Western Governors University Questions and Answers / Threads related to WGU

jcole4lsu

quick question - I'm planning to do WGU after I graduate with my AAS (which I should be done with in the fall), and I am doing an internship this summer that will probably allow me enough experience to take either the CCENT or Net+. The standard IT degree has the Net+ on the degree plan, but I know the CCENT is probably more valuable in the "real world", especially if I want to go down a networking or infosec career path.
So does anyone have any thoughts on which I should take? Is the CCENT interchangeable with the Net+ on the degree plan? (if so that would give me my answer for sure)
TIA

erpadmin

CCENT isn't a cert...it's half of a CCNA.

Network+, while nowhere near the level of difficulty of a CCENT, will at least give you familiarity of how Networks operate (like the OSI model, for example.)

The CCENT MIGHT give credit for Network+, but it's best to contact an enrollment counselor to be sure. Otherwise, I would just do the Network+ for WGU credit and do the CCNA on your own time.

Lemonade727

Hypntick wrote: »

Having a friend go through the process with you is a nice support option to have. Even though he's going to finish 4-5 months ahead of me, lemonade has been great to bounce ideas off of. We have worked at 2 previous jobs together so it's nice to know someone personally who is going through what you are. If you do decide to start, good luck in the process, it's been great so far!

And I'll still offer help with the math courses when you're ready to tackle those

Hypntick

Lemonade727 wrote: »

And I'll still offer help with the math courses when you're ready to tackle those

Next month sir, going to tackle INC1, INT1, LAT1, and LUT1 this month. Will follow with IWT1 and then the long hard slog through the Math. As you suggested earlier, I will not take a leisurely pace through this stuff. Who knows what could come up, the 70-680 could jack me up for all I know. Although i'm already 2 chapters in to The Basics of Information Security: Understanding the Fundamentals of InfoSec in Theory and Practice , pretty good read so far. Will start in on the INT1 stuff tomorrow night, have had a rough day.

usagent27

erpadmin wrote: »

If you have any experience with IT, you should do fine on WFV1. Just get the study guide that we've all used over at mcmcse.com and look for 1D0-510. Then go spend some time here to brush up on the HTML: HTML Tutorial

Trust me, you do not need to web developing for a living to pass this exam.....but you have to have at least some IT experience. A lot of A+, Network+, Security+ and a tiny bit of Project+ (though you need to know the CIW's three things that make a successful project...it's not the same as Project+/PMP).

It's doable.

ok so i have that study guide printed and have been looking it over. The materials on the cert partner website for WGU are aLOT more in depth. Is the test really this simple? I have been working as a small groups network "guy" for the past 2 years so alot of it was stuff i knew. The WGU has all kinds of crazy questions about XML and XHTML. Just curious if thats on the test or is it just basic HTML?

Thanks everyone for your help.

Hypntick

usagent27 wrote: »

ok so i have that study guide printed and have been looking it over. The materials on the cert partner website for WGU are aLOT more in depth. Is the test really this simple? I have been working as a small groups network "guy" for the past 2 years so alot of it was stuff i knew. The WGU has all kinds of crazy questions about XML and XHTML. Just curious if thats on the test or is it just basic HTML?

Thanks everyone for your help.

Depending on your level of experience, with minimal html brush up you can sit the test. I studied the day before the test and took it and still got well above the cut score. It's that easy.

usagent27

Ok thanks!

Ok new question. How easy is it to swich mentors? The one i have is kinda slow and is dragging her feet. I think she may be new. I have tried to give her the benefit of the doubt however when i emailed her today to ask her to approve my voucher request for the WFV1 she replied "I won’t normally check my email after noon on Fridays but I will have to check with my manager first since you are only showing 21% completed in the course menu.
Please be patient."

now it was my fault for not updating the tick boxes in the course of study but comeone....why hold someone back??

Psoasman

usagent27 wrote: »

Ok thanks!

Ok new question. How easy is it to swich mentors? The one i have is kinda slow and is dragging her feet. I think she may be new. I have tried to give her the benefit of the doubt however when i emailed her today to ask her to approve my voucher request for the WFV1 she replied "I won’t normally check my email after noon on Fridays but I will have to check with my manager first since you are only showing 21% completed in the course menu.
Please be patient."

now it was my fault for not updating the tick boxes in the course of study but comeone....why hold someone back??

