I didn't listen to anyone's advice: Starting WGU B.S. CIA June 1st.

PocketLumberjack · May 2017

A couple weeks ago I asked for advice for my next education or certification move. I mentioned that I already have a B.S, but it is unrelated to IT. I have been doing a lot of thinking about what direction I want my career to go and I kept circling back to infosec. The nice thing about having a B.S already is that I do not need to take any general classes at WGU, it will be all IT. I am at a placed in my life right now where I have the time and the funding to maybe knock this program out in a year. I am apart of the first group to do this program so I thought it would be nice for me to document my experiences for others to learn. I am excited to take classes that will help me learn a little about areas of IT, like programming and databases (even if it is a basic overview), that I would not be motivated to learn otherwise. But anyhow I will update this thread as I progress through the program!

***Edit 6/18***
Here is the list of classes I need to take:
Introduction to IT – C182 Pre-assessment score: 75%
Fundamentals of Information Security – C836 Pre-assessment score: 80%
Web Development Foundations – C779
IT Foundations – C393
IT Applications – C394
Scripting and Programming - Foundations – C173
Managing Web Security – C837
Network and Security - Applications – C178
Managing Cloud Security – C838
Data Management - Foundations – C175
Data Management - Applications – C170
Business of IT - Project Management – C176
Introduction to Cryptography – C839
Digital Forensics in Cybersecurity – C840
Legal Issues in Information Security – C841
Cyber Defense and Countermeasures – C842
Managing Information Security – C843
Emerging Technologies in Cybersecurity – C844
Information Systems Security – C845
IT Capstone Written Project – C769

PCTechLinc · May 2017

You made your OWN decision??????? THE SHAME!!!!

That degree definitely looks like it has a LOT of good information. Best of luck as you progress; I'm looking forward to seeing your updates!

MontagueVandervort · May 2017

I missed that thread. I would have suggested you go for the MSCSIA. Any thoughts/decisions about doing that once you finish the BSCSIA?

PocketLumberjack · May 2017

PCTechLinc Shame indeed lol.

MontagueVandervort I am headed in that direction. I just want to feel like I have a more broad base before I try that program. As of right now I am just a Help Desk Specialist so I feel that a masters would look really strange to potential employers. Also the masters seems to be more of a Managers degree and I am not ready for that role, but that is just the way I see it. I need to put some time in the trenches before I go for the Masters.

MontagueVandervort · May 2017

Ok, so it sounds like it may be a future plan. That's good news. I think the way you're doing everything is really smart, and I wish you the best of luck.

boxerboy1168 · May 2017

Did you have a hard time getting into the school?

I just applied but I have never been to college. Went to New Horizons but that's really just a bootcamp.

PocketLumberjack · May 2017

boxerboy1168 - It was easy for me because I had Network+ and ITIL Foundations when I applied. I also have a 4 year B&M degree so that made it pretty easy for me.

PocketLumberjack · May 2017

I took 2 pre-assessments and got a passing score, I am going to spend the next week going through the material to get my confidence with the material a little higher. I am meeting with my student mentor on Tuesday, I will update this thread after my meeting. Orientation was a bit long but there was a lot of helpful info.

shimasensei · May 2017

Great updates, thanks for keeping us posted. Good luck with your studies! I am also setting a goal to complete my WGU BS:IT in one year.

jcundiff · May 2017

I am in my 2nd semester of the BS ITSEC program, switching to this in July... the BSCIA is more in line with where I am and what I do, planning on the MSCIA next as well

Rylee1246 · May 2017

Jcundiff, are you sure you are switching in july? My mentor said that it would not be available for existing students until september. Were you told different? I am also wanting to switch.

MontagueVandervort · May 2017

Re: your edit

Only 20 classes for a Bachelor's Degree? I took just about that amount for my college certifications. Is this because you hold CCENT, CompTIA N+, and ITIL Foundation certs? Did the certs really wipe out 14 whole classes, or did you have some college classes (or degree) already under your belt?

anhtran35 · May 2017

MontagueVandervort wrote: »

Re: your edit

Only 20 classes for a Bachelor's Degree? I took just about that amount for my college certifications. Is this because you hold CCENT, CompTIA N+, and ITIL Foundation certs? Did the certs really wipe out 14 whole classes, or did you have some college classes (or degree) already under your belt?

He already has a BS degree in another field.

MontagueVandervort · May 2017

Thanks anhtran, I realize now that I should have reread.

jcundiff · May 2017

Rylee1246 wrote: »

Jcundiff, are you sure you are switching in july? My mentor said that it would not be available for existing students until september. Were you told different? I am also wanting to switch.

Thats when my new semester starts, my mentor said I couldnt switch mid-semester, but we could see about switching when my 3rd semester started. I will be raising a ruckus if they wont allow me to start in July... I have already paid them over 6 grand and be denied a program that someone can walk in off the street and get? It will get ugly if thats the case...

PocketLumberjack · May 2017

jcundiff wrote: »

Thats when my new semester starts, my mentor said I couldnt switch mid-semester, but we could see about switching when my 3rd semester started. I will be raising a ruckus if they wont allow me to start in July... I have already paid them over 6 grand and be denied a program that someone can walk in off the street and get? It will get ugly if thats the case...

Hopefully you get in, I can't wait to start.

