The WGU Challenge - Finish in 1 term

Psoasman

swild wrote: »

My mentor suggested that I should keep some easy passes on hand in case I don't get to finish in one term. That way I will have some easy credits for the next term. I do understand her perspective since I'm sure a lot of people come in saying they are going to finish in one term and then can't follow through. I just had BNC1 added to my AAV to get it out of the way. I think I've proven that I am capable of finishing in one term at this point.

I woke up with a rebound migraine this morning so I doubt I will be able to get much studying done.

I looked through the KET1 course and all of the "required" exercises on Wiley plus. Glad I know enough to skip all that crap. Downloaded the Task 1 and 2 documents and will hopefully get started on that this afternoon, if I'm feeling better.

I'm feeling pretty good having 17 CUs done in only 7 weeks, and another 6 that will be easy to knock out. Still dreading that DJV1 MTA exam.

I am sort of doing this. I am hoping to complete the AIV1, AJVI, CUV1, and BOV1 this term. I am going to try and get the Cisco out of the way next term - but that's only 6 CUs, and if it takes me longer, it would mess my FA. So, I saved MGC1 and TPV1 for next term. That will ensure I will get my full CUs for FA compliance.

erpadmin

Psoasman wrote: »

I am sort of doing this. I am hoping to complete the AIV1, AJVI, CUV1, and BOV1 this term. I am going to try and get the Cisco out of the way next term - but that's only 6 CUs, and if it takes me longer, it would mess my FA. So, I saved MGC1 and TPV1 for next term. That will ensure I will get my full CUs for FA compliance.

Your strategy makes sense since you're not gunning for finishing in one term. From reading swild's progress, he seems to be able to retain book knowledge fairly quickly and accurately. His only issue will be the Cisco and it sounds like he save the Cisco for the tail end, so he'll have his CUs with the Capstone/Tech Writing if he needs full time status for a presumed second term.

@swild, how do you plan at tackling the Cisco exams? Will you use simulators, or will you build a nice lab from hardware obtained from ebay?

spiderjericho

Hey Swild, Love your thread. I'm going to start my term in April, but we have a similar course path (for the most part). I have 0 programming or web experience. Do you think one would have any issues with DFV1, CUV1, BOV1 just utilizing the WGU tools/books? And did you just take the MGC1 and BNC1 preassessments without studying? Thanks. I plan on using your thread as a guide to help me through my WGU journey.

swild

erpadmin wrote: »

...How do you plan at tackling the Cisco exams? Will you use simulators, or will you build a nice lab from hardware obtained from ebay?

Glad you asked. I started studying for the CCNA in Dec 2010 using the Official Study guide. I was planning on taking the combined exam and got all the way through the ICND1 book when I got a job offer. I stopped studying to change jobs and planned on taking it back up but never did. I already bought 2 3640 routers and 3 2950 switches on eBay, just so I could get a feel for the equipment. I have Packet Tracer from a friend who was taking a course at a community college. I had it installed and configured when I was first studying. It's on some hard drive in a drawer and I will need to find it. For now I have GNS3 installed but not configured yet.

I could probably test for ICND1 now and pass but I really want to learn the material so I will go through the majority of it again. I was only a couple of chapters into ICND2, so I will be pretty much starting over. I have both the Odom and Lammle books and prefer the later. I recently purchased the FLG and OECG for the CCNA Sec exam, so that I will have both books when I need them toward the end of this term. I plan on continuing into the CCNP right after graduation, so I will be needing more equipment but I have a decent start. My work is reimbursing me for my tuition after the term is over and I plan on using that money to buy some more gear.

swild

spiderjericho wrote: »

Hey Swild, Love your thread. I'm going to start my term in April, but we have a similar course path (for the most part). I have 0 programming or web experience. Do you think one would have any issues with DFV1, CUV1, BOV1 just utilizing the WGU tools/books? And did you just take the MGC1 and BNC1 preassessments without studying? Thanks. I plan on using your thread as a guide to help me through my WGU journey.

