WGU IT-Security done! MSISA next

hiddenknight821

YATTA! *mimicking Hiro from Heroes*

I know I am a week late with the good news, but I was waiting for confirmation from the enrollment office to see if I could accelerate into their master program early for "free" before I make my announcement. I just submitted the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last night. They wanted to make sure that I understand and accept the risk of affecting my undergraduate transcript in case I receive a "not pass" grade at the end of my current term.

I will be starting September 1st. To be honest, I am not happy with what I am learning from my undergraduate degree other than learning the vendor way of doing things. Especially when I really should have finished my degree in one term. The ICND2 and KFT1 were the biggest time-consumers. I could have finished in two terms just fine, but I screwed up by procrastinating until my third month at WGU. I wanted to do a do-over, and I figured the MSISA will make up for the knowledge gaps and the regrettable mistakes I made.

Reasons why I am going for the MSISA:

- Cheap tuition: I think it is be ridiculous for me to pay for a graduate program out of my empty pocket at a well-reputable school elsewhere when I don't even have real-world experience yet. I will be piggybacking on my undergraduate tuition that has already been paid for this term. The official first graduate term is not until January. If I have been working for an employer that is going to reimburse me, then I would probably look elsewhere. I plan to use only federal loans to pay for the school.

- Satisfy my educational experience: I felt that I did not learn what I need to know about IT Security. I was coming from a well-known B&M tech school in upstate New York. Finished my AAS there, but was unable to finish my bachelor there due to funding. I would need two more years. Their security program was well-rounded, and that experience eluded me. Honestly, I perceive the MSISA degree as a bachelor degree from a reputable security program, but I could be wrong when I find out eventually. One thing I do know is that it will be challenging for me since I do not have many years of real-world experiences. I was also compelled to get a master due to my disability as I want to prove biased employers wrong that I can perform the work as my non-disable peers as long as I am provided reasonable accommodation.

- Good preparation for the CISSP associate exam: I plan to take the CISSP exam a few years after I graduate from the program.

- Open opportunities in the public sectors: I am aware that the employers from the private sector may gawk at people with the MSISA degree solely because the degree was done online. I don't think the people with experiences will have a hard time selling themselves to prospective employers with this degree, but I probably would. I assumed the government hires differently since they only follow requirements with no bias. If I have met the degree requirements, then I am just as qualified as the other applicants with similar credentials and experience except that their degree was from a local B&M school.

- I want to adjunct teach: I plan to teach at my alma mater in case I am unable to find work in this rough economy. I know I am more likely to be hired if I apply for the teaching position. I was told to get an IT-related master degree from a regionally-accredited school if I want to teach there. I had a good relationship with the faculty when I was a student there, and I still keep in touch with them every once in a while. I don't plan to teach until I gain at least a few years of experience.

UPDATE: Since I finished the BS, I am going to retire my old signature here and start a new one.

WGU BS: IT Security - Start Date: 07/01/11 Graduation Date: 07/24/12
Transferred: BAC1, BBC1, CLC1, LAE1, INC1, LAT1, AXV1, TTV1, LUT1, WSV1, INT1, GAC1, SSC1, SST1, BRV1, HHT1, QLT1, TSV1, BOV1, IWT1, IWC1, KET1, WDV1, ABV1 (77 CUs).
Required: NONE!
Completed: EWB2, ORC1, MCG1, BSV1 *First Term*; TPV1, KFT1, LET1 *Second Term*; BLV1, TWA1 CPW4 *Third Term*

kgb

Congrats!!!

Looking forward to hearing your experiences during your next journey. Sounds like you have a plan, now just to execute it.

hiddenknight821

Thanks! Can't wait to start. I actually thought about backing out of the acceleration process and not wait until my term "officially" ends because they won't confer me the degree unless I either end my term now and submit the graduation form or wait until the end of the term. Now I have to figure out how to sell myself to prospective employers.

Hypntick

Congrats on the pass! Starting the 1st huh, a few of us are doing the same thing. Congrats again!

hiddenknight821

@Hypntick: I knew you would chime in because of our start dates but I have been reading your posts lately. It looks like you are going to be way ahead of me now since I'm not doing any preparation to knock down some CUs by the time I start. I'm currently studying for the RHCSA and I have a long way to go. I don't plan to take the E-Council exams until my next term. I plan to post my degree plan here when I get back home. I am not sure which course to take first. I am only allow to take one course at a time according to the acceleration rule.

joehalford01

Congrats dude, that is freaking awesome!

demonfurbie

i hope to only be about a mth or 2 behind yall

Mike-Mike

demonfurbie wrote: »

i hope to only be about a mth or 2 behind yall

me too, stupid Java slowing me down

Ivanjam

Congrats, hiddenknight821

N2IT

Congratz! Well deserved!

petedude

Mike-Mike wrote: »

me too, stupid Java slowing me down

:: with a fake Southern drawl and a sleepy yawn ::
Them Java courses have a way of slowin' ya down. . .

hiddenknight821

demonfurbie wrote: »

i hope to only be about a mth or 2 behind yall

Great! I hope you don't miss out the MSISA party! I will not be going anywhere until probably Dec. 2013 but who knows. I will keep you guys updated.I just got back home from a long day in Newark. So, like I promised, here is my plan for the MSISA.

