Introduction to IT

CU: 013 out of 122

So I just finished my first class, Introduction to IT. It was a fairly easy class, just going over the basics of the various functions of the IT space. I started off taking the pre-assessment before I looked at any of the material, which is suggested by WGU. The cut off score, or the score required to pass, was 65. My first attempt I received a score of 76. After taking the pre-assessment you get a “coaching guide” that tells you how you did on each sections, and with this guide you know which sections to study up on. When I had my 1 on 1 with my student mentor she said that she already cleared me to take the final assessment, which when passed allows you to get your credits for the class and move on to a different class. I still hadn’t received my WGU student kit yet, so I did not have my WGU issued webcam that is necessary to take the final assessment for class, so I was stuck waiting. While waiting I continued to study on different sections that could help raise my score. There were some issues with me getting my WGU student kit and so it took a couple of weeks for me to finally get the webcam. As soon as I got the camera I scheduled my test for the next day. The pre-assessment ended up being a great guide on what to study and how the final assessment was setup. 

So the way they do their testing is to connect with Citrix GoToMeeting, you share your screen and you have to have their webcam setup so they can see both your face, and the screen on your monitor. The proctor also had me give them a 360 degree view of my workspace so they knew everything that was around me. They also had me show a government issued ID. This whole process took about 10 minutes and then I was able to start my test. You are given 3 hours to complete this test and I was able to finish it in about 20 minutes. I passed the class no problem and am now starting the 1st of 2 A+ certification classes. I am taking next week off from school though, work is sending me to training for a week, so I guess I will actually start working on that class next weekend. 

Getting Started at WGU

CU: 009 out of 122

First, let me start by introducing myself, friends call me Thomas, I am a network security engineer at a bank in New England. Army veteran and father of 4. I have tried college a few times but never seem to finish. Life gets in the way, I need to make money, not be in class all day, etc… Anyways, I have heard some great things about WGU. Their class format is designed for someone like me who tends to get bored after I know the material and just wants the class to end. Their cost of attendance is really great also, less than $3K every 6 months at the time of this post. This includes most, if not all, of your materials, as well as any certifications that I need to get along the way!
   
I just got accepted a couple weeks ago, this was a fairly painless process and mostly typical of any college you apply to. You apply, send in transcripts and in my case, supply a work history, similar to a resume. WGU has a pretty high graduation rate and they want to make sure you can do the coursework before they admit you.
   
My first day of class will be on June 1st. I have already done orientation, which went over how the classes are structured, how to go about taking the exam to finish each class, setup my school e-mail and designed a study plan. At some point in the next few days they will assign me a student mentor, who is responsible for helping me stay on track and help design my degree plan. The beauty of WGU is that you only do 1 class at a time, and tuition is only due every 6 months. You are required to complete a minimum of 12 “competency units” every term (6 months) but you are free to complete as many as you can in that time frame with no extra fees. At the top of each of my posts I will keep track of how many "CU's" I have, as well as how many I have left.
   
I plan on writing posts after knocking out each class I have to do. I only had 3 classes that were eligible for transfer, but luckily English Comp I was one of them, that means I only have 1 English writing class to knock out! w00t!