Is this too ambitious?

olaHalo · March 2013

I made a simple spreadsheet listing out my WGU classes vs the amount of time I think I can complete them.
I want to know everyones opinion on whether on not this seems to hard.
Im trying to finish in 65 CU's 2 terms.
I work as a Network Tech but have a lot of downtime and enjoy studying. I can also lab at work
Instead of attaching the spreadsheet Ill just put a picture to make things easier.

I dont know anything about the non-cert WGU classes like BNC1 and SBT1, so I am just guessing on those.

Background-
Less than 1 year IT experience
Certs- Just Net+
AAS in IT Networking

zidian · March 2013

olaHalo wrote: »

I made a simple spreadsheet listing out my WGU classes vs the amount of time I think I can complete them.
I want to know everyones opinion on whether on not this seems to hard.
Im trying to finish in 65 CU's 2 terms...

BNC1 took me 6 days if that helps

olaHalo · March 2013

zidian wrote: »

BNC1 took me 6 days if that helps

Thanks
yes that does really help. I dont know what to expect with the WGU non cert classes

volume · March 2013

That looks pretty ambitious to me. Life has a way of getting in the way of these things.

boredgamelad · March 2013

If you're confident ranking TPV1 as Easy I'd put BNC1 and MGC1 under "super easy".

Depending on what kind of project you decide to do, your Tech Writing and Capstone can both be done in a week or two, or even a long weekend if you're like me and you do the project beforehand and then write up both documents afterwards. I'd say it's best to do them back to back since Tech Writing is basically a project proposal and your Capstone is "I did the project from my proposal and here's how it went".

I'd say your goal of finishing in two terms is realistic, as long as you don't get too hung up on the Cisco and Windows courses.

olaHalo · March 2013

boredgamelad wrote: »

If you're confident ranking TPV1 as Easy I'd put BNC1 and MGC1 under "super easy".

Depending on what kind of project you decide to do, your Tech Writing and Capstone can both be done in a week or two, or even a long weekend if you're like me and you do the project beforehand and then write up both documents afterwards. I'd say it's best to do them back to back since Tech Writing is basically a project proposal and your Capstone is "I did the project from my proposal and here's how it went".

I'd say your goal of finishing in two terms is realistic, as long as you don't get too hung up on the Cisco and Windows courses.

I took a class on Project+ just never took the exam. The professor was very good and I do well on practice exams and chapter questions in my book.

I am most concerned with the MS exams as thats where I have the least experience.
Thanks for the info on the Tech Writing and Capstone

meadIT · March 2013

If you have time to dedicate, I see no reason you couldn't finish 65 CU's in 2 terms. I completed 76 in one term while working full time, and like you, had some downtime at work to utilize. I transferred in with two AAS degrees. One in networking and one in web technologies.

swild · March 2013

This should be doable. I did 60 in one term. The hard part was passing the Cisco tests without any real world experience.

If you have had a Project+ class than that one should be easy.

Unless you want the Win 7 cert, I would see about putting it off until term 2 and trying for the Linux+. It's not the easiest exam unless you have large scale enterprise Windows 7 deployment experience. Linux+ is CompTIA, and while I haven't attempted that one, is probably much easier than any MCTS/MCITP level exam.

nosoup4u · March 2013

I've done 65 so far in one term, it's not easy but I don't kids and I lots of time at work to do school stuff and a wife who does most of the chores around the house.

Do the extremely easy stuff first or the stuff you feel most comfortable with to give you a boost of confidence and to give your mentor a feeling that your not playing around so he/she won't harass you about opening up to many classes and scheduling tests.

Few things, you need to account for the time to schedule tests and get them cleared is about a week each, then scheduling issues/blocks at prometric, ect. I'm seeing it's taking closer to 2 weeks for grades to post from outside assessments so try and schedule anything asap and realize you'll have at least another week to study.

I agree with swild on the Microsoft exams, they are going to take much longer and I would focus on them when you don't have much left in the second term, or near the end of your first term especially as it sounds like you don't have much hands on with it based on your experience.

I have underestimated the 70-64x's, even working with servers for the past 5 years each of the exams has taken me two months instead of one, counting failed tests. The 70-680 was much harder then the 70-685 to me also, took about 2 months but I did it before I started WGU. I have no experience with Cisco exams but I'm guessing at least a month like you have.

Good luck, 2 terms is very doable.

YuckTheFankees · March 2013

Definitely do-able. I xfer'd in only 31 credits in November 2012 and I will be graduating in May. If you put in the time, you can knock classes out. But I will say, my past work experience and business classes have helped me a lot over the past 5 months.

nosoup4u · March 2013

Yuck, was that just straight BSIT?

YuckTheFankees · March 2013

I choose the B.S.: IT Management degree. I felt a lot of the certifications in the general IT degrees would not provide me much value, so I thought a good foundation in business was a good idea.

olaHalo · March 2013

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

Definitely do-able. I xfer'd in only 31 credits in November 2012 and I will be graduating in May. If you put in the time, you can knock classes out. But I will say, my past work experience and business classes have helped me a lot over the past 5 months.

Is that like 90 credits in a single term?

nosoup4u wrote: »

...

Thanks for the advice. I dont have any kids either and plenty of time. And youre right, scheduling the exams themselves can throw off my planning...
I have heard a lot of people underestimate the 70-64x's

swild wrote: »

This should be doable. I did 60 in one term. The hard part was passing the Cisco tests without any real world experience.

If you have had a Project+ class than that one should be easy.

