Term 3 Begins

One of the things I have appreciated most about the university is the ability to arrange courses to meet students needs. My first goal was to change employment and get into an entry level IT position - the reason being a degree should also need experience and getting a few years in before graduation will help accomplish that.

So instead of starting off with lower division courses at WGU my mentor had me go through my A+, Network+, Security+, CIW Associates, and Project+ certifications first so I could gain an entry level position. This has worked out well and employers have been satisfied with these certs as many people seeking similar employment are either 100% self taught with no credentials or only have A+.

Now the plan is to work in the industry as a tech to keep my skills sharp and work on the lower division courses for my degree for a term or two. Then I will go back to the remaining IT courses with some experience.

Since I have done well so far my mentor wanted to push me this term and so I have a pretty full load of courses to take. I am keeping to a strict study schedule and am still using the formula of Pre-assessment + course of study + learning resources.

For example, I first take the pre-assessment to see how well I know the subject. If I score really high on the pre-assessment the chances of me passing the actual test are very good and I can knock out that course with minimal or even no additional study. My first course, Reasoning & Problem Solving, had a pre-assessment score 0f over 90% so I went ahead and scheduled the exam. I will study the one area I was a little weak in but other than this I know I will pass and saved myself at least a few weeks.

The course of study is another important resource. If you have 1100 pages in a particular text but only 500 of those pages will be relevant to the exam, the course of study will tell you this and save you a lot of time. Follow the course of study and do exactly what it tells you to do.

You can also work on multiple subjects at a time but I only do one. The reason being that I like to stay focused and it is easier to remember the subject matter when you are focused on one course at a time. Besides, it is easier to track your progress. Start a course, go through the course of study, schedule the exam, pass, then go on to the next course.

Let Term 3 begin...

Term 2 Comes To A Close

After passing and receiving my Security+ certification I had everything I needed to maintain full time status so I took a quick breather and reviewed the Project Management learning resources to make the decision that a) I would relax until the end of the term, or b) sneak in one more course in the last couple months. For the sake of acceleration I chose the latter.

Upon thumbing through the primary text for my Project+ certification I noticed it was considerably smaller than the other texts I had received which gives the impression it is going to be easy. So I informed my mentor I wanted to knock it out before the end of the term and started reading.

What I found was project management is a broad subject that really requires you to know the material. I read the primary text more than once and also visited the community threads to gather tips from other students who had taken the test.

As my test date approached I got nervous after hearing reports that the test was quite difficult and also knowing I was nearing the end of the term with a maximum of two chances to pass. And indeed, it was a difficult test. But I passed.

And so concludes another successful term and another certification to add to my ever expanding resume.

Progress Report

I have been an active student at WGU for nearly a year now and would like to share my thoughts on what it has been like and some of the pros/cons and how to deal with them:

1) Online schooling takes a great deal of discipline. You MUST be a self starter or you won't make it. I was coming up on an exam and had tickets to an NBA game; I gave them to a family member and because I needed to study. I miss my favorite show (Burn Notice) and end up watching new episodes on re-runs. I take a laptop to work with me and spend lunch breaks studying. And I study every day according to a strict schedule I have created rain or shine. My car hasn't been washed for weeks. These are the kinds of sacrifices that need to be made.

2) Faculty support is top notch. You can call course instructors, instant message them, e-mail them, and they will get back to you. They also know the material. Mentors are similar to counselors; they motivate you and help you with non academic matters.

3) The learning resources are excellent. Videos are fun to watch, texts are detailed and accurate, websites are easy to navigate, and you don't pay extra for books. There are some recommended additional texts once in a while but are not required.

4) Traditional universities have the advantage when it comes to labs. While online universities do give access to multiple operating systems and give you the materials needed, if you want a true lab experience you will need to purchase the parts to build multiple computers and do the labs in your home. I have such means, but others may only have a single laptop or PC.

5) Online universities have the edge when it comes to time and money. You have the opportunity to graduate sooner and the schedule can be adjusted to your own schedule. Many adults who have children or full time jobs CAN'T go to a traditional college (without it taking years) because certain classes are taken at various times of day or on various days of the week.

6) Administration matters such as Financial Aid go much smoother with an online U. No lines, and someone always answers the phone.

7) If you like meeting people in person a traditional college is for you. If you like message boards, e-mails, and IM, online U's work great. People are quite friendly here and there are students who put together study groups for those within driving distance.

8) No walking and no driving to class ='s you get more work done. This saves money.

