Student Experiences at Western Governors University (WGU)

This thread is intended for students to write about their experiences at Western Governors University.

Please keep it civil, and do not spend your time bashing the school, and its policies. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you have a problem you need to take it up with your professor or mentor. Please no Flaming on this thread.

You can ask for help with a referral (used to avoid paying the application fee) on the following thread: http://www.techexams.net/forums/jobs-degrees/55634-wgu-refer-friend-thread-those-seeking-referral.html

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Lemonade727

Got word back from TaskStream earlier today that I needed to make a revision to my Technical Writing assignment for the "Review of Other Work" section of the paper. Got that corrected, resubmitted and just received the email notifying me the work was graded and accepted as complete.

I applied the revisions I had to make to the Capstone paper since I had it typed up earlier this week and just submitted that. I have the biggest smile on my face knowing I'm essentially finished with this degree now, barring minor revisions. Just knowing there is nothing that can set me back now is a huge relief, and I can't wait to tell my mentor to get the graduation process started

coffeeluvr

Nobylspoon wrote: »

It's been a few months since I last posted. I finished up my first term with more than double my original goal. However, my second term has been off to a very rocky start. My lab was shut down so I had to relocate out of state very short notice and rebuild the whole environment from the ground up at a new location. Shortly after I was finally able to schedule my INC1 exam (a month late) I lost my mother to breast cancer. She had been diagnosed shortly before my relocation.

I'm not sure if it is against forum rules so I understand if mods decide to remove my link. However, in loving memory of her I will be participating in the 39 mile - 2 day Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Washington DC. I am currently trying to raise at least $1800 to help other families who are struggling with this terrible disease. If you would like to contribute, the link is http://info.avonfoundation.org/goto/rodwell

To prevent this thread from going to far off topic, I am thankful to say that I was able to finally reschedule and pass INC1 last night. I am now working on AHV1 (70-640). My goal is to complete all of the labsim material in 2 weeks and spend the rest of the month reviewing the MS Press book and uCertify material.

I have a little less than 3 months to finish 70-640, 70-642 and QLT1. Hopefully I can still reach my goal.

I am very sorry to hear about your Mother....My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

jmasterj206

Anybody have any tips for the CIW Database class? That is the next one on the schedule.

demonfurbie

jmasterj206 wrote: »

Anybody have any tips for the CIW Database class? That is the next one on the schedule.

same its next for me as well

petedude

jmasterj206 wrote: »

Anybody have any tips for the CIW Database class? That is the next one on the schedule.

CIW book. Lots of Google. uCertify, too, if I remember right.

Be willing to expand your search horizon wide on this one. I ended up renting a chapter from some book on cEngageBrain, and buying a used database design text from Amazon before I was done with it.

NOLAJ

Lemonade727 wrote: »

Got word back from TaskStream earlier today that I needed to make a revision to my Technical Writing assignment for the "Review of Other Work" section of the paper. Got that corrected, resubmitted and just received the email notifying me the work was graded and accepted as complete.

I applied the revisions I had to make to the Capstone paper since I had it typed up earlier this week and just submitted that. I have the biggest smile on my face knowing I'm essentially finished with this degree now, barring minor revisions. Just knowing there is nothing that can set me back now is a huge relief, and I can't wait to tell my mentor to get the graduation process started

That's awesome man! Congrats.

I've got one more term after this one.

Hypntick

And INC1 done, had to move it from last term as I ran out of time at the end. Changed office spaces, was hectic for a few weeks. Starting INT1 tomorrow after work, however I am the on call engineer this week, hopefully no 3-4 am wake up calls. On that note.....Bill Nye the science guy!

Melika635

GTT1 passed! Working on GUT1 Task1 with my partner, and simultaneously coming up with ideas for portfolio.

petedude

Melika635 wrote: »

GTT1 passed! Working on GUT1 Task1 with my partner, and simultaneously coming up with ideas for portfolio.

Congrats on the pass! Those Java courses are no picnic.

Lemonade727

NOLAJ wrote: »

That's awesome man! Congrats. I've got one more term after this one.

Thanks! Just keep on pace and you'll be done in no time

Hypntick wrote: »

And INC1 done, had to move it from last term as I ran out of time at the end. Changed office spaces, was hectic for a few weeks. Starting INT1 tomorrow after work, however I am the on call engineer this week, hopefully no 3-4 am wake up calls. On that note.....Bill Nye the science guy!

Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!
Good job on the pass though man. Off to a good start on this term.

Melika635 wrote: »

GTT1 passed! Working on GUT1 Task1 with my partner, and simultaneously coming up with ideas for portfolio.

Congrats! I was insanely worried about the Java courses, especially when things weren't clicking the first few weeks but then everything just seemed to fall into place. Keep up the good work!

Nobylspoon

Thank you all for the kind words and donations.

