Since i've resigned from work, i'm a full time student. its 20 days until class restarts. I know i can prep for a course in a week so I have downtime. its going to be over 100 for the high temps here for a bit so outside work is limited. (I love August in TX). My wonderful spouse works in IT, so I am starting my ITIL Foundation course. I am going to see if i can schedule the test this friday or monday.
I chose this course since a lot of employers seem to want this level cert. I get to the be the guinea pig and find the material and study and take the test and relay what i learn to my spouse (and in case someone is reading along, i don't reveal the questions. Its amazing how often I just confirm, yes, the syllabus does cover all the material). Anyhow, getting the formal learning
Yes, we have some geeky conversations. She's Service Desk (plus with some network exp). I was Technical (network) plus managerial. Tonight, why would you update the firmware on a printer...Wow.
Monday, August 11, 2014
WGU Semester 1 Complete Recap
I transferred in about 30-40 hours. I'm in the last 3 weeks of the semester and cannot be issued additional classes. I thought I'd recap semester 1 courses. I completed 27 hours while working. Please understand I have over 15 years experience in a wide breadth of technology so some of this was a refresher.
A+ test courses: the material was good. Plenty sufficient. I'm glad I have nearly 2 decades of experience to answer a few of the questions. I'd recommend actually setting up some wifi routers....All the other sims were good.
The CIW intro course and the web programming: Again, the study material is more than sufficient. At least the material you learn here can be reused the in the MS MTA course regarding style sheets, html, and scripting.
MS-intro program course. As always, the material was sufficient. I didn't get section 2. i used the lynda videos. Re-read the chapters again.
Critical thinking course. I see why my mentor said some people hate this course. You actually have to use logic and thinking skills. There is some memorization. Not a bad course really. I kind of enjoyed it.
Biology. imagine cramming for a standard bio course for a single final. As always, the material was sufficient. I watched the videos. Read the material twice. I know I did well.
Exams -- two types, vendor and at home. The vendor ones are at a certification center. I have cert center close that works closely with WGU. Works very well. I tend to call the center the day of or the day before my test. The other is the web cam test. It feels weird knowing someone is watching you. I mouth the questions when i dont know the answers and haven't had any proctor issues. The only thing that gets me here is that it take 72-96 hours before you can take the test once you register. So, I have to plan a bit more so I'm ready but not over-ready for the test.
Pre-Exam -- I use the practice tests HEAVILY. Not for just the answer to the question, but to all the question options. Do I know what the wrong answer would be right for? I typically take them full battery of questions at least twice. I read fairly quick so i can do a test bank of 200 in a reasonable amount of time. It wears me out, but i typically do questions and show answers the first time. i want to know what the answer is and why it is right. Most of the practice material will tell you what the other answers really mean. I take time to study all both the right and wrong answers.
My Mentor -- Everyone at WGU gets a mentor. I get to talk to mine weekly. She is very nice and encouraging. She also replies to emails quickly. Shes there to support me and help me if I need it. I'm glad she's there. its good to have someone else care. She is also responsible for starting the process to take the actual test. Since i've done well, she releases the assessment portion so I can sign up for the tests.
Message boards -- I use the message boards. Every class has them. I recommend that you at least check them out. someone has likely had your question and if not the course mentors will answer it. Some will provide you alternative material or what to focus your studies on. A very good resource. I usually check it before I begin studying the actual course material.
So far, I've enjoyed the experience. The material is good. The resources are there. Its not always easy. Lots of saturdays and sundays studying with a a test Monday morning...
A+ test courses: the material was good. Plenty sufficient. I'm glad I have nearly 2 decades of experience to answer a few of the questions. I'd recommend actually setting up some wifi routers....All the other sims were good.
The CIW intro course and the web programming: Again, the study material is more than sufficient. At least the material you learn here can be reused the in the MS MTA course regarding style sheets, html, and scripting.
MS-intro program course. As always, the material was sufficient. I didn't get section 2. i used the lynda videos. Re-read the chapters again.
Critical thinking course. I see why my mentor said some people hate this course. You actually have to use logic and thinking skills. There is some memorization. Not a bad course really. I kind of enjoyed it.
Biology. imagine cramming for a standard bio course for a single final. As always, the material was sufficient. I watched the videos. Read the material twice. I know I did well.
Exams -- two types, vendor and at home. The vendor ones are at a certification center. I have cert center close that works closely with WGU. Works very well. I tend to call the center the day of or the day before my test. The other is the web cam test. It feels weird knowing someone is watching you. I mouth the questions when i dont know the answers and haven't had any proctor issues. The only thing that gets me here is that it take 72-96 hours before you can take the test once you register. So, I have to plan a bit more so I'm ready but not over-ready for the test.
Pre-Exam -- I use the practice tests HEAVILY. Not for just the answer to the question, but to all the question options. Do I know what the wrong answer would be right for? I typically take them full battery of questions at least twice. I read fairly quick so i can do a test bank of 200 in a reasonable amount of time. It wears me out, but i typically do questions and show answers the first time. i want to know what the answer is and why it is right. Most of the practice material will tell you what the other answers really mean. I take time to study all both the right and wrong answers.
My Mentor -- Everyone at WGU gets a mentor. I get to talk to mine weekly. She is very nice and encouraging. She also replies to emails quickly. Shes there to support me and help me if I need it. I'm glad she's there. its good to have someone else care. She is also responsible for starting the process to take the actual test. Since i've done well, she releases the assessment portion so I can sign up for the tests.
Message boards -- I use the message boards. Every class has them. I recommend that you at least check them out. someone has likely had your question and if not the course mentors will answer it. Some will provide you alternative material or what to focus your studies on. A very good resource. I usually check it before I begin studying the actual course material.
So far, I've enjoyed the experience. The material is good. The resources are there. Its not always easy. Lots of saturdays and sundays studying with a a test Monday morning...
Full Time Student
I recently resigned my position of IT Director to...become a full time student at WGU. There had been a few positions I applied for that my lack of degree held me back. Its time to fix that problem. I could have stayed and been a part time student, but the circumstances would have made that difficult. In addition, most of the courses at WGU are certs I had formerly held so that will help speed the studying along. The goal is to finish in the spring or summer of 2015. 60ish hours to go.
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