Fastest path to a computer science or software degree?

[quigongene]

Keep in mind the degree I'm going for (see my sig)

Here's what I transferred in and how I got it:

English Composition I - CLEP
English Composition II - CLEP
Introduction to Communication - Study.com Public Speaking (DSST?)
Technical Communication - DSST Tech Writing
Intermediate Algebra - ALEKS College Algebra (or CLEP)
College Algebra - ALEKS PreCalc (probably need Trig now, or CLEP)
Introduction to Probability and Statistics - Study.com (ALEKS/DSST will likely work)
Integrated Physical Sciences - DSST Astronomy (CLEP Chem or Bio/other science DSST will likely work)
Introduction to Geography - CLEP Introductory Psychology (see the PDF for other possibilities)
Introduction to IT - CLEP Information Systems
Network and Security - Foundations - MTA Networking Essentials
Data Management - Foundations - MTA Database Foundations
Business of IT - Applications - DSST MIS
Business of IT - Project Management - Study.com Project Management
Managing Cloud Security - CCSK
Fundamentals of Information Security - CISA
Scripting and Programming – Foundations - Microsoft MTA: Software Development Fundamentals
Managing Information Security - CISA
Information Systems Security - CISA
Web Development Foundations - MTA HTML5 and CSS Fundamentals

This helped me a lot:
https://partners.wgu.edu/TransferGuideli...urance.pdf

[padma]

Any suggestions about what credits I could / should acquire before starting WGU?  I'd appreciate some suggestions. With our move, I'm not even getting much done on my Udacity Nanodegree right now, so I shouldn't go ahead and pay for WGU when my progress is currently so slow. I really need to finish the nanodegree but it's been really hard to get any time for it in the last few months.

I was in a somewhat similar situation years ago when I was studying at Excelsior college. My parents were traveling a lot and Excelsior or TESU were the only ones that would allow me to continue with my degree program at my own pace and without interruptions with so many life changes.

I enrolled into Excelsior after I got my 1st degree in Mathematics by distance. Then my parents moved internationally from Qatar to India. I still got to continue the same degree even with the move. Then I got married and moved from India to New York. Then about 6 months after that I graduated from Excelsior after a final English composition Excelsior exam and once my portfolio assessment was completed. For a majority of this time, I was also working in Computer software as a developer in different full time positions. 

There were many times when I just took a few months off (but continued paying my annual Excelsior enrollment fee though).

I would suggest, please don't feel so guilty about the nanodegree that you are unable to move forward as quickly as you would like to. But continue to do the best you can to keep studying! The reason I think Excelsior or TESU might be better is that they give you freedom to choose how you complete your degree and at your own pace.

Also I've heard that WGU grading is quite strict with a pass/fail. That is good in some ways but for people who are balancing multiple life and job challenges while studying, it is better to not be tied down to a corner (which can delay timelines considerably while fixing such matters) just in case something else happens in life to disrupt the study schedules a bit.

I can see why someone would want to study at WGU, there's a perception of being a techie rock star with a technical degree from WGU. But there is no reason why someone cannot achieve the same in another college such as Excelsior or TESU, with sufficient career planning and preparation.

Would you be interested in an Excelsior OneTranscript service? https://www.excelsior.edu/support-resour...ranscript/
With this service, you can have Excelsior evaluate all your prior learning and get an approximate idea of where you would stand for completing your IT degree from them.
Note that you will not be actually applying for a degree program or enrolling, it is another way to document all your prior learning in a professional college-level transcript without enrolling/applying for a degree program. TESU also has a similar Individual Learning account service.

A professional college transcript like this can also help to present your college level learning to prospective employers, might help to boost things on the job front too, so may not be a waste of time or money, and the service is quite inexpensive too.


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Book Author of College Shortcuts: An Express Undergraduate Degree with Zero Student Loans
https://www.amazon.com/College-Shortcuts...B078T3FBBB

Entrepreneur & Senior Software Developer Java/JEE
http://www.collegeonomics.com

MBA from Durham University, UK
B.S.Computer Info Systems from Excelsior College
B.A. Mathematics Distance degree