WGU Layoffs

[jsd]

Toastmaster, you've been on these forums for 7 years, and have likely seen many former and current students discuss their WGU journeys.

I would take the entirety of their experiences, good and bad, into account, instead of focusing on unfortunate layoff news (that all sorts of organizations regularly go through) and a single troll with a chip on their shoulder.

[Toastmaster]

Toastmaster, you've been on these forums for 7 years, and have likely seen many former and current students discuss their WGU journeys.

I would take the entirety of their experiences, good and bad, into account, instead of focusing on unfortunate layoff news (that all sorts of organizations regularly go through) and a single troll with a chip on their shoulder.

I hear you.  I really, really do.  I’m just scared right now because my OWN company is going through a merger, and this is the second merger that I have lived through.  They are not fun.  They are horrifying.  The irony is that my job is more secure and my networking is effective in that I am confident that I won’t be laid off.  You can never be 100 percent sure…but I am confident, not hopeful, CONFIDENT that I won’t be laid off.  My point is that even with feeling confident, I am scared out of my mind because I know what’s coming and what has already happened to others.  Mergers are stressful and traumatizing as you watch heads roll and people stab each other in the back to save their jobs.  I wasn’t let go at my last merger either, but the social terrifying aspect I never forgot.  I say all this to say, that I am very “sensitive” to abrupt business moves like this, and in my own personal experience with watching heads roll all around me, when I read this thread end to end, I was not enthused….at all.

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This is a VERY interesting thread…I was considering WGU for my MBA….I don’t  want to go to a place that doesn’t at least pass the smell test of “not scam”.  Are there any updates on this situation?

I just completed the MSML program and can guarantee this place is NOT a diploma mill or a scam. I had many assignments returned to me for revisions before  I could pass. There were several tests that were difficult to pass on which required several attempts.

Highly recommend this school. Love their competency- self-paced format and regional accreditation. Teachers, mentor, student services, and IT always resolved any issue or answered my question quickly. 

I also read this thread just as I was about to start. Glad I did not listen and asked questions directly to the school.  Anymore questions I'm happy to answer.

Thank you!  Appreciate you!!!

[bjcheung77]

@Toasty, I would ride it out like you did with your company mergers like you did before. All schools, well not all, but many schools large and small will come across hiccups such as these, be it TESU/WGU or what have you. WGU is RA and has programmatic/secondary accreditation from multiple agencies, it's not the "best" school out there, but they are pretty well known in some circles and endorsed by several states... I know they're a great school for most, but not all...

You will always have people who are unhappy with "something" a school has to offer, even though these schools have gone through rigorous accreditation and quality checks... For other things such as some deals I see on slickdeals.net, people will "downvote/dislike" a post even for cheap stuff, just cuz they could not get it as there is "no stock" at their local Walmart for example. I mean, it's a deal for most... but you still get the oddball who dislikes a post as it doesn't apply to them...

[Toastmaster]

@Toasty, I would ride it out like you did with your company mergers like you did before.  All schools, well not all, but many schools large and small will come across hiccups such as these, be it TESU/WGU or what have you.  WGU is RA and has programmatic/secondary accreditation from multiple agencies, it's not the "best" school out there, but they are pretty well known in some circles and endorsed by several states...  I know they're a great school for most, but not all...

You will always have people who are unhappy with "something" a school has to offer, even though these schools have gone through rigorous accreditation and quality checks... For other things such as some deals I see on slickdeals.net, people will "downvote/dislike" a post even for cheap stuff, just cuz they could not get it as there is "no stock" at their local Walmart for example.  I mean, it's a deal for most... but you still get the oddball who dislikes a post as it doesn't apply to them...

That was a really dope comparison, I LOVE slickdeals hahaha!  In fact, I'm taking advantage of the November 5th "Black Friday" Walmart Goodyear tire sale that I just saw last night there LOL!

I get your point though.  This thread was just traumatizing and brought up negative memories.  The last company that I worked at, ultimately failed and the company went out of business....all those people stabbed each other in the back for nothing.  I saw the lowest of the low in human behavior.  This time, I am confident, not hopeful, CONFIDENT that this merger won't fail....but heads are rolling already.  Would you happen to know if WGU's financials are public?  For example, their endowment, operating expenses, etc?  Perhaps I'll look into this later when I have more time. (I have to get out for early voting today in my area).  I admit...hiring a CFO and President that do not come from academia does not bode well...they are clearly heading into the direction of "For Profit" schools with those moves, and I personally associate For Profit with "scams".  That does not mean you can't get a quality education from a For Profit...I just look at the quality of some of their graduates (in general) and think "scam".  Again, that is a personal bias, and not related to the facts, so please bear that in mind.  Thanks bjcheung77!  You're posts are always great!

[jamshid666]

This is a VERY interesting thread…I was considering WGU for my MBA….I don’t  want to go to a place that doesn’t at least pass the smell test of “not scam”.  Are there any updates on this situation?

I passed the MS-CSIA degree earlier this year and I was able to get accepted into a PhD program using the credentials I earned from WGU. If WGU was a scam, not only would their alumni be able to move on to higher level programs, but WGU would eventually be in danger of losing its regional and program-level accreditations. A WGU MBA may not be as prestigious as one from Harvard, but it's still quite legitimate from a mid-tier school. The only reason I wouldn't recommend WGU is if you are planning on going to a DBA program that insists on your MBA having an AACSB program accreditation since WGU's MBA is endorsed by the ACBSP.

[LevelUP]

This is a VERY interesting thread…I was considering WGU for my MBA….I don’t  want to go to a place that doesn’t at least pass the smell test of “not scam”.  Are there any updates on this situation?

You start calling WGU a scam you're going to lose all credibility regardless of how long you've been on this forum.

You'll be in the same camp as the flat-earthers, moon landing deniers, etc.

[bluebooger]

This is a VERY interesting thread…I was considering WGU for my MBA….I don’t  want to go to a place that doesn’t at least pass the smell test of “not scam”.  Are there any updates on this situation?

I passed the MS-CSIA degree earlier this year and I was able to get accepted into a PhD program using the credentials I earned from WGU. If WGU was a scam, not only would their alumni be able to move on to higher level programs, but WGU would eventually be in danger of losing its regional and program-level accreditations. A WGU MBA may not be as prestigious as one from Harvard, but it's still quite legitimate from a mid-tier school. The only reason I wouldn't recommend WGU is if you are planning on going to a DBA program that insists on your MBA having an AACSB program accreditation since WGU's MBA is endorsed by the ACBSP.

yeah, all anyone has to do it spend 5 minutes on WGU's reddit to see whether or not its a scam and if students are happy with it  
spoiler: students are generally happy

[kidneysmasher]

As someone with a MBA from a "top tier" school, I had no problem going to WGU to earn my MSCSIA. I found the school to be very through in their course structure and the amount of certifications included in the curriculum is an amazing deal. You can beast through the entire degree in one term, but that is not normal. Don't believe the hype on Reddit.

It took me 11 months to complete the degree, with about 4-6 hours a week of effort. My co-worker started at the same time and completed the entire MSCSIA in 3.5 months!!!

[SteveFoerster]

Unless one knows something about a school that their state licensing agency and their accreditors don't know -- in which case one should say what it is -- suggesting that school isn't legitimate isn't very honest.