Unless you want the Win 7 cert, I would see about putting it off until term 2 and trying for the Linux+. It's not the easiest exam unless you have large scale enterprise Windows 7 deployment experience. Linux+ is CompTIA, and while I haven't attempted that one, is probably much easier than any MCTS/MCITP level exam.

Im going in for the BS IT Network Admin track. Does that track allow you to take the Linux+? If so I would much prefer to take that. I have decent exposure to Unix/Linux and it would probably be better long term too.

meadIT wrote: »

I completed 76 in one term while working full time, and like you, had some downtime at work to utilize.

Most impressive!

YuckTheFankees · March 2013

Technically, two semesters (1st Semester: Nov-Apr, 2nd Semester: May/possibly June).

swild · March 2013

olaHalo wrote: »

Im going in for the BS IT Network Admin track. Does that track allow you to take the Linux+? If so I would much prefer to take that. I have decent exposure to Unix/Linux and it would probably be better long term too.

It looks like BSIT-NA is the only one with the MCTS Win 7. I would ask your mentor if they are planning on changing that anytime soon. There is not a lot of difference between Security and NA:

Network Administration:
■Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)
■Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows 7, Configuration ®)

Security:
■Cisco Certified Network Associate Security (CCNA® Security)
■CIW Database Design Specialist
■CompTIA Linux+

Everything else is the same.

Once you have the CCNA, adding the CCNA:Security is a piece of cake. I would bet that the CIW exam would be much easier than the MCSA. CompTIA would of course be easier than the MCTS.

In the end you get the same degree; only a couple of different certs. I would think that the Security track would be much easier to finish than either of the Network tracks.

olaHalo · March 2013

swild wrote: »

It looks like BSIT-NA is the only one with the MCTS Win 7. I would ask your mentor if they are planning on changing that anytime soon. There is not a lot of difference between Security and NA:

Network Administration:
■Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)
■Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows 7, Configuration ®)

Security:
■Cisco Certified Network Associate Security (CCNA® Security)
■CIW Database Design Specialist
■CompTIA Linux+

Everything else is the same.

Once you have the CCNA, adding the CCNA:Security is a piece of cake. I would bet that the CIW exam would be much easier than the MCSA. CompTIA would of course be easier than the MCTS.

In the end you get the same degree; only a couple of different certs. I would think that the Security track would be much easier to finish than either of the Network tracks.

Now this is something I need to consider.
I havent started yet and have not spoke to my mentor yet. Ill bring it up and see what he thinks when I do that first call (AV or something) with him.
Im not sure if they are planning any changes with the Windows 7 either

olaHalo · May 2013

Just a little update.
Things are going according to my loose schedule.
Knocked out the 2 CIWs and the 70-680 in 2 months.
Hoping now to tackle the MCSA Server 2008 trio before the end of the term, and maybe the Sec+ or Pro+ if there is time.

DoubleNNs · May 2013

Awesome, sounds good. So you decided to stay w/ the net admin track instead. Was there a specific, defining reason why? Just curious.

Kold · May 2013

Nice progress so far. I'm in a very similar situation as you. I'm currently in the Network Admin track (started Feb 1st) and I'm trying to complete 82 units in 2 terms. I've budgeted out my time per class nearly identical to yours. So far I've completed 27 units (3 CIW's, 4 MTA's, and Security+) in 4 months, with every exam taking 2 weeks. I have 2 months left, so I'm shooting for CCENT/CCNA if possible. Worst case I just pass CCENT in 4 weeks and take the CCNA in the first week or two of my second term. My only concern will be the 70-680 and the MCSA, given that I have no hands on experience with Windows Server 2008, so I'll have to lab my ass off at home. If I take longer than 4 weeks per MCSA test, I'll end up spilling over into a 3rd term.

Keep us posted on your progress.

olaHalo · May 2013

Kold wrote: »

Nice progress so far. I'm in a very similar situation as you. I'm currently in the Network Admin track (started Feb 1st) and I'm trying to complete 82 units in 2 terms. I've budgeted out my time per class nearly identical to yours. So far I've completed 27 units (3 CIW's, 4 MTA's, and Security+) in 4 months, with every exam taking 2 weeks. I have 2 months left, so I'm shooting for CCENT/CCNA if possible. Worst case I just pass CCENT in 4 weeks and take the CCNA in the first week or two of my second term. My only concern will be the 70-680 and the MCSA, given that I have no hands on experience with Windows Server 2008, so I'll have to lab my ass off at home. If I take longer than 4 weeks per MCSA test, I'll end up spilling over into a 3rd term.

Keep us posted on your progress.

It possible. For WGU I completed the 70-680, but a few weeks later I did the 70-685 on my own just to get the MCSA.
So really I did 4 certs in 2 months. The CIWs don't really count and I have a lot of webdesign, JS background, but doing the MS certs so close to each other really made it easy.
Im guessing the Server certs will be a little harder though.

DoubleNNs wrote: »

Awesome, sounds good. So you decided to stay w/ the net admin track instead. Was there a specific, defining reason why? Just curious.

Purely for the certifications. The Security track has the Linux+ and the CCNA Security while the Net Admin track has the MS certs; and everything else is pretty much the same.
I felt having the MS Server certs would make me better rounded and also be cheaper.
I still plan on taking Linux+ and CCNA Security later on.

instant000 · June 2013

The very fact that you're proactive about it and made an entire spreadsheet to plan out your degreee track, and then sought expert opinions from others (I say expert, because they've done it before) says a lot about how you approached this issue.

I see it as hard-charging, combined with a good dose of humility.

Also, I'd imagine that the usual type of person who goes to this forum is a bit more hard-charging than average. You should do just fine.

Hope this helps.

Is this too ambitious?

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