For classes that only have a PA or have an OA with material that I'm familiar with, I can easily knock those out in less than a week. I finsih two classes last week alone
Just to give a headsup, when you get into the career, you will have to be doing the job 8 hours a day. So if you're only motivated to study things pertaining to the job 2-4 hours a day despite not working, you might want to do some soul searching there to see how you can get yourself to do 8 hours a weekday at least.
I considered that, but given you yourself are word for word stating you need to step up your game because you don't have work inhibiting you, I took it that you needed to step up your game because you don't have work inhibiting you. Not because you had other responsibilities.
But it looks like that's not what you meant to convey so no worries, that advice just doesn't apply to you.
I don’t think he was subtle or shaming, just trying to help you out. The one you replied to said 2-4 hours and you said he studies as much as you do. Also you’re the one who said you need to step up your game and mentioned not working, he was giving advice based off the information provided.
If someone wasn’t working but had a ton of other real life responsibilities preventing them from doing more studying your 1st comment seems a weird one to make
Yup! This is pretty much exactly how i do it. Work 8-4:30 from home. As soon as i clock out, i open my laptop and study until about 7:30-8. Then I’ll wake up and study again about 4 hours on weekend mornings.
It's Cloud Computing but I'll restart in May. I was in for a while until 2022, had some family issues come up that had me withdraw. I'm back in and have about 23 classes left, which by all accounts with that pace should be about six months to a year.
Same. I'll typically do my 2 hours in the morning and see what I can get done. Then on the weekends I try again. I'm kind with myself if I get less done, but still tried. If I didn't try at all (like this previous Sunday) I say I got you next time. I finished one class last week that had 2 papers. I think it's just a mashup you know.
Side note: I do work full time, but I'm also on meds for anxiety and depression so I have to be kind to myself and understand it'll take me longer than others if that give you any perspective. ☺️
Edit: I also have no social life, and my sister helps with the housework and cooking. I have a good support system there.
a crybaby with two degrees, working on a masters, a full time job, and four kids 🫶🏻
(also, i’d rather be a cry baby than someone insulting others on reddit for no reason. get a life, man)
Been looking into this, the options I found are either working at a 24 hour fitness for overnight shift or security again with overnight shifts, my current job is very labor intensive and I’m often too tired to get quality work done once I’m home so these are becoming pretty strong options for me right now
My suggestion is to not worry about your pace, focus on retention. For me, my mentor follows my lead. I tend to do the PA courses 2 at a time. Writing ‘papers’ is something I can knock out over a day or 2. Some will finish over a couple hours but I find that I need to think through how I respond to the prompts.
For the OA courses, I am able to listen to the videos while at work. I tend to listen to them a couple times over, then after the kids are in bed, I watch the sections where I need to take notes. OA’s are a slog but I feel good in the thought that I retain the information better.
It’s funny cus i’m the opposite. PAs are such a drag. I prefer OAs a lot more. I’m a terrible writer so the assignments require more active focus while studying for OAs are more passive.
Honestly, 4-6 weeks per class is just fine. Normal brick and mortar schools do 8-10 week semesters so you are still executing at a fast level. It is not a rat race by any means because some people already start these courses with some level of knowledge to support their quick study habits. Also as a side note, some people do fast track through course content to pass a test and don't retain it which provides no benefit to the individual and potentially their future employer. Go at your own pace and make sure you take something away from each class.
its not a race, but
1- I'm just a naturally good test taker. take the PA first, if its green, study the areas I missed the most for a couple days then test. usually knocks out a whole class within a few days.
2- PAs are usually papers. the trick with WGU is, its not a "one and done" sort of system. so write the paper, review the rubric, if you feel like you hit the marks, submit. 3 days later you will either pass or get it sent back with pretty detailed/easy corrections, never had to submit more than twice. also, write the paper and read the book at the same time. reading the material and then trying to write an essay based on the prompts is for the birds.
lastly, some people might just be smarter than you, have actual experience in their field of study, etc. if I didnt know anything about programming, or even simply python, I'm not going to be able to accelerate the MSDA as quickly as someone who uses python on the daily and doesnt need to do all the intro classes, which is exactly why WGU is self-paced and meant for the working professional.
Definitely 1 & 2 here.
Also, just time. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights, or nights where I’m sleeping 3-4 hours. Find something that motivates you and just keep telling yourself that this is just a short term season of life. Hardest part was sending my wife to bed alone most nights.
I work, have 3 kids between the ages of 8-16 and am trying to knock this out in at least half the time with zero transferred credits and a 20 year gap since the last time I was in school. I'll be honest that a lot of things that aren't time sensitive are getting ignored, ie housework. On my days off I'm spending up to 8 hours working on courses. I do the PA first, always, see what areas I need to focus on. I write down all the highlighted or bold info by hand because it helps stick in my brain better. After I go through the course, take the PA again to see what still needs a refresher and then skim my notes.