"Won't check email after noon on Fridays?" That's a load of crap. Weekends, too? Those boxes in the COS are more for your use. I used them, but just to show myself the progress I was making. You can call student services to get a new mentor, if you like. Being a weekend, they may not be able to do much about it. The WFV1 is an easy cert, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to get the voucher approval done. It can take a couple of days to get the email from vendor assessments anyway.

usagent27

Psoasman wrote: »

"Won't check email after noon on Fridays?" That's a load of crap. Weekends, too? Those boxes in the COS are more for your use. I used them, but just to show myself the progress I was making. You can call student services to get a new mentor, if you like. Being a weekend, they may not be able to do much about it. The WFV1 is an easy cert, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to get the voucher approval done. It can take a couple of days to get the email from vendor assessments anyway.

yeah just called and requested a new one. oh yeah she told me she doesn't work weekends which i why i asked for this today.... hopefully i get someone good

erpadmin

usagent27 wrote: »

yeah just called and requested a new one. oh yeah she told me she doesn't work weekends which i why i asked for this today.... hopefully i get someone good

My mentor didn't work on weekends, but I was cool with that. He was available when I needed him from Mon-Fri. If I needed something on a weekend like a copy of a rubric, student services did all right.

Still, this mentor is horrible and I'm hoping this isn't indicative of WGU slacking on the customer service front because they have gotten higher enrollments.

You can still give Student Services a call so they can log the case. You can do that over the weekend. Then come Monday, they can deal with it properly. One thing I can say about WGU is they are not trying to lose you as a student. They need to show that while they messed up on the graduation rate (something Mendenhall try to correct himself by not allowing first-time ever college students to enroll at WGU, but the WGU Board had shut him down on that) they can at least show that transfer students who enter WGU do finish their degree program. If you are unhappy there, say so. They will try to help you because they do not want you to be a casualty.

usagent27

yeah i just think she is new and has no clue. i tried working with her but today was the last straw. originally she did not even want to set my classes till the night of the 1st. i would have lost a day...

How is BNC1? is it a difficult course?

Hypntick

usagent27 wrote: »

Ok thanks!

Ok new question. How easy is it to swich mentors? The one i have is kinda slow and is dragging her feet. I think she may be new. I have tried to give her the benefit of the doubt however when i emailed her today to ask her to approve my voucher request for the WFV1 she replied "I won’t normally check my email after noon on Fridays but I will have to check with my manager first since you are only showing 21% completed in the course menu.
Please be patient."

now it was my fault for not updating the tick boxes in the course of study but comeone....why hold someone back??

I don't blame you for requesting another mentor. To be honest I never check the boxes because it just seems a tad silly to me. It's a competency based program, checkbox or not, if I can pass the test or write the paper to their rubric, who cares if a box is checked. Hopefully you can land a mentor that's willing to play ball.

jheyden

Hi,

I would like to enroll in the BS IT NDM degree program. I currently have an MCSE Windows 2003 that I completed back in 2003.(so greater than 5 year policy) I'm planning on taking exam(70-249) soon which is an MCSE upgrade exam that is a composite of three stand-alone exams: Exams 70-640, 70-642, and 70-643.(all part of NDM program) If I pass this 1 exam before enrolling will I receive transfer credit for 70-640, 70-642, and 70-643 or will WGU make me re-do the 3 exams individually?

Thanks

erpadmin

jheyden wrote: »

Hi,

I would like to enroll in the BS IT NDM degree program. I currently have an MCSE Windows 2003 that I completed back in 2003.(so greater than 5 year policy) I'm planning on taking exam(70-249) soon which is an MCSE upgrade exam that is a composite of three stand-alone exams: Exams 70-640, 70-642, and 70-643.(all part of NDM program) If I pass this 1 exam before enrolling will I receive transfer credit for 70-640, 70-642, and 70-643 or will WGU make me re-do the 3 exams individually?

Thanks

According to Microsoft, you'd have to take these exams for you to upgrade to MCITP:EA:

70-680 (Windows XP won't cut it)
70-649 (the 249 was probably a typo on your part)
70-647

MCSE Certification | MCSE Training | Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (figure #2)

Taking those exams, plus your MCSE:2003 will grant you MCITP:EA, which will then show up on your transcript. What will most likely happen is that WGU will give you a requirement met for taking the 649, but that's better (in my opinion) than shooting for all five. I had the MCSE 2003, I would have shot for this path instead of doing the exams individually, but I didn't even have an MCSE in so much as NT 4, so I had no choice.

If you decide to do the upgrade path, you will want to do that before you enroll in the program. The hardest part of the NDM program is the actual MS exams themselves. If you have that knocked out, then all you have to do is pretty much the general eds, management courses, whatever easy certs you don't have and then capstone/tech writing. If you have to do the CompTIAs, take heart that they're a joke compared to any MS exam. CIWs are jokes to any CompTIA exam.

erpadmin

Hypntick wrote: »

Hopefully you can land a mentor that's will to play ball.

Here's something that many of you, both long-term students, new students and prospective students probably didn't realize. There's a reason why mentors have to talk to you weekly, and the reason is not as altruistic as it appears.