I went ahead and ordered the MSPress kit containing all 4 books. I already had the ebooks from books24x7 but I figured it would be a good investment and a nice addition on the bookshelf. I plan to read the corresponding chapter/s after each Labsim unit. I will be getting VMWare setup this weekend for more labs. In the meantime, I will drill the Labsim labs.

ehnde

I'm enrolled for the KET1 assessment thinking I could knock this out before my 6 month term ends March 31st. There are 3 applications to write, all GUIs that take user input, manipulate it for different purposes, then output it in different ways (depending on which of the 3 apps it is). I've always felt a bit of a mental block when it comes to writing software....like it's beyond me/my mind wasn't built for it.

...and now it's really hitting home. Right now I'm looking at this assessment after stumbling through it for about 15 hours total now and I've really gotten NOWHERE. I'm not good at asking for help from course mentors and I'm not even sure that would help. I'm so lost with java it's hard to know where to begin.

I know I won't be able to turn this assessment into TaskStream by the end of the month. My bigger concern is that I will not be able to complete this course, period. It will prevent me from finishing my degree....

Maybe I just need to calm down and go through the textbook slowly, but for right now I'm upset and needed to rant about this course. Thanks for reading.

KeithC

ehnde wrote: »

I'm enrolled for the KET1 assessment thinking I could knock this out before my 6 month term ends March 31st. There are 3 applications to write, all GUIs that take user input, manipulate it for different purposes, then output it in different ways (depending on which of the 3 apps it is). I've always felt a bit of a mental block when it comes to writing software....like it's beyond me/my mind wasn't built for it. ...and now it's really hitting home. Right now I'm looking at this assessment after stumbling through it for about 15 hours total now and I've really gotten NOWHERE. I'm not good at asking for help from course mentors and I'm not even sure that would help. I'm so lost with java it's hard to know where to begin. I know I won't be able to turn this assessment into TaskStream by the end of the month. My bigger concern is that I will not be able to complete this course, period. It will prevent me from finishing my degree.... Maybe I just need to calm down and go through the textbook slowly, but for right now I'm upset and needed to rant about this course. Thanks for reading.

I do not have KET1 so I am unsure, but have you watched the prerecorded webinars? If you have also gone through the appropriate sections within the COS then just call the course mentor. I'm sure the course mentor can help you out where you are stuck &/or within here / the communities.

If you are hung up / discouraged by programming then maybe it's best to switch emphasis since your term ends this month.

ehnde

KeithC wrote: »

I do not have KET1 so I am unsure, but have you watched the prerecorded webinars? If you have also gone through the appropriate sections within the COS then just call the course mentor. I'm sure the course mentor can help you out where you are stuck &/or within here / the communities.

If you are hung up / discouraged by programming then maybe it's best to switch emphasis since your term ends this month.

I'm doing the IT Security track and never really considered if other tracks have NO programming courses. I'll have to look at that....

I didn't know there were prerecorded webinars, I'll look for those. And to be completely honest I most likely have not had a thorough enough read with the COS.

KeithC

ehnde wrote: »

I'm doing the IT Security track and never really considered if other tracks have NO programming courses. I'll have to look at that....

I didn't know there were prerecorded webinars, I'll look for those. And to be completely honest I most likely have not had a thorough enough read with the COS.

I am in the network design and management so no programming for me, just the wonderful MCITP:EA. On the other hand it took me ~ 6 weeks to pass BOV1. I had to contact the course mentor after my first fail which didn't really do squat for me. He did suggest to focus my studies on a certain part of the LR (prerecorded webinars by the previous course mentor & reinforcement test).

Sometimes I feel like the course mentors know where the student is stuck at and their suggestion usually result in an "AH HA" moment. It's part of the tuition so you mide as well take advantage of contacting the course mentor. Maybe you need different medium, have you tried looking for a video on youtube?

swild

ehnde wrote: »

I'm doing the IT Security track and never really considered if other tracks have NO programming courses. I'll have to look at that....

I didn't know there were prerecorded webinars, I'll look for those. And to be completely honest I most likely have not had a thorough enough read with the COS.

I am currently working on this course. See if you can find any books on Java by Deitel. There is one called Java How To Program that is on it's 9th ed. I have the 4th ed that I got from a thrift store and he is the best teacher for me with plenty of code examples. Amazon has the older editions real cheap. I just ordered Java For Programmers which I think will help me with Task 2.

Lemonade727

Today is definitely off to a great start. Received word back from TaskStream (finally!) that my Capstone passed with a 3.88/4. My work with WGU has officially come to an end, and my mentor has started the graduation application

This has been a pretty awesome experience, and I want to thank everyone for the support, assistance, and insight from these forums during this journey.

erpadmin

Lemonade727 wrote: »

Today is definitely off to a great start. Received word back from TaskStream (finally!) that my Capstone passed with a 3.88/4. My work with WGU has officially come to an end, and my mentor has started the graduation application

This has been a pretty awesome experience, and I want to thank everyone for the support, assistance, and insight from these forums during this journey.