For the web programming, all I used was the WGU materials. I would recommend taking DFV1 last in the series as I found the MS material not as well at preparing me for the exam as the CIW books. I did take C++ classes 10 years ago when I first started college, so I do have a little experience at programming, but I don't remember any of the details.

As for the MGC1 and BNC1, my recent Project+ cert helped tremendously, so I would advise getting that first. I did take the preassessments without studying, but I have a lot of experience. I was in ROTC and the Army, and have worked as an Office Manager at a medical clinic. I also had a couple of business classes while I was in college. Shockingly the passing grade for these 2 classes is only 50%, so I wouldn't sweat them.

spiderjericho

I already have Project+, have military experience and have taken several organizational classes at UMUC. If the pass is 50 %, The ORC1 will probably be the first class I knock out of the way. So you think I should CUV1>BOV1>DFV1? I just want to knock those three out as quickly and painlessly as possible. I think Capstone and Tech Writing will take me a weekend. And if your friend gave you Packet Tracer, I'd see if he can get you the latest version 5.3.3. There's a pretty decent jump between 4 and 5. But to be honest, using Hardware and VMs (using multiple NICs possibly) might be better for CCNA Security and CCNP (especially T-Shoot).

swild

That's the order I would recommend. I have been putting off downloading and installing VMware but it looks like it has come time. I was planning on having new equipment by the time I get to TSHOOT, since I will be doing that last. But if you say I could benefit from it for CCNA Sec, I will move up my plans. Cisco will surely be my hardest challenge at WGU.

spiderjericho

The benefit comes if you have two NICs connected to two different routers. You could do a low-cost OS like Linux/XP and attempt communication/test some of the CCNA security concepts such as firewalls/ACLs, VPNs, LAN Switch hardening, etc. If you can get a desktop with a quad-port NIC or three USB ones, it will help with the CCNP curriculum which usually requires three hosts, especially for T-Shoot. But this is if you want to get elaborate. Technically, you can use the latest Packet Tracer for a bit of the CCNA Security curriculum. And when I did CCNA Security, I never really did the labs (which is probably why I just barely passed).

swild

Alright, still moving right along.

I just submitted Task 1 for KET1. Everything works and the rubric matches up so lets see if I have to adjust anything. I wound up having about 150 lines of code after throwing in all the commenting.

Task 2 doesn't look too bad. I think I will be able to turn that in by Sunday. I'm taking the rest of today off from studying to give my brain a break. So far I have spent about 6 hours or so in KET1 in 5 to 30 minutes increments due to crazy people coming into my office and making my job harder than it should be.

I really surprised myself with this Java programming. I had forgotten how easy programming comes to me. I really wish I liked it, but it is so repetitive and redundant. I expected to be just reading for about a week or so before starting into any actual coding. Oh and Head First Java does not work for me at all. It's written for a 'Mac' person, not to start a flame war, but it just doesn't flow for me. This 'Java How To Program' textbook by Deitel that I picked up for $3 is worth every penny. Mine is a 4th edition, but since it is on its 9th ed, you can even get a 6th or 7th edition from amazon for less than $10 bucks shipped. Highly recommended.

I was planning on getting BNC1 out of the way this week, but it looks like the exam is no longer given by Prometric so I have to find a proctor and get it scheduled. If I can get that scheduled and taken by the end of the month, that will give me 20 CUs in 2 months, which puts me right on track for 60 CUs in 6 months. If I finish KET1 in the next week, that will put me at 24 CUs, ahead of schedule. That would help to be able to relax a little.

I said goodbye to my fast start mentor today. I should be getting my long term IT Sec mentor sometime in the next week.

erpadmin

swild wrote: »

I was planning on getting BNC1 out of the way this week, but it looks like the exam is no longer given by Prometric so I have to find a proctor and get it scheduled. If I can get that scheduled and taken by the end of the month, that will give me 20 CUs in 2 months, which puts me right on track for 60 CUs in 6 months. If I finish KET1 in the next week, that will put me at 24 CUs, ahead of schedule. That would help to be able to relax a little.

