WGU Student Roll Call

thomAZ

cablegod wrote: »

Design and Management is the one I am working on.

What are your reasons for choosing this program over others?

thomAZ

veritas_libertas wrote: »

Wow, WGU seems very popular among members at TechExams. I find this very interesting. To those that are planning on attending WGU, are you currently working in IT, or are you trying to get in?

I've been working in IT for 3 years in the military. I see this program as hitting two birds with one stone since I'll be obtaining a degree and certs. It helps a lot since the military pays for college but not certifications.

cablegod

thomAZ wrote: »

What are your reasons for choosing this program over others?

Already having the the Win2K3 MCSE, transferred it in to get credits for it (7 classes worth).
That's what made me lean more towards it in particular.

bwcarty

I'm officially a student at WGU as of Saturday and just wrapped up EWB...now I'm waiting to talk to my mentor to get set up with more classes.

crrussell3

Question about the WGU programs. If I have my MCITP:SA, Network+, A+, etc, then they count as credits towards the classes correct so I don't have to take them? Reading through the program requirements it is a little unclear (to me at least).

veritas_libertas

crrussell3 wrote: »

Question about the WGU programs. If I have my MCITP:SA, Network+, A+, etc, then they count as credits towards the classes correct so I don't have to take them? Reading through the program requirements it is a little unclear (to me at least).

As long as they are less than 4 years old. If you have these then your degree should go quickly. I would suggest Network Administration for you.

crrussell3

veritas_libertas wrote: »

As long as they are less than 4 years old. If you have these then your degree should go quickly. I would suggest Network Administration for you.

Aye, thats the degree I have been looking at. I figured I will be finishing up my MCITP:SA by January, and then can cram in the lesser certs in order to not have to spend big bucks taking classes for them.

veritas_libertas

That is my plan at this time as well. It makes sense to finish the certs first.

cablegod

19 classes down, 13 to go. Working on LPO1 right now, with ISC4, and the two ethics classes this term (started today by the way, and ends Dec 30th).

qwertyiop

15 classes down. Working on QLO1, MQTA and the 2 Ethics courses this semester.

cablegod

qwertyiop wrote: »

15 classes down. Working on QLO1, MQTA and the 2 Ethics courses this semester.

Good luck I did MQTA, QLO1, IOC4, and LCE1 last term. QLO1 exam was a bit rough, and MQTA was just plain painful. The graders just don't follow the rubric closely enough and expect more than the problems ask for. Be careful with MQTA. Lots of people have issues with that class, because there's only so many ways you can explain a theory in your own words without it sounding similar to other papers that have been turned in and added to the turnitin.com database that they run all their papers through, and some get rejected for "originality" concerns.

vCole

Will be enrolling for the Sept. start. I have already taken my Readiness Test and just waiting to hear back from WGU now.

7lowe

down77 wrote: »

Starting my capstone now and then my BS NTDM will be complete. I'll be working on the MS: Information Security & Assurance shortly after.

Please update us if you start the MS. I am getting my BAS: Network Security and Forensics from another school and was considering doing this next.

7

azjag

I started in January and they accepted 19 transfers.

LAE1 Language and Communication: Essay
LAT2 Language and Communication: Research
LUT1 Language and Communication Presentation
QLO1 Quantitative Literacy
MQTA Quantitative Reasoning and Communication
IOC4 Social Science Part II:
SPV1 Programming Fundamentals II
I291 Network Systems II
I290 Network Systems Part I
THA4 Ethics Part I
THC4 Ethics Part II
ISC4 Natural Science Part II
I27X Client Systems
WJV1 Programming Fundamentals I
TEV1 IT Fundamentals II
TTV1 IT Fundamentals III
LAC1 Language and Communication: Foundations

I've taken the following since I started in January

WSV1 Web Technologies
EWOB Education Without Boundaries
LPO1 Leadership and Professionalism
TPV1 Project Management (Project+)
CLC1 Reasoning and Problem Solving
WFV1 Web Technologies

Which leaves

WDV1 CIW Database
TSV1 Security+
CST1 Reasoning and Problem Solving Analytical Essay
TWA1 Technical Writing
PFI2 IT-Network Administration Portfolio
CPW2 IT Network Administration Capstone project

I plan on graduating this December. Woo hoo.

arwes

FadeToBright wrote: »

Will be enrolling for the Sept. start. I have already taken my Readiness Test and just waiting to hear back from WGU now.

Which track are you going for? I was going to attend WGU last year and couldn't justify getting loans for it. What I've decided to do is go ahead and start saving the money to have one semester paid for, then my car will be paid off in March which will free up $300 a month. I figure I just need to save about $250 per paycheck to take care of tuition the next time it's due.

human151

I looked @ the WGU courses and noticed that it was mostly centered around Microsoft Certs, is that correct? How can Network Design and Management not have any CISCO?

I am looking to go back to school in about 6 months so I thought I would start looking at whats out there now. Its Kind of hard to find out how good one is over the other though? Anyone ever tried Kaplan?