Congrats and Welcome to the club!! So I guess you're continuing on with WGU?

petedude

The long overdue "I'm done" note. . .

Finished my BS-IT with WGU at the end of February and got my diploma March 1.

It was more of a relief than anything to see that diploma arrive-- one less thing to worry about in a chaotic job market/economy.

Of course, I might have been more moved if the diploma had arrived in a nice vinyl cover like my associate's from Excelsior did, but I guess you can't have everything. (Didn't help that the postman BENT the envelope, either.)

Having the board here really, really helped me keep going and helped me keep invested. I hope WGU hopefuls keep finding their way here on the way to achieving their goals.

(As for future plans. . . the master's has to wait a few months. WGU is the most compelling option right now, but the jury's still kinda out on that one.)

Lemonade727

erpadmin wrote: »

Congrats and Welcome to the club!! So I guess you're continuing on with WGU?

At this time I think my academic work is going to be put on hold, but I might end up trying for a Master's at a later time. Going to take a nice month or 2 break and then get back on the cert train. If I do go for a Master's though, I think it will be away from WGU.

petedude wrote: »

The long overdue "I'm done" note. . .

Finished my BS-IT with WGU at the end of February and got my diploma March 1.

It was more of a relief than anything to see that diploma arrive-- one less thing to worry about in a chaotic job market/economy.

Of course, I might have been more moved if the diploma had arrived in a nice vinyl cover like my associate's from Excelsior did, but I guess you can't have everything. (Didn't help that the postman BENT the envelope, either.)

Having the board here really, really helped me keep going and helped me keep invested. I hope WGU hopefuls keep finding their way here on the way to achieving their goals.

(As for future plans. . . the master's has to wait a few months. WGU is the most compelling option right now, but the jury's still kinda out on that one.)

Congrats! Can't wait to get my diploma in hand.

snokerpoker

It is a nice feeling to be done...... congrats!

coffeeluvr

Lemonade727 wrote: »

Today is definitely off to a great start. Received word back from TaskStream (finally!) that my Capstone passed with a 3.88/4. My work with WGU has officially come to an end, and my mentor has started the graduation application

This has been a pretty awesome experience, and I want to thank everyone for the support, assistance, and insight from these forums during this journey.

Congratulations!!

Hypntick

Lemonade727 wrote: »

Today is definitely off to a great start. Received word back from TaskStream (finally!) that my Capstone passed with a 3.88/4. My work with WGU has officially come to an end, and my mentor has started the graduation application

This has been a pretty awesome experience, and I want to thank everyone for the support, assistance, and insight from these forums during this journey.

WOO! Congrats sir, can't think of happier news to hear today. Now that you're done....come work for me!

coffeeluvr

petedude wrote: »

The long overdue "I'm done" note. . .

Finished my BS-IT with WGU at the end of February and got my diploma March 1.

It was more of a relief than anything to see that diploma arrive-- one less thing to worry about in a chaotic job market/economy.

Of course, I might have been more moved if the diploma had arrived in a nice vinyl cover like my associate's from Excelsior did, but I guess you can't have everything. (Didn't help that the postman BENT the envelope, either.)

Having the board here really, really helped me keep going and helped me keep invested. I hope WGU hopefuls keep finding their way here on the way to achieving their goals.

(As for future plans. . . the master's has to wait a few months. WGU is the most compelling option right now, but the jury's still kinda out on that one.)

Congrats! It is a wonderful feeling to hold that sheepskin in hand....it makes the journey complete!

jmasterj206

Congrats to those who have finished!

bmtuser

Just got my capstone back! 4/4 I am so relieved that I was able to finish my degree in two terms.

WGU1.jpg

NOLAJ

bmtuser wrote: »

Just got my capstone back! 4/4 I am so relieved that I was able to finish my degree in two terms.

Congrats!! I know it feels good!

erpadmin

bmtuser wrote: »

Just got my capstone back! 4/4 I am so relieved that I was able to finish my degree in two terms.

Congrats!! So what's next?

erpadmin

petedude wrote: »

Of course, I might have been more moved if the diploma had arrived in a nice vinyl cover like my associate's from Excelsior did, but I guess you can't have everything. (Didn't help that the postman BENT the envelope, either.)

If you attend commencement, you will det the degree cover for free (though I suppose you can order it and save the expense, though I highly recommend going through the experience of commencement...really is a nice thing and in SLC, you're guaranteed to meet your mentor.)

I'm probably gonna give mine a call after the semester's over to see how he's doing.

Oh and once again, congratulations!

bmtuser

erpadmin wrote: »

Congrats!! So what's next?

Thanks! I am looking at getting some Cisco certs and applying to Google's IT residency program this summer. It would be fun to see how Google handles IT internally and get some great experience.