I guess you have an issue with online proctoring. I can understand that...a lot of folks might have a hectic household or what-have-you.

You can go to either a public library OR your local college/university for proctoring. Your local library might be best.

Don't they have a list of approved proctors still?

Turgon

erpadmin wrote: »

I guess you have an issue with online proctoring. I can understand that...a lot of folks might have a hectic household or what-have-you.

You can go to either a public library OR your local college/university for proctoring. Your local library might be best.

Don't they have a list of approved proctors still?

To the OP, there seems to be pressure on to get things done. Is there a rush? Some reflection time can help the educational experience.

swild

erpadmin wrote: »

I guess you have an issue with online proctoring. I can understand that...a lot of folks might have a hectic household or what-have-you.

You can go to either a public library OR your local college/university for proctoring. Your local library might be best.

Don't they have a list of approved proctors still?

I can't do online proctoring because I don't have internet at home. I do most of my studying at a coffee shop or at work.

They have a list of available proctors and there are 3 that are within an hour of me, one being Prometric. There are an additional two about 20 more minutes away and then the next is 2 hours plus.

Turgon wrote: »

To the OP, there seems to be pressure on to get things done. Is there a rush? Some reflection time can help the educational experience.

The rush is purely monetary. My work is paying for one term and I will not be able to afford to pay for a 2nd. Also, I started school 10 years ago and I am ready to have it finished.

I agree that reflection is a necessary part of learning, however, the amount of required reflection varies per person. I have always been able to retain boatloads of data that I have read through once, even years later. I find programming to be very boring and tedious so I want to get through it as fast as I can. That's also why I did it first. I am looking forward to the database classes and have a lot of hands on time as a DBA in my job, so I expect it to go quickly as well. the part I want to get to is Cisco. I'm saving the best for last.

Another reason I am wanting to finish so quickly is that I am in need of a challenge. I really do like learning and have never been challenged by education. I partied through most of my college years, taking 18 hours per semester, and still maintaining a 3.5 gpa. That is part of the appeal of doing a degree online: I can go as fast as I want, not waiting on other people to catch up. I would love to have gone to a top engineering school, but I just can't stomach the massive amount of debt it would put me in. Now that I am ready to go back to school, I have a family and can't move somewhere that has a better state school. If I went to a traditional school, I also couldn't do it and maintain my full time 9-to-5, so once again we arrive at the crux of education in America: money.

Turgon

swild wrote: »

I can't do online proctoring because I don't have internet at home. I do most of my studying at a coffee shop or at work.

They have a list of available proctors and there are 3 that are within an hour of me, one being Prometric. There are an additional two about 20 more minutes away and then the next is 2 hours plus.



The rush is purely monetary. My work is paying for one term and I will not be able to afford to pay for a 2nd. Also, I started school 10 years ago and I am ready to have it finished.

I agree that reflection is a necessary part of learning, however, the amount of required reflection varies per person. I have always been able to retain boatloads of data that I have read through once, even years later. I find programming to be very boring and tedious so I want to get through it as fast as I can. That's also why I did it first. I am looking forward to the database classes and have a lot of hands on time as a DBA in my job, so I expect it to go quickly as well. the part I want to get to is Cisco. I'm saving the best for last.

Another reason I am wanting to finish so quickly is that I am in need of a challenge. I really do like learning and have never been challenged by education. I partied through most of my college years, taking 18 hours per semester, and still maintaining a 3.5 gpa. That is part of the appeal of doing a degree online: I can go as fast as I want, not waiting on other people to catch up. I would love to have gone to a top engineering school, but I just can't stomach the massive amount of debt it would put me in. Now that I am ready to go back to school, I have a family and can't move somewhere that has a better state school. If I went to a traditional school, I also couldn't do it and maintain my full time 9-to-5, so once again we arrive at the crux of education in America: money.