Ashenwelt

human151 wrote: »

I looked @ the WGU courses and noticed that it was mostly centered around Microsoft Certs, is that correct? How can Network Design and Management not have any CISCO?

I am looking to go back to school in about 6 months so I thought I would start looking at whats out there now. Its Kind of hard to find out how good one is over the other though? Anyone ever tried Kaplan?

Ok, I had to laugh here. I almost always steer my clients away from Cisco. Amonge my circle of associates, we all pretty much agree that Cisco is ok, but that it is very low bang for buck.

Honestly though, domain structures are very important. And if all else fails... you can use dumb switches and still pull it off well.

dynamik

Um, what size are your clients?

human151

Ashenwelt wrote: »

Ok, I had to laugh here. I almost always steer my clients away from Cisco. Amonge my circle of associates, we all pretty much agree that Cisco is ok, but that it is very low bang for buck.

Honestly though, domain structures are very important. And if all else fails... you can use dumb switches and still pull it off well.

uh....where I work we have about a dozen 6500's and dozens of smaller switches/routers. A few netgear switches definetely wont make the grade....lol

I work in a place where I get to see the gear of some of the biggest Corporations in the world....and as far as routers/switches, its about 90% cisco. maybe 5% Juniper and the rest is Force 10, Extreme, Foundry, Dell, in no particular order.

Who are your associates?

Original question still stands:

I looked @ the WGU courses and noticed that it was mostly centered around Microsoft Certs, is that correct? How can Network Design and Management not have any CISCO?

I am looking to go back to school in about 6 months so I thought I would start looking at whats out there now. Its Kind of hard to find out how good one is over the other though? Anyone ever tried Kaplan?

down77

7lowe wrote: »

Please update us if you start the MS. I am getting my BAS: Network Security and Forensics from another school and was considering doing this next.

7

Will do. I spoke to the enrollment counselor yesterday about starting the program. Since my term ends on December 31 I was asked to submit the required paperwork in October. Right now my MS:ISA track is set to begin January 1, 2010.

Just a quick note: I asked about the NSA accred. status and the enrollment counselor did state that graduates of the program will be retroactively grandfathered in. I'm also looking forward to having the GIAC 7799 and CHFI as additional CPEs towards renewing my CISSP.

One downside, since my Network+ was more than 5 years old I will have to retake that exam. Unfortuantely they require exact requirements for the MS:ISA track. The CCNA won't help me exempt a course this time

Solaris_UNIX

Ashenwelt wrote: »

Ok, I had to laugh here. I almost always steer my clients away from Cisco. Amonge my circle of associates, we all pretty much agree that Cisco is ok, but that it is very low bang for buck.

Honestly though, domain structures are very important. And if all else fails... you can use dumb switches and still pull it off well.

If you steer your clients away from CISCO products, then what do you use for "Distribution Layer" and "Core Layer" switches? Extreme Black Diamonds?

In my experience the Black Diamonds have been terrible (we have A LOT of those things where I work and one of them always goes down every eight or nine months or so which is a huge pain in the arse). Also, the Black Diamonds are only faster than the equivalent CISCO switches if you don't use VLANs and VTP. As soon as you turn on VTP the Black Diamonds suddenly become much, much slower.

I don't know about you, but I would take a Catalyst 6500 switch over an Extreme Black Diamond any day. Our Catalyst 6500s are rock solid and we almost never have problems with them. Anyone else agree / disagree?

Ashenwelt

dynamik wrote: »

Um, what size are your clients?

My clients and the companies my associates (some friends, some not), work in companies that really range. From around a hundred users to the ten thousand user category.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying they don't work I am saying low bang for buck. But then we all have our preferences. But when you have to make a budget, sometimes you really need to look at what you are getting for that budget. Sometimes you may want to grab an Extreme networks switch (please, one actually made by extreme...) or even a Procurve (which I actually like). It all depends on needs and expense.

Here is an example. Say you have a small branch office that primarily works in house. They need limited expenses on that location. It may be a good idea to drop an HP procurve there simply because they have a lifetime warranty and skip the service contract. It all depends on your budget and needs.

Heck, the most interesting switch that Cisco offers in my book is the vSphere plug in.

Oh, and yes I like extreme and procurve. Makes me weird I guess.

Ashenwelt

human151 wrote: »

uh....where I work we have about a dozen
Original question still stands:

I looked @ the WGU courses and noticed that it was mostly centered around Microsoft Certs, is that correct? How can Network Design and Management not have any CISCO?

I am looking to go back to school in about 6 months so I thought I would start looking at whats out there now. Its Kind of hard to find out how good one is over the other though? Anyone ever tried Kaplan?

I believe it ias simply a user side "Network Design and Managment" and not an infrastructure based one.

And, good luck on any direction you do choose.

ats3

I have been debating whether or not to enroll at WGU. How is the course material that you get to study for your certs?

kalebksp

I'm starting the Network Design and Management degree next week.