NetworkNewb · May 2017

boxerboy1168 wrote: »

Did you have a hard time getting into the school?

Good one

OctalDump · May 2017

Good luck! The Cybersecurity specialisation looks like it is the 'sexy' niche in Infosec at the moment, or at least encompasses the more sexy parts. I think you'll get a lot of value out of the degree. I think sometimes people forget that degrees can be more than just a line on a resume, and actually do give you pretty well rounded knowledge and good base in a discipline.

PocketLumberjack · May 2017

OctalDump wrote: »

Good luck! The Cybersecurity specialisation looks like it is the 'sexy' niche in Infosec at the moment, or at least encompasses the more sexy parts. I think you'll get a lot of value out of the degree. I think sometimes people forget that degrees can be more than just a line on a resume, and actually do give you pretty well rounded knowledge and good base in a discipline.

Thank you, I am excited to round my knowledge out I really think it will help me do better in my career.

I had my initial meeting with my Student Mentor and it went really well. I mentioned that I will be doing the CCNA Cyber OPS scholarship from January to March and she was really supportive about it. She was very clear that she is going to hold me accountable to my goals, but if I need to make adjustments she will help. So far I am very happy with the WGU experience. Instead of attacking the coursework like a crazy person I am just taking the rest of may to shore up other projects around the house and relaxing so I can give it my full attention once June 1st hits. I felt really odd not studying so I started the Learning How to Learn course on Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn/home/welcome I really enjoy it so far and I will definitely be tweaking my study technique.

Dakinggamer87 · May 2017

Congrats on starting your journey to WGU!! I look forward to watching your progress.

jcundiff · May 2017

PocketLumberjack wrote: »

Hopefully you get in, I can't wait to start.

I will get in

it is a matter of when... just spoke with my mentor and he isn't hopeful for the July start, saying September now... guess it is time to start moving up the food chain... worst case I will set out july and august which sucks because I had everything on Jan/june/Dec pattern which aligns with FA and works EA benefits but oh well

PocketLumberjack · May 2017

jcundiff wrote: »

I will get in it is a matter of when... just spoke with my mentor and he isn't hopeful for the July start, saying September now... guess it is time to start moving up the food chain... worst case I will set out july and august which sucks because I had everything on Jan/june/Dec pattern which aligns with FA and works EA benefits but oh well

I hear you there, I heard that for the first 3 months they are only letting 30 people in per month so that may be a part of it though that is pure speculation.

PocketLumberjack · June 2017

Quick update: I am trudging through C182, I should be taking the assessment this week. I have been taking my time with it to sort of brush up on my non-technical/hands on learning. I can't wait to get to the courses that are geared towards certs!

PocketLumberjack · June 2017

Passed C182, I definitely over studied. Now on to Fundamentals of Information Security, I ordered the book that the class uses because I am Tired of looking at a computer screen all day.

PocketLumberjack · July 2017

Today I passed the C836 Fundamentals of Information Security. I think it is a good class of the absolute basics of info sec. I took too long, but I did have a 2 week vacation in the middle of it so I did not get much studying done while on vacation. I honestly think my 3 years of listening to the Security Now! podcast helped me with this exam more than the course content. The pre-assessment is is very close to the exam, in fact my exam score was higher than the pre-assessment. Now I am on to C779 Web Developmental Foundations. I worked with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript like 10 years ago so I hope those skills come back to me quickly.

PocketLumberjack · August 2017

Passed the CIW - Site Development Associate exam today for the C779 class. I was able to take it online which is really great because driving 2 hours to take a 30-minute exam seems insane. I will now start the A+ material which should go quickly because it covers things I have been working with for many years now. I don't think I will be publishing the CIW credential anywhere except for WGU to verify I passed.

ITSpectre · August 2017

I love this thread!!!! Keep up the good work! And invite us to your graduation!

PocketLumberjack · September 2017

ITSpectre wrote: »

I love this thread!!!! Keep up the good work! And invite us to your graduation!

Thanks man, I wasn't sure anyone was reading it anymore my experiance has been pretty straight forward so far. I am now about half way through IT Foundations which is the first part of A+ and I am just working on pure memorization for things like CPUs and RAM. The Networking section was a breeze because I have already done Network+. I have been spending a lot of time in Anki and I think the spaced repetition is paying off, I have been adding about 20 cards a night and it is becoming quite the brain challenge.

I have just passed the half way mark in the term and I have 10 credits down so I am pretty happy with that. My wife has also ended her summer vacation and gone back to work so I am getting a lot more study time and I think I will fly these next couple months!

PocketLumberjack · October 2017

I passed C393 today. As usual, I over studied and took a little too long to complete it. I have now reached my OTP for the semester and I have 2 months left. I will slow down with WGU because I am working on the CCNA Cyber OPS Scholarship. I will at the very least finish out my A+ this semester and maybe the programming class, but I would be okay if I only finish the A+. I am really excited to work on the Cyber Ops stuff as it should help with the rest of my program a bit.

PocketLumberjack · November 2017

I have been super focused on the CCNA Cyber Ops material. I will be taking 2 months off and starting this program again February. My advisor has been super supportive and super awesome. My next term will focus on finishing A+, Security+, and the CCSP. I think the Cyber Ops material will help me with theses classes.

I didn't listen to anyone's advice: Starting WGU B.S. CIA June 1st.

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