It's not about retention. It's about making sense of things. I recall a film where a student boasted about having a 'photographic memory' and the Professor floored him by saying 'Im not interested in that. It's about helping you make practical and useful sense of all the mush that is in your brain' But I can see you have commercial reasons to get through this.

swild

"commercial reasons," I like that!

Starting in on KET1 task 2 this morning unless I have another computer crash. 3 so far this week. I can't believe I'm still in a reasonably good mood.

LayOffPayOff

Something of a faux-update:

Been beefing up on ICND1 for the past couple of weeks. Got sick and that screwed me up for about 10 days..... Today I received access to the WFV1 resources and im trying to get a head start (class doesn't officially begin until next thursday).

Im excited to finally get started!

swild

I got my score report back for Task 1 of KET1: perfect score! I was only going for the minimum needed to pass. I guess I got a liberal grader.

Task 2 is taking me a little longer. I had gotten a little way into it, in that I was outputting to a text file, but I am having some trouble understanding file parsing, sets, and maps. I went down a wrong path, trying to use a BufferedReader approach so that I could reduce my line numbers, but I that I think is just a little too involved for this task, . I think I may set this one aside for a little while. I ordered another book from eBay: Core Java. Hopefully it will go into more detail about it. I tried using the wiley online but that is way too time consuming. I can't believe that I can only view one page at a time and can only have one window open. Referencing back to a previous chapter means losing the page you are on.

For now, I have a nice GUI interface that asks for the input file and output files in textboxes and has two buttons to run the reports. I found a pretty nice way to add in a "browse to file" interface that is like most windows applications, but, once again, I think that is more than is required by the rubric.

So in the mean time, I have BNC1 scheduled for Tuesday 2/28 at 4:30 pm. Out of all the test centers within an hour of me, that's the soonest I could get in. I'm gonna go ahead and get MGC1 and DJV1 accelerated in. That way I can get MGC1 scheduled in a couple of weeks and start working on DJV1 while I am waiting on a new textbook.

Anyone have any good recommendations for Java reference books? Something that is more classically arranged like a textbook than Head First Java would be what I need.

Assuming that I pass BNC1, I will meet my goal of 20 hours in 2 months! I think I will be able to finish up KET1 and knock out KFT1, DJV1, and MGC1 in March, for a total of 16 hours. I may not be able to finish DJV1 depending on how hard it is, and if I have to take the test twice.

swild

I am working on scheduling MGC1 for the end of this week, if possible. Just waiting on the scheduler to get back to me.

I am working on DJV1 and I guess it is a new course. It is MTA 98-361 Software Development Fundamentals. I don't have the answers for the end of chapter tests so I emailed the course mentor and he said that he is in the process of compiling all the answers and posting it to the community forums. I find it kinda strange that I have been enrolled for almost 2 months now and the answers are not posted yet. I expect that I will have the course finished by the time they get posted. It is only 6 chapters and I just finished chapter 3. I signed up for the uCertify and LearnKey learning resources but don't have access yet. Since I failed DFV1, I have a different plan of attack for this material. I plan on reading through the text, watching all of LearnKey and then going through uCertify before taking the official practice exam. I am planning on testing next Thursday, as long as my testing center is open.

techinthewoods

Slightly off topic, but related: are there any people trying this (finish in 1 term, or even 2) that aren't transferring in an associate's degree or equivalent? If 1 term is theoretically feasible with the Associates transferred in, is 2 terms feasible without it? Is 1 term possible without it?

Thanks.

swild

techinthewoods wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but related: are there any people trying this (finish in 1 term, or even 2) that aren't transferring in an associate's degree or equivalent? If 1 term is theoretically feasible with the Associates transferred in, is 2 terms feasible without it? Is 1 term possible without it?

Thanks.

In my opinion, if you really wanted to finish in one term, you really could, IF you don't have any other commitments, AND have quite a bit of experience or learn very quickly. I have spent plenty of time doing other things including work, family, goofing off with friends, and volunteering. The most time consuming thing I was doing before I started WGU was playing video games. That's also the one thing I haven't touched in about 6 months.

