Education Without Boundaries

The first thing that you have to do before beginning Education Without Boundaries (EWB) is take another skills assessment. This one is much more difficult than the readiness assessment because there is very little multiple choice. You have to actually solve the math equations this time. The english is also considerably more advanced this time.

Those of you who are only a year or two out of high school or spent some time in college might breeze through this, but if you're like me and haven't been in school for over 10 years, it's difficult.

Now that that's out of the way, it's time to move on to the Education Without Boundaries course itself.

Most people go into EWB thinking they are going to fly right through this "intro" course within a couple hours. (Insert laughter here) And indeed, Education Without Boundaries starts out relatively simple since most of the beginning sections were already explained in the pamphlets you receive when requesting information.

But it does get more difficult. Not necessarily academically difficult, but you WILL need to pay attention, re-read sections frequently, perform tasks, and take simple tests. And there is more to EWB than just passing it; since this intro course explains how everything works within WGU, you will need to revisit it often when you begin your studies.

I won't give anything away, but let's just say WGU provides awesome tools and resources for students. While a brick and mortar school is well, a school, WGU will have you browsing around for hours with occasional exclamations such as "ah, cool!". (Well, at least I did.)

For those of you who might prefer the "social" aspect of a traditional school I will say you will do plenty of communicating at WGU. You don't just sit at your desk alone never talking with anyone. In fact, working with others at WGU is much more comfortable than what I experienced at a regular school. You'll like it.

Another thing you'll learn in EWB is that WGU doesn't tolerate slacking off. You'll need to work if you want to stay in, but I'll leave the details to EWB.

Once Education Without Boundaries is complete you will officially begin your degree program. Mine comes with a bachelors and the following certifications:

• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
• CIW Professional
• CIW Associates
• CIW Database Design Specialist
• CompTIA A+ IT Technician
• CompTIA Project+
• CompTIA Network+ (2009 Objectives)
• CompTIA Security+ (2008 Objectives)
• Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) – Windows Vista, Configuration 70-620

Stay tuned...