in your degree helps you stand out, does it matter at that level if not at lower levels? In my little world. The people who are in exec level have been in the company for 30years. They were lead engineer first, then manager then exec. I have not met anybody who became a exec after graduating a MBA on any schools. THere are special cases such as the kids of a Exec which is everywhere. Nepotism in strong in ALL corp.

Squished wrote: »

I have a very strong BS from a B&M school and will be starting my MBA in IT Management on May 1st. For me, it's filling a checkbox to get to the c-suite eventually. Nothing more, nothing less. It's fast and inexpensive and the degree is just as good as one from a big B&M school. Read up on the accreditation agency that does WGU, same as other huge B&M schools. Don't think for a second the degree isn't as legit as a B&M.

Hiring managers don't really care. HR really doesn't care.

Thank you guys for your opinions. I'm on the fence, but I am going to give WGU a shot. I am already at a management level in IT, I have 20 years experience and work for a good company at the moment. I currently am at the top of IT for my company as there is no CIO position yet. However in the next 2 years or so I see my company growing to the point of needing one and I want to be ready for it. If not, I want to be ready to move on and get my resume past the ATS systems with the degree box checked.

It would take me about 3 years to finish my BS through a B&M school online while working full time and having a family. I can wrap up my degree in a year of busting my ass at WGU though. Either way, I have a 60% GI Bill coverage. For me, it will only cost me $3500 / WGU term x 2 terms =$7,000 with 60% GI Bill coverage = $2800 out of pocket expense for me. The way i figure, it can't hurt to pay $2800 for a year worth of WGU, (or $4200 if I don't make it in 12 months and have to do a 3rd term) to finish up my BS. I can see what employers think first hand, if I feel that the degree is not helping me at my level, then I could always transfer in at that point to my state school and get a second BS or if they accept my WGU BS, go right into a masters from a B&M school. Either route, I figure can't hurt.