The real problem with not transferring in the liberal arts courses, is that they will most likely be the hardest courses you take simply because you will probably not have any interest in them. The most time consuming courses for me are the performance assessments and a lot of the liberal arts are those types. Part of the reason for that is that you have to wait for the submission to be graded before you can actually move on. I would highly, highly recommend getting as many certifications as you can afford before starting into WGU.

Just to give you an idea:

A+: 8 credits, $356 (2 tests)
Project+: 6 credits, $253
Security+: 4 credits, $276
MS 70-680: 8 credits, $150 (This looks like a bargin, but it is by far the hardest)
CCNA: 6 credits, $300 (2 tests)

So, assuming that you pass on the first time, and can't find any discount vouchers, you are looking at $1335 to get 32 credits out of the way, not counting study materials. Thats 25% of your degree done and a significant leap towards finishing in 2 terms. This is based on the Security track, which is what I know about. This is also a good way to measure how much time you will be able to dedicate to your studies and how long it will take you to finish. You get encouragement and some good resources by doing these through WGU, but in the end you have to do it all yourself. Self study isn't for everyone. If it takes you more than 6 months to get through these exams, you will know that you will not be able to finish in 2 terms. If it takes you 6 months to get through 30 credits, it will probably take 3 terms to get through the additional 90 in order to graduate. Also, this is less than half what a term at WGU costs, so if it takes you 3 months, you break even.

swild

MGC1 scheduled for 3/17 at 2pm. First available appointment was 2 weeks away. That will be my last liberal arts course.

BNC1 test is tonight. My only concern is finding the proctoring center.

Working through the DJV1 LearnKey videos. I think I will be able to get through the first half of the videos today, which will catch me up with where I am in the text. Then I will finish up the text and then go back to the last half of the LearnKey videos. I really think this will be an easy test since it is all review from previous courses. However, I do not think this course should be taken first because they use C# in all the examples. All of the CIW classes have been using VB. It could be very confusing to brush over C# and then go in depth with VB since there are some syntactical differences.

I'm kinda slowing down for this week for a couple of reasons: I'm waiting on a book to continue the KET1/KFT1 tasks, I can't schedule DJV1 yet because it hasn't been added to my AAV, My allergies are acting up due to my worst allergen coming into season.

swild

BNC1 passed. I didn't get a score report but just checked my degree plan and it is listed as a pass. Also the testing center I used this time was very unprofessional. I had to show the woman how to navigate to her own Yahoo mail account so that she could pull up the link for the assessment.

20 CUs in 2 months: on track to finish in 1 term.

Agent6376

Keep up your focus and you can knock it out. I'm working on my Capstone now and should be done in the next week. The end of my term is March 31st .

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swild

Agent6376 wrote: »

Keep up your focus and you can knock it out. I'm working on my Capstone now and should be done in the next week. The end of my term is March 31st .

62 hours so far in 6 months, very nice!

Found out my score for BNC1 this morning: 60%. It's a pass so nothing else really matters.

spiderjericho

swild wrote: »

62 hours so far in 6 months, very nice!

Found out my score for BNC1 this morning: 60%. It's a pass so nothing else really matters.

Swild did you study or prepare at all besides the practice test?

And congrats on the pass. The light seems to be getting closer in the tunnel.

erpadmin

spiderjericho wrote: »

Swild did you study or prepare at all besides the practice test?

And congrats on the pass. The light seems to be getting closer in the tunnel.

I believe BNC1 is the same as ORC1. In which case, all I had to do was take the preassessment and then schedule it within the first week of my next term. Same with MGC1 (which was a lot of Project+ terms like how to form groups, and a few other things.) But those exams can be passed by folks who had been working for a number of years. The preassesment is a good way to see if you need to study for it or not.

Whether one gets 60%, or 90%, that pass gets you the same B grade, thanks to the "Modified Angoff" deal. I didn't study for either exam; just took preassessments.

swild

No studying at all. Actually on the preassessment I scored a 69%, but I blame the difference on that testing center. On top of the proctor being clueless, she didn't check to see if I had a cell phone, so I could have cheated, the testing center was very loud with other kids "learning", and one of the kids walked into the testing room about 20 minutes into the exam. When I say kids, I mean 7ish to 14ish. Yeah, won't be going back there.

