WGU: Choosing a major.

pokerpro

For those of us who haven't started their careers in IT, how would you go about choosing a major a WGU? I've read all the descriptions but can't seem to figure out which one would be the best fit for me. Thanks.

hiddenknight821

pokerpro wrote: »

For those of us who haven't started their careers in IT, how would you go about choosing a major a WGU? I've read all the descriptions but can't seem to figure out which one would be the best fit for me. Thanks.

This is easy. Just pick the general IT since your degree won't say which emphasis you have. You're better off picking the one that best fits you and something that interests you. Not the one that gets you more money. Like I said, pick the general one if you are absolutely undecided.

Devilry

Do you have any experience?

erpadmin

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

This is easy. Just pick the general IT since your degree won't say which emphasis you have. You're better off picking the one that best fits you and something that interests you. Not the one that gets you more money. Like I said, pick the general one if you are absolutely undecided.

I actually agree with this. The IT degree with emphasi are geared more for people who have had experience in IT (be it in NT 4.0 or current O/Ses).

The general IT is a good one to do because you get a feel for some certs while not getting overwhelmed.

You will do no harm going with a general degree. Remember, there are going to be people who say get an MCITP:EA on WGU's dime....you're not going to get system admin work with no IT experience to speak of....unless you have a some really nice hooks...and for that, you wouldn't even need a degree. If you find MS or Cisco is your thing, you can always work toward those certs AFTER your degree.

drew726

First, I would pick an emphasis where you already have certifications for some of the courses. If you already have CCNA, I would probably do Security or if you already have MCITP:EA than I would go Network design.

If you don't have any certifications, than pick one that you think the certifications are desirable. I decided on Sys admin because it was the quickest path to getting MCITP and CCNA after I graduate. I would still need to take ICND2 but thats only one more exam. MCITP:SA, CCNA, Sec+ looks good on any resume especially combined with a degree. Even with no experience, it shouldn't be long before you find an entry level job. Of course this is assuming you're in a location that's hiring a lot of IT professionals.

Rappeller

The only reason i picked the software emphasis is because it sounded interesting and I like to figure out how to do things.

Michael.J.Palmer

The genral IT degree definitely will work best for you, it'll give you some nice certs to get started, give you a degree to throw on your resume, and allow you to get started in the field. After you've gotten comfortable then you can use some of that money you saved by going to WGU in the first place to invest in cert studies to better your specialties. Everyone goes to WGU for different reasons, if your plan is to get started in the IT field with a degree then the general IT degree is best for you.