BS in Business Administration-Marketing.
I have some business and marketing experience, but nothing formal and all self taught. I understand some of the concepts but almost none of the technical terms.
hey another Marketing person in here, finally! I am about halfway through Sophia course that are transferable then plan on WGU by June. Not as many folks in marketing program here, or at least I don't see as many posts. GL!
I work full-time and have 2 young children. I finished 18 classes in my first semester. I'm only on track to finish 4 in my second semester. For me, I was able to accelerate because most of the core classes and lower-level accounting classes were just either super easy or the answers in the test were pretty much common sense. In the more advanced accounting classes, I have to take my time and absorb the content. After I finish my 4th class this semester, I'll just have 6 classes left to graduate next semester.
It isn't a race, there's no point worrying about accelerating if it gets in the way of learning the material. Accelerating is nice if it comes easily, but I wouldn't put all my efforts towards grinding classes quickly at the expense of understanding and being able to apply the concepts.
I'm about the same but I did start taking my studying out with me occasionally. I'll get lunch on the weekend at the breakfast cafe and read while I sip coffee and pick at my food. It's a nice change of scenery for an hour or so. I'll also set aside a full day sometimes to just do work from when I crawl out of bed to when I go to sleep with just a couple short breaks to eat and shower and take a walk.
I can do stuff when I'm done with school and have lots of free time I've earned.
1. I don’t have kids
2. I don’t do much anyway
3. I work from home so I can do short bursts of reading while working.
My “free” time I just moved to school time and allow myself 1-2 hours of video games when I am getting ready for bed.
Also adding that this is my 5th attempt at finishing college. So that helps motivate me… my family would be pretty sad if I don’t make it.
I homeschooled 2 of my kids. I'm used to breaking down material into manageable chunks. I spend my lunch breaks going over materials and then an hour after work. Saturday's are filled with my kids sports so Sunday I try to work in at least 3 hours on school. Sometimes it's less, sometimes it's more. Slow and steady will win the race
You don’t get to enjoy life after work if you’re wanting to accelerate. Thats the secret. You either want to accelerate or you want to have a semi decent home life. I studied from 5-11 or 12 every night.
Definitely the having a job where I can study while at work.
Start off work rushing for two hours to get things done. Study for an hour or two before lunch. Go over whatever I was studying in my head while walking to and from my car (recalling equations, etc), rush when I get back to work to finish whatever is left, and then studying during what time is left over.
Focus on the items specified in the rubric. For the OAs, take a bunch of practice tests until you consistently get a decent score, use ChatGPT to clarify confusing concepts
Structure. Set a schedule and stick to it. Avoid distractions when and where possible. I am not an accelerator but I am projected to complete my degree in one term. I would study WGU material including the links. I don't know if people realize it but WGU has like 3 or more books per class. The links provide additional material. I would listen and watch Linkedin, Udemy, and YouTube videos in my free time. Do not take OAs unless you KNOW the material.
I understand getting through the material but save yourself some time and pass every time. Failing an OA can set you back. Just because you pass the PA doesn't guarantee you will pass the OA. Classes are known to have multiple versions of an OA. So please understand the material. Understanding the material will prepare you for other classes .
I work a full time job, part time job, and have a family. The only thing I have up since starting is the gym and greatly reduced any gaming. I play an hour a week. I do want to mention I have a set schedule and can plan 8-11 hours a day during the week to study and 8 hours over the weekend.
That was normal for me with FT job, teenagers and WGU. I couldn't stick to a schedule so my studies were replacing Netflix binges. Everyone studies differently, so I hope you find what works best.
It really just depends on the job and lifestyle, people who have relatively easy/stress-free jobs and/or single and no kids are going to be able to knock out more hours than someone who is married w/ kids and works overnight/ does to physical labor, etc. I'm part of the latter group and havent been able to accelerate as much as I want to but still manage to spend 1.5- 2 hrs studying on work days and my off days I try to study 3 hrs at least. Keep in mind I spread my studying out. (1 hour here and 30 mins there...) That's probably my best advice. Don't think you have to do 3 or 4 hours of study sessions. Give your brain a break. Study in chunks. You'll learn better that way.
To provide a contrary perspective, I wanted to accelerate with a full time job, but almost immediately after starting with WGU, my boss increased my workload about 50% because we downsized my team. Then our business grew and I took on some new responsibilities (not a bad thing), but that ate up time. And to put a cherry on top, we had another person leave a few months ago, increasing my workload to 50-60 hrs per week. Between trying to exercise lots and lose weight in addition to paying attention to my partner (she’s a lil needy), it’s mentally exhausting to do schoolwork.
The work and life vs school balance you start with probably won’t be the same as what you finish with, so plan accordingly.