MGC1 I expect to be easier since I have the Project+ cert, as erp said. I made something in the 70s on the preassessment.

techinthewoods

swild wrote: »

In my opinion, if you really wanted to finish in one term, you really could, IF you don't have any other commitments, AND have quite a bit of experience or learn very quickly. I have spent plenty of time doing other things including work, family, goofing off with friends, and volunteering. The most time consuming thing I was doing before I started WGU was playing video games. That's also the one thing I haven't touched in about 6 months.

The real problem with not transferring in the liberal arts courses, is that they will most likely be the hardest courses you take simply because you will probably not have any interest in them. The most time consuming courses for me are the performance assessments and a lot of the liberal arts are those types. Part of the reason for that is that you have to wait for the submission to be graded before you can actually move on. I would highly, highly recommend getting as many certifications as you can afford before starting into WGU.

Just to give you an idea:

A+: 8 credits, $356 (2 tests)
Project+: 6 credits, $253
Security+: 4 credits, $276
MS 70-680: 8 credits, $150 (This looks like a bargin, but it is by far the hardest)
CCNA: 6 credits, $300 (2 tests)

So, assuming that you pass on the first time, and can't find any discount vouchers, you are looking at $1335 to get 32 credits out of the way, not counting study materials. Thats 25% of your degree done and a significant leap towards finishing in 2 terms. This is based on the Security track, which is what I know about. This is also a good way to measure how much time you will be able to dedicate to your studies and how long it will take you to finish. You get encouragement and some good resources by doing these through WGU, but in the end you have to do it all yourself. Self study isn't for everyone. If it takes you more than 6 months to get through these exams, you will know that you will not be able to finish in 2 terms. If it takes you 6 months to get through 30 credits, it will probably take 3 terms to get through the additional 90 in order to graduate. Also, this is less than half what a term at WGU costs, so if it takes you 3 months, you break even.

Thank you for this info. I found it very useful and appreciate you taking the time to answer.

You mentioned testing centers in another post. Can the tests all be taken from home for WGU or do you have to go to exams at another location?

swild

All IT exams have to be taken at Prometric or another proctoring center. The liberal arts course exams can be taken at home via webcam proctoring or at Prometric or similar.

I couldn't do the web proctoring because I don't have internet at home. Also, I only had 3 classes that could be done at home.

erpadmin

swild wrote: »

I couldn't do the web proctoring because I don't have internet at home. Also, I only had 3 classes that could be done at home.

I know Little Rock has gang problems (via the HBO special I saw some time ago) and probably other urban issues, but couldn't you otherwise qualify for that rural assistance we all pay through our landlines/cell phones so that you could otherwise get that USF money that goes to rural areas so that you, too, can have Internet in the home? [I'm being quasi-serious with that one....but I'm kinda curious all the same...]

Or heck, I know you got a smartphone....even with 3G service, you can root and tether that bad boy to get some Internet in the home (and hence have web proctoring and other things....)

Just a thought.

swild

I do tether to my T-Mobile which only gets 1 to 2 bars. That isn't good enough for trying to do a test over. I have had both Comcast and ATT DSL service and they are both not worth paying for. Comcast is down more than it is up and ATT will reset your connection every 15 minutes to an hour. The bad thing is that I live in a nice neighborhood. Since it was built in the 50's, no infrastructure work has been done so all the lines are crap. It's the "last mile" problem we have in America.

Even if I got the service for free, it's not reliable enough for anything.

The HBO special you are referencing is "Gang Wars: Bangin' in Little Rock" which can be seen on YouTube. I actually lived in a house in the background of one of the shots... shots. ha.

It's not so much like that anymore, but we are still in the top 5 cities for violent crime per capita. Statistically, everyone in the city is a victim of a violent crime at least once every 2 years. But I digress.