Mentors must contact you weekly in order for WGU to maintain federal funding. Otherwise, they wouldn't even bother. The "official" reason is too help keep students motivated, but the "real" reason is to comply with federal law, since they do not offer coursework in the "traditional" manner. That's the real difference between WGU and other universities. In a traditional manner, you deal with professors on at minimum a weekly basis (with the exception of Spring Break...but even then, some professors are available, but they aren't expected nor required to be.) I didn't learn this until after I graduated. However, even without that knowledge, I was armed by the knowledge from THIS thread (and the Student Experiences thread) one how I expected my relationship with my mentor to be. I maintained some level of respect, but I also treated him like a fellow professional...giving him the same level of respect I would expect from another. I did not want to have my progress hampered in anyway, and we went through the "getting to know you" period. But whatever I needed, he had it done. If he wasn't available, then I contacted Student Services and they took care of it. This is why I will always advise folks to read the "holy" WGU threads...the advice gained from doing so will help forge the expectations of the WGU institution.

Listen, bottom line is that if you're unhappy with someone at WGU, say something about it. Staying quiet about it or just complaining to us will not serve you well. I'm directing this at anyone who is having problems with WGU. Heck, if it's even warranted, you might even get a gift certificate out of the deal, like I did (and I didn't expect or ask for one either....though I'm glad I have a hoodie from WGU, which I wear with pride.)

petedude

erpadmin wrote: »

CCENT isn't a cert...it's half of a CCNA.

Hey, now, don't be stomping on my CCENT.

Of course, I could joke about CCENT being a warmed-over Network+. Truth is, it's actually Network+ on steroids. I would think Cisco and others should regard the CCENT with a little more respect-- sure, it's not as tough as a full CCNA, but it does a good job of reinforcing foundational network basics within the context of Cisco's model.

usagent27

I got a new mentor. Not sure who yet but it's in the works

SteveLord

I am about to pull the trigger on this. Want to get some thoughts on the course I am choosing. I am liking the Bachelors NDM degree. I really want to learn more about Microsoft technology, specifically server management. The Network Admins course adds Cisco, which I personally don't care for. My neighbor is into that, so I am positive that is what he is going with.

Is that a good choice for what I want to do?

erpadmin

SteveLord wrote: »

I am about to pull the trigger on this. Want to get some thoughts on the course I am choosing. I am liking the Bachelors NDM degree. I really want to learn more about Microsoft technology, specifically server management. The Network Admins course adds Cisco, which I personally don't care for. My neighbor is into that, so I am positive that is what he is going with.

Is that a good choice for what I want to do?

What did you get your MCP in? MS exams have gotten harder. Mind you they were never cake to begin with, but their adaptive testing had gotten to the point where if you don't answer questions in the begining correctly,you get dinged. Even if you go back to the beginning, change your answers and get 100% on the exam. The adaptive exam punishes you if you are not sure.

As for the NDM degree, you're gonna be "learning" as if you were self-studying yourself. You're gonna get a server, build some labs, etc., etc. If you pace yourself right, you COULD fit a couple of MS exams within each term you'll be in. (don't do what I did...backload all/most of them.....) It's doable, but I don't recommend it if you're looking to be done with WGU quickly. I initially liked having a gun to my head, but I almost felt burnt out after the 643.

SteveLord

erpadmin wrote: »

What did you get your MCP in? MS exams have gotten harder. Mind you they were never cake to begin with, but their adaptive testing had gotten to the point where if you don't answer questions in the begining correctly,you get dinged. Even if you go back to the beginning, change your answers and get 100% on the exam. The adaptive exam punishes you if you are not sure.

As for the NDM degree, you're gonna be "learning" as if you were self-studying yourself. You're gonna get a server, build some labs, etc., etc. If you pace yourself right, you COULD fit a couple of MS exams within each term you'll be in. (don't do what I did...backload all/most of them.....) It's doable, but I don't recommend it if you're looking to be done with WGU quickly. I initially liked having a gun to my head, but I almost felt burnt out after the 643.

Windows XP 70-270. And I didn't think it was easy at the time. Throughout my lurking I have indeed noticed that the Win7/2008 era tests seem to be challenging. My goal is to be done ~2 years.

erpadmin

SteveLord wrote: »

Windows XP 70-270. And I didn't think it was easy at the time. Throughout my lurking I have indeed noticed that the Win7/2008 era tests seem to be challenging. My goal is to be done ~2 years.

Doable. I did it in three terms and that was with 22 college credits + 6 CUs for A+/Network+

No, I too have lurked in 70-270 and could not believe how hard a client exam was.....Windows 7 wasn't so bad, IMO but I never took 270 so I can't say for sure. W7 wasn't easy....but it ended up not being that scary either. A lot of the exam really dealt with NTFS permissions. Yeah DirectAccess was there too.....but there were topics that someone with NT 4.0 Professional knowledge could have answered.