I hope to start with the following in order:

1. LKT2 - Network Security Practices adn Policies
2. TFT2 - Cyberlaw, Regulations, and Compliance
3. LOT2 - Hacking Countermeasures and Techniques
4. FNV2* (C|EH) - Ethical Hacking
5. FMV2* (C|HFI) - Forensics and Network Intrusion
6. VUT1 - Vulnerability Assessment
7. JIT2 - Risk Management
8. FYV2* (G2700) - Security Policies and Standards - Compliance and Certification
9. FYT2 - Security Policies and Standards - Best Practices
10. FXT2 - Disaster Recovery Planning, Prevention and Response
11. LQT2 - Information Security and Assurance Capstone Project

Believe it or not, I'm actually more worried about the capstone than the other classes. I was having a tough time writing my horribly-written capstone for my BS since I did not have a project I can borrow from work. It was difficult enough to come up with something when you are unemployed and inexperienced, and I don't want to face the same dilemma for the MSISA. I saw some of the works in the capstone archives, and I can say the paper I did in 2.5 weeks was nowhere close to that level or the number of pages they did. I want to make myself truly proud when I'm done with MSISA. I have something in mind, but it requires an in-depth knowledge of Linux, which is why I'm hoping to obtain my RHCSA before I finish my MSISA. Can't secure or find an exploit in a system if you don't know what you are doing, right? That's the problem.

Oh boy, wish me luck. I would appreciate if someone can chime in and recommend me which course I should take first and which courses overlap, so I can knock them down conveniently as I go. Thanks.

jm0202

hiddenknight821 you better wait for the CEH V8 which is ANSI certified

erpadmin

From on Jersey son, to another...congratulations!!

Treat yourself to that Dinosaur BBQ joint on Market St. in Newark, and have a "Donkey Punch" with some wings!! You deserve it.

MiikeB

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

Thanks! Can't wait to start. I actually thought about backing out of the acceleration process and not wait until my term "officially" ends because they won't confer me the degree unless I either end my term now and submit the graduation form or wait until the end of the term. Now I have to figure out how to sell myself to prospective employers.

Honestly at this point I would list the degree on my resume as if it was in your hand and then if an employer calls explain to them "Yes I have completed all of the requirements for graduation however the term does not end until x date (I would normally say December of May because these are traditional graduation dates for brick and mortar colleges, I dont like to imply my degree is from an online only school but I wont lie about it if they ask. If they say something like, "Oh I have never heard of WGU" I say "I took their online program, the facilities are located in Salt Lake City" since they are, note I didnt say campus since they dont really have one).

hiddenknight821

jm0202 wrote: »

you better wait for the CEH V8 which is ANSI certified

Thanks for the heads up. I guess I better pay more attention to the E-Council threads in the next few months.

erpadmin wrote: »

From on Jersey son, to another...congratulations!!...Treat yourself to that Dinosaur BBQ joint on Market St. in Newark, and have a "Donkey Punch" with some wings!! You deserve it.

It's good to see you again on this forum, erpadmin! Thanks. Funny you mentioned Dino BBQ, because I just texted my girlfriend about it when I walked past it as I was walking in front of Gateway center heading toward Newark Penn station. I thought it was going out of business, because of the construction going on at the front. At that moment, I was shocked and pissed that I did not have a chance to check it out but then later I found out it was recently opened. I do not plan on going there anytime soon since I have been to one in Rochester, NY a few times with my gf. I just got back from Niagara Falls this past weekend to celebrate my graduation with her. I had a good time but I will keep your suggestion in mind.

MiikeB wrote: »

… I dont like to imply my degree is from an online only school but I wont lie about it if they ask…

I totally understand what you are saying here, but it's not the fact that I got the degree online is my concern here. I have my AAS from B&M to back me up in case I need it since 70% of my credits from my AAS went toward my bachelor. I can explain that I am a first-generation college student, and I wasn't fortune to have a family that will assist me in going to college. My scholarship money depleted when I hit the end of 4th-year mark. I wouldn't want to work for an employer who doesn't give a little compassion.

I was trying to figure out how to convince the HR or the hiring manager that I will guarantee get my degree by the end of December when they still insist that I need my actual diploma. I can only prove that I completed all the required coursework using my unofficial transcript. Maybe I'm being way too paranoid about this since perhaps not many employers have such stringent requirements and would cut some slacks.

MiikeB

hiddenknight821 wrote: »

I was trying to figure out how to convince the HR or the hiring manager that I will guarantee get my degree by the end of December when they still insist that I need my actual diploma. I can only prove that I completed all the required coursework using my unofficial transcript. Maybe I'm being way too paranoid about this since perhaps not many employers have such stringent requirements and would cut some slacks.

You are very much over thinking this. MANY employers understand this situation and will either accept your unofficial transcript or put in your offer let something along the lines of "continued employment dependent upon furnishing proof of BS degree within 6 months."

I wouldn't be shocked if the employer never actually even asked to see the diploma to be honest.