A couple questions for current/past students:

How easy is it to add additional courses to your AAP (I think that's the term they use) if you finish all the courses originally chosen? I like to work at a rather accelerated pace, but don't want to over do it and ended up failing a bunch of classes. Which might cause me to lose my tuition assistance.

Does it really take two weeks to schedule assessments? I read that somewhere in the student guide. If so, can you work on other courses if you're done studying for one and just waiting to take the assessment?

Thanks

binari

I've decided I will definetly be returning to school to complete my degree and I will be in a position to do so in about 6 months. ANd I know I do not want to go back to finish my AA at my local communitiy college.

Since choosing a school in important, this is kind of a one shot deal for me so I cant screw up and choose something that isnt the best option for me, I will be putting a lot of thought into my choice?

First question is, is this school, WGU, respected?

There are plenty of online schools out there, anyone know what makes this one different/stand out from the rest?

Anyone have any dissapointments with their exeriences with WGU?

Why did you choose WGO ( or any other online school) over traditional brick & mortor school?

Anyone attend and other technical schoold like ITT/Devry? How were they?



At work we have a few college grads who suprisingly work in our entry level IT position. I must admit there are times that I sit and wonder to myself....

I didnt finish a degree and these guys both have a Bachelors in CS, and thier in an inferior position than I am? WTF?

I just tell myself that they must not be applying themselves....yeah thats it.

I am just deathly afraid of commiting all this time and effort (and $$$) and getting out and only being able to find some entry level job working under some smuck with and a few certs.

veritas_libertas

binari wrote: »

I've decided I will definetly be returning to school to complete my degree and I will be in a position to do so in about 6 months. ANd I know I do not want to go back to finish my AA at my local communitiy college.

Since choosing a school in important, this is kind of a one shot deal for me so I cant screw up and choose something that isnt the best option for me, I will be putting a lot of thought into my choice?

First question is, is this school, WGU, respected?

There are plenty of online schools out there, anyone know what makes this one different/stand out from the rest?

Anyone have any dissapointments with their exeriences with WGU?

Why did you choose WGO ( or any other online school) over traditional brick & mortor school?

Anyone attend and other technical schoold like ITT/Devry? How were they?



At work we have a few college grads who suprisingly work in our entry level IT position. I must admit there are times that I sit and wonder to myself....

I didnt finish a degree and these guys both have a Bachelors in CS, and thier in an inferior position than I am? WTF?

I just tell myself that they must not be applying themselves....yeah thats it.

I am just deathly afraid of commiting all this time and effort (and $$$) and getting out and only being able to find some entry level job working under some smuck with and a few certs.

A degree is not a promise of advancement or a great job. Are these Bachelor degree holders new to your place of employment? I know for me it has been really hard to find a good job. Employers are not eager to take chances on new employees. I have a decent job but I am employed through a staffing agency.

Western Governors University is a fairly new college. If you are concerned about this you should look else where. Maybe the Universities or Colleges in your area offer enough online courses to balance out what in class time you might have to put into a Bachelors degree.

binari

THe guys with the degrees are newer to the company than me, but what concerns me is that they spent all this time and money going to a four year university and that is the best postion they could get <(0_o)> WTF.

SO basically someone with some experience and a CCNA is worth more than they are?

The guys have said that Universities taught no real world experience, no vendor specific skills, IE Cisco, M$...

I thin there is something wrong with this picture if my relatively limited experience and a few certs trumps a BS in comp science.

That said, I would still like to go back to school but I need to make sure that the school teaches the skills that would allow me to qualify, at least, for a decent job with a future.

Or should would it be more worth while to continue down the Cert route and get a CCIE with no university? I have never heard of an out of work CCIE.

dynamik

binari wrote: »

THe guys with the degrees are newer to the company than me, but what concerns me is that they spent all this time and money going to a four year university and that is the best postion they could get <(0_o)> WTF.

You still need to gain real-world experience. Their degrees probably helped them land the job and might help them move up the ladder faster.

shednik

binari wrote: »

THe guys with the degrees are newer to the company than me, but what concerns me is that they spent all this time and money going to a four year university and that is the best postion they could get <(0_o)> WTF.

SO basically someone with some experience and a CCNA is worth more than they are?

The guys have said that Universities taught no real world experience, no vendor specific skills, IE Cisco, M$...

I thin there is something wrong with this picture if my relatively limited experience and a few certs trumps a BS in comp science.

That said, I would still like to go back to school but I need to make sure that the school teaches the skills that would allow me to qualify, at least, for a decent job with a future.

Or should would it be more worth while to continue down the Cert route and get a CCIE with no university? I have never heard of an out of work CCIE.

Most colleges only teach theory, I had some hands on in my degree but nothing that I have learned since then. That being said I wouldn't have the job I have no if I didn't have a degree. In no way does a few years experience trump a BS in CS automatically just because the guy who has the degree started in a lower position then you are now. Everyone has to start somewhere and work their way up. Give them 5 years and if they have applied themselves they will have the ability to go places then. The job I had before I finished my degree to the one I got when I finished my degree was a $17k difference in annual pay.