In any event, best of luck with whatever you decide. Remember, if it's good enough for Indiana (to make WGU into a state school), it's probably good enough for you.

SteveLord

erpadmin wrote: »

Doable. I did it in three terms and that was with 22 college credits + 6 CUs for A+/Network+

No, I too have lurked in 70-270 and could not believe how hard a client exam was.....Windows 7 wasn't so bad, IMO but I never took 270 so I can't say for sure. W7 wasn't easy....but it ended up not being that scary either. A lot of the exam really dealt with NTFS permissions. Yeah DirectAccess was there too.....but there were topics that someone with NT 4.0 Professional knowledge could have answered.

In any event, best of luck with whatever you decide. Remember, if it's good enough for Indiana (to make WGU into a state school), it's probably good enough for you.

The XP/7 exams seem to have some similarity, in the sense that...just because you use either of them daily, still means the majority of the material will be foreign to you. XP test touched upon a lot of things I didn't even know XP could do. Especially with regard to deployment and unattended installations. And it seems 7 does the same, while also including a little bit of 2008R2 here and there. A lot of the XP material even felt overshadowed by other modern technology and 3rd party software.

usagent27

erpadmin wrote: »

If you have any experience with IT, you should do fine on WFV1. Just get the study guide that we've all used over at mcmcse.com and look for 1D0-510. Then go spend some time here to brush up on the HTML: HTML Tutorial

Trust me, you do not need to web developing for a living to pass this exam.....but you have to have at least some IT experience. A lot of A+, Network+, Security+ and a tiny bit of Project+ (though you need to know the CIW's three things that make a successful project...it's not the same as Project+/PMP).

It's doable.

ok last question on this. I have the test scheduled for this friday.

I have printed out the study guide and have been using it. It seems like the guide has less material than the WGU resources. Is there a lot on the exam about XHTML? This is the area where i am not as familiar as i am with the other subjects. Has anyone passed the CIW test just using the study guide?

Thanks everyone for reading and helping.

erpadmin thank you for answering me before

erpadmin

usagent27 wrote: »

ok last question on this. I have the test scheduled for this friday.

I have printed out the study guide and have been using it. It seems like the guide has less material than the WGU resources. Is there a lot on the exam about XHTML? This is the area where i am not as familiar as i am with the other subjects. Has anyone passed the CIW test just using the study guide?

Thanks everyone for reading and helping.

erpadmin thank you for answering me before

I was able to pass with just that study guide. There is a good portion of HTML, XML, X/HTML but if you are strong on at least a few of those PLUS the rest of the exam, you'll do fine.

Keep in mind that if you've been working in IT for a good couple of years, much of that exam will be a joke.

I am sure others will agree. This was the only cert I didn't have to rack my brain over. Even A+ was more difficult than this exam....

petedude

usagent27 wrote: »

I have printed out the study guide and have been using it. It seems like the guide has less material than the WGU resources. Is there a lot on the exam about XHTML? This is the area where i am not as familiar as i am with the other subjects. Has anyone passed the CIW test just using the study guide?

erp's advice is on target here. All I have to add is that I don't remember needing a detailed understanding of XHTML-- just enough of an overview to understand what it is, how it differs from HTML, and where it's frequently used. Some Google, maybe Wikipedia and you should be good.

usagent27

Passed the WFV1 cert exam this morning! thanks to everyone for the help!

now on to the MTA-98-366 network test! anyone have any feedback on this test?

swild

usagent27 wrote: »

Passed the WFV1 cert exam this morning! thanks to everyone for the help!

now on to the MTA-98-366 network test! anyone have any feedback on this test?

Thats a very new exam. So far I have been the first of my mentor's students to take the MTA exams. The Web Dev MTA exam was tough and the Software Dev MTA was quite a bit easier so not sure what you should expect from the networking exam. Might try looking on the microsoft forums.

usagent27

OK, new set of questions for you guys:
A) If I am enrolled in a class and decide that I would rather take it later, can my mentor take it out of my queue and swap it for another? Or once I have approved my AAV, am I locked into those courses?
In what month am I no longer able to add classes?

swild

usagent27 wrote: »

OK, new set of questions for you guys:
A) If I am enrolled in a class and decide that I would rather take it later, can my mentor take it out of my queue and swap it for another? Or once I have approved my AAV, am I locked into those courses?
In what month am I no longer able to add classes?

A) locked in
15th day of the last month is the last day to request exam scheduling.

usagent27

swild wrote: »

A) locked in
15th day of the last month is the last day to request exam scheduling.

i'm talking about adding courses not scheduling tests