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Thanks to WGU MSCSIA for promotion
#1
I have a personal experience coupled with anecdote that I would like to share with anyone interested in a WGU Graduate Program.

This experience happened over two weeks ago, and I have refrained from posting as not to come off as a braggard, or at best a humble braggard.  I didn't see any way of posting my great experience without coming off like I was making it about me, especially during a time when so many are struggling.   

However, reading through WGU Reddits and even some posts from this forum, I decided that my personal experience may encourage others who are on the fence about WGU, or maybe even alternative education sources.

I will start with a very quick BIO blurb.  I had worked in I.T. for nearly 30 years, without a degree.  I have never had trouble finding work as a Sys Admin or Network Admin.  However, I always dodged the inevitable "College" conversation that seemed to come up in every single job that I ever had.  I was a Supervisor and was interviewing people that had education, where I did not.  I was always passed over for the Mangment position, because the HR handbook says "minimum Bachelor". I hated that I was always avoiding the college talk at work.   So, coming from a family that never had a degree conferred upon them.......ever......I decided that I wanted to work towards one, and set an example for my teen sons.  I started at a B&M State College in 2007, chiseling away at credits in my spare time.  Slowly, methodically, however seemingly getting nowhere fast.  Fast forward to 2017, and I found this forum.  Started to learn about ACE credits, Pierpont and the Big Three.  Well, because of this forum, I have completed everything in my Sig line.  Most recently, the MSCSIA in July.

To the point of my post:

I have been working in a Government agency as a Senior Systems guy.  Started here with only my Pierpont Diploma(and no transcript.  LOL).  When I finished my TESU BALS last year, the agency acknowledged me with a respectable raise as well as reimbursing me for the Capstone class.  Hey, can't beat that right?  Within months, I had applied for the MSCSIA program, and started in late 2019.  Throughout the program, I second guessed the credibility of the school and the reception that I may get from hiring managers and Human Resources in the future.   Even with these doubts, I forged ahead.  I recommended some co-workers to WGU.  One is even completing his BSIT as we speak.  The other just registered.  Hey, I love those $30 referral gift cards to the school store.  I have more WGU t-shirts than I can handle. 

Recently, we had a change in Elected Officials that govern our agency.  Many times, when this happens, there is a shake up and cronyism sneaks in, and people are replaced.  Well, a whole new upper management crew came in, many with graduate degrees from places like the London School of Economics and George Washington University.  Most of these guys are young (35) combat vet, military officers (Naval Reserve, Nat Guard, etc.)  No sooner were they here and someone threw out in the middle of a meeting that I was "going to grad school".  Immediately, both of these leaders perked up and said "Oh yeah?  Where?".  I hope not to offend anyone here, but I slouched in my chair and mumbled under my breath "WGU".  They replied "Where?".  I then repeated with a little more gusto "A place called Western Governor's University".  I was cornered by the Elite students and just had to man up and say it.   I am not sure how the rest of you would have responded, but maybe my years of being self conscious about not having ANY degree were starting to filter into my current choices of a source of a degree.  Maybe?  I was pleased to have them eagerly reply "Oh, Western Governor's.  Awesome.  Very familiar with it from the military".  Apparently, WGU is somewhat popular among military personnel?  Needless to say, I was elated that my new bosses seemed to be quite fine with my choice.

This past July, I graduated with my MSCSIA.  I went to the HR department to turn in my final tuition reimbursement forms, which require a copy of invoices, grades and transcript.  They, then have to go into the big bosses for sign off and approval.  Nice to throw that money back on my small loans that I took.

Two weeks after turning that form in, and I was asked to come to the big boss's office.  Their first question  "Did we hear that you completed your Master's recently?"  I was surprised with a promotion to Director of I.T.  Replacing my previous boss, who was promoted to a CTO type role.   They clarified with me that the Master's Degree was not the solitary achievement that qualified their selection, but that it helped.  Several weeks from graduation and WGU has paid off.....HUGE.  TESU paid off previously.

Not every hiring manager will be as gracious, and not every boss will see things the same way.  Again, it is all personal anecdote.  But, I want to think that in general, our techniques and methods of earning our degrees work well for us, and are becoming more mainstream.  Some say that it simply "checks a box".  Well, if that is the case, I will take it.  Forge ahead.  I look forward to hearing what all of you do with your education and futures.