So far I think this has been a great investment. I have gotten a lot for my money and haven't paid a cent for supplies including books. The only thing I notice is a traditional college has computer rooms, science labs, art rooms, etc. but so far I have been able to do everything I need.

Passed Security+

Second attempt for the Security+ exam was a success. I am glad to get this one out of the way and am on to a Project Management course which I would like to finish by the end of the term. Another certification is in the mail and I have earned the right to play some Fallout3 - awesome game for those of you who are into gaming.

An Unexpected Boost

I have been preparing to take my second shot at the Security+ exam and like all Wednesdays I was awaiting a call from my WGU mentor, but today a different voice was on the other end of the line; my "course" mentor. This is an actual instructor for this particular course and was calling to offer any assistance she might have. Today she answered some specific questions I had about the content I was reviewing and even created a new study plan for me which I am rather excited about.

The best part about this is I didn't even have to contact her which I am certainly able to do through the student portal. You can instant message or e-mail the course mentors at any time to set up a phone call or otherwise get the help you need.

I am very pleased to know that at WGU the faculty will make every effort to make sure you are succeeding. Not only was my course mentor helpful and knowledgeable, but she was very friendly and patient. I didn't encounter this with teachers at the community college.

Failed Exam

I sat for my Security+ exam today and wasn't surprised when I saw the "you did not pass the Security+ 2008 exam"... It was a tough test and I was simply in too much of a hurry to get it out of the way.

The most accurate learning resources I have used for preparing for CompTIA exams are the practice exam software that has questions worded in the same manner as the actual exam. Coincidentally, I only used this software in my last couple days before my exam and scored around 75%. As a result I failed.

One thing I found that I didn't pay too much attention to before was the exam resource has pdf's containg its own chapters on the subject matter and it is helping tremendously. Currently I would read the primary text based resource, kick back with the Learnkey videos, spend a couple days on the exams and test. Now I will pay much more attention to the exam software and its subsequent chapters.

I don't think my failure was related to a lack of knowlege as much as insufficient practice with the wording of exam questions. So I am going to tweak the learning resources and try again. My advice to WGU students is to make use of the community and learn what is working for others; they'll state the learning resources they used and which ones they felt were the most beneficial. If multiple students who passed all used one particular resource, you can be confident it will help you.

I'll be glad to get Security+ out of the way.

Networks I - Term 2

It seems I underestimated my networking course which will give me my Network+ certification by about 30 days. I was going to get a head start reading the texts and test a few days after term 2 started on December 1st. However, my test for Network+ is scheduled for early January and I am just now done with the primary text and refreshing with videos which will be followed by test and lab simulations.

There are some tough areas in networking although I have touched up on some of these areas already for CIW Associates and A+. The key is to read slower with comprehension; if you get to the chapter summary questions and can't answer them, go back and read that section again. Also, make sure you keep to a set schedule so there are no gaps in your reading for even one day.

For those who might be wondering what the quality of the texts are these are indeed high quality college texts with labs where professors have you walk through what you've learned. The only difference is you are responsible for performing the lab activities instead of sitting in a classroom and following the instructors instructions.

The next concern you might have is that in a brick and mortar universities computer room, they have all the operating systems and software programs you need. Surely we can't be expected to go buy a copy of Server 2008 to do some lab exercises, right? Well, you don't have to. IT students at WGU get access to dozens of operating systems and applications to perform any tasks they need to.

I have 60 days to complete both Network+ and Security+ (each) which technically leaves me with two extra months in this second term although if I pass Network+ on my scheduled date and complete Security+ in the same amount of time, I'll be ahead by four months.

I understand that the day might come where I fail one of my certification exams first attempts and will need some extra time to study and re-test. As you become a student you will have access to your course of study for any course, even ones you haven't enrolled in yet. This is so valuable because it allows you to get a preview of what that course entails so you can accurately gauge how much time you'll need to complete it.

Remember that once you and your mentor approve courses during your term setup (called AAV) you will need to complete all those courses by terms end (or a certain percentage) in order to remain in good standing with the university.

Networks I and Security I are both worth 6 credits which gives me the 12 I need to be a fulltime student, and I am absolutely confident I will pass them both long before the six month term end. But I am still only enrolled in the two for right now so I am not "under pressure" to complete more in the event one of these two courses becomes a snag (I've heard Security+ exam is difficult).

Once I pass these two courses and if I have, say, three months left in the term, I can then call up my mentor and add another couple courses. I can look at the course of study's for any course I want to add to determine if I have enough time to complete it, or add another course that seems easier.

All thing's I've picked up along the way.

Update:

I passed the Network+ exam today using the same primary texts and video instruction I used for A+.