And, most importantly, thanks for all of the knowledge you have shared.  Many of you here are educators whether you realize it or not.
Western Governor's University
MSCSIA - Completed 2020.  Program completed in 8 months.
Cybersecurity Scholarship Recipient
Thomas Edison State University
B.A.L.S 2019 
ASNSM - Computer Science - 2018 
Pierpont College
Board of Governor's AAS, AOE Information Systems - 2017

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#2
Congratulations! It was nice reading about your journey and it’s results. Yes, I agree this forum is wonderful. My only regret is not being aware of it’s existence earlier but’s it’s ok. I am happy about the progress so far and working towards the BSBA from TESU. Best wishes on your new leadership role. Your years of experience have tremendous value too which will come handy in potential mentoring you are providing for your colleagues.
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#3
(08-21-2020, 10:04 AM)S2106 Wrote: Congratulations! It was nice reading about your journey and it’s results. Yes, I agree this forum is wonderful. My only regret is not being aware of it’s existence earlier but’s it’s ok. I am happy about the progress so far and working towards the BSBA from TESU. Best wishes on your new leadership role. Your years of experience have tremendous value too which will come handy in potential mentoring you are providing for your colleagues.

Good luck in your BSBA journey.  I am sure that it will pay you dividends, in the future.
Western Governor's University
MSCSIA - Completed 2020.  Program completed in 8 months.
Cybersecurity Scholarship Recipient
Thomas Edison State University
B.A.L.S 2019 
ASNSM - Computer Science - 2018 
Pierpont College
Board of Governor's AAS, AOE Information Systems - 2017

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#4
A lot easier to walk through life downhill rather than uphill, 100% get that college degree.  

Congrats on the promotion, you deserve to brag a little after all your hard work!
Degrees: BA Computer Science, BS Business Administration with a concentration in CIS, AS Natural Science & Math, TESU. 4.0 GPA 2022.
Course Experience:  CLEP, Instantcert, Sophia.org, Study.com, Straighterline.com, Onlinedegree.org, Saylor.org, Csmlearn.com, and TEL Learning.
Certifications: W3Schools PHP, Google IT Support, Google Digital Marketing, Google Project Management
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#5
It is good to hear these types of stories. I would like to think that in a post Covid-19 world that people will be more open and accepting of those who graduate from completely 100% online programs. The assumption that someone physically attended a campus to get their degree will have to be fading somewhat (in whatever subjective amount) in a post Covid-19 world.

Again, it is good to hear these types of stories for those of us going to WGU like myself. I tried to find negative stories and reactions to WGU's degrees from employers. While it was not an employer, I have heard about English teachers having a tough time with Korean immigration officials. One immigration officer apparently said "WGU is online only, not a real school". These types of stories are rare but they do happen. I also remember a few years ago reading about people who wanted to become elementary school teachers through WGU and having issues getting a job because the school district wanted teachers "from a traditional University".

Aside from those few isolated cases, everything that I have heard about WGU in terms of employer and co-worker reactions has been positive. Your personal experience that you have shared provides further evidence of that.
Currently working on:  Capstone

Eastern University - (9 of 10 Courses Completed) (27 Credits)
Master's in Data Science


Western Governors University (WGU) - Completed in 2020.
Bachelor of Science, Business - Information Technology Management

TEEX (3 courses, 10 cr)  
The Institutes (3 cr) 
NFA (1 cr)  
ALEKS (3 cr) 
SOPHIA (21 courses, 57 cr) 
Study.com (18 courses, 54 cr) 
WGU (12 courses, 38 CUs)
Eastern University (9 courses, 27 cr)
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#6
ChilliDawg! That's such an amazing journey! Great job getting your educational goals completed with such outstanding results! It does pay to go back to school, especially when you have tuition assistance or reimbursement. Each person's story is different even though some may have similarities, the main points of success are persistence and pursuit of that goal until it has been completed. I love reading about this successful journey, may your next goal be as rewarding.
In Progress: Walden MBA | TESU BA Biology & Computer Science
Graduate Certificate: Global Management & Entrepreneurship, ASU (Freebie)

Completed: TESU ASNSM Biology, BSBA (ACBSP Accredited 2017)
Universidad Isabel I: ENEB MBA, Big Data & BI, Digital Marketing & E-Commerce
Certs: 6Sigma/Lean/Scrum, ITIL | Cisco/CompTIA/MTA | Coursera/Edx/Udacity

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#7
Congrats! Great story! It sounds like a well-deserved promotion as well. Smile

Also, never be afraid to talk about your accomplishments and accolades based on earning a degree. It definitely helps to inspire people and keep others motivated to continue on their academic journey.

If your story also helps convince a few people that WGU is a great choice for their target academic institution, then all the better. It is a great option, especially for people who are coming back to school with a ton of experience and want to turn it into a degree. Doubly so for people in (or seeking) IT-related careers.
Working on: Debating whether I want to pursue a doctoral program or maybe another master's degree in 2022-23

Complete:
MBA (IT Management), 2019, Western Governors University
BSBA (Computer Information Systems), 2019, Thomas Edison State University
ASNSM (Computer Science), 2019, Thomas Edison State University

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WGU Ambassador
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