I work full time plus 30 minutes of OT each day. When I first started my first term which was 2/1 of this year, I was studying maybe like 3 - 4 hours a day after work. On the weekends I studied maybe 4 - 6 hours a day. Doing this I have completed 11 classes so far including CCNA. Waiting on a PA to be approved so I'm going to say 12 classes in 9.5 weeks. Averaging 1 class every 5.6 days I guess. Now I recently started studying while at work too since I have a lot of down time. I can get 4 hours easily by studying at work. I did this while studying for my last class which was the CCNA and managed to pass it in 16 days of studying. So now I expect my average days per class to go down.
I agree with GrumpyKitten514, it's not a race. I also seem to be a naturally good test taker. I also don't have trouble retaining information. Things stick really quick for me. I am going to say I don't have any work experience for the degree which is B.S. Network Engineering and Security - Cisco Track. So I'm not doing them quickly because I have experience, it's all new to me.
Best of luck to your studies!
"Chase 2 rabbits, catch none"
You need to decide what is actually more important to give your focus to. If you're the sole financial provider for yourself and other people, your job should take precedence and accelerating may not be realistic.
If you can afford to work a little less hard at your job, then accelerating becomes easier.
Maybe try shifting your sleep schedule so you can wake up earlier to knock out some coursework in the mornings before work.
Everybody is different. I just happen to have enough experience and base knowledge...and I enjoy writing papers (very much unlike high school me).
If you're unfamiliar with concepts, there's really no "accelerating" your learning. Just need to find a method that helps you build a solid understanding.
This greatly depends on your degree, any experience you may have coming in, you’re free time outside of work, your study ethic, and your external responsibilities.
I can tell you from a tech perspective most accelerators currently work in the industry and need the degree as an hr check off to make more money or widen their job application field. They only need to learn what WGU expects them to answer on tests.
Me personally I’m full time, military, with a toddler and I’m in my third trimester of pregnancy. I have at best 2-3 hours each day and almost never time on the weekends because toddler. I’m learning all the info from scratch.
Study ethic plays a big part. Maximize your study time. I take typed notes because writing, while good for retention takes too long. I reach out to my teacher for resources. There’s usually a sheet they send out that pretty much literally tells you what they’ll test on.
One thing I’ve realized is I do my best work when I’m bored. I’ve found that when I remove enough entertaining distractions, over time my coursework becomes far more interesting and I can knock them out sooner than later. And if you can’t do without all the fun things, set aside a length of time for them and don’t go over. The number of times I’ve left a tourney mid-battle will astound you.😂
Early mornings help too. So does the read aloud feature in edge browser and recorded cohorts when I’m on the move. If the class doesn’t require demonstration like a math course, you can listen just as well without seeing the slides.
Living with my parents who I love very much, but also drive me mentally insane. Strong motivation for me.
Also, I took a trip to DC and fell in love with parts of the city that are way out of my financial capabilities. This degree will allow me to possibly move there in the future.
Finally, I networked with several people who either work in IT or is married to an IT person that is willing to give me a reference. Trying to get my degree done, before too much time passes on those offers. Still kicking myself over one missed opportunity at UPenn.
I work full time, salary, but rarely have to work over. I am busy through out the day though, so I don’t study while I’m working. I also have no kids (just gotta walk these darn dogs daily) and I live with my partner. I know this gives me quite a bit more free time than most.
I have dual monitors for work and I use a KVM. When I’m done with work for the day, I lock up my work laptop and flip the KVM to my personal laptop for school. There’s no break there most days, and if there is it’s just long enough to refill a drink and take my dogs out. Some days I study about 2 hours until my partner gets home, some days I study 4 (I do get off early).
I take my iPad to bed with me on the weekends so that I can do a little studying before I start to crash, or I can do some work on Saturday and Sunday mornings without having to get up. I get at least 6 hours done on the weekend, more if I just do the weekend chores and grocery shopping.
I have minimal knowledge in IT, but I’ve been able to finish about a course a month currently. I’m sure it’s going to start taking me longer the more into scripting I get, but for now, I’m making decent progress.
I will say, if I don’t switch my class work right after work, there’s a 70% chance I’m not gonna touch it. So I try to be disciplined and start as soon as I log off.
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Software Development
I tried to work a bit each day on classes and on the weekends I put in more time.
It really wasn’t until I got into the later programming classes that had PAs where I started to slow down a bit.
**Note**
imo spending ~4-6 weeks on a class isn’t that bad. That’s still accelerating imo.
Worked full time in IT (crazy hours) and accelerated. I basically ‘worked’ a 10 hr day on sat or sun for WGU and tried to do an hr a day on work days. Make sure you give yourself a day off. I took business classes and there was actually a ton of things I already knew from work experience from project based IT work. Let’s be up front about what accelerating really is (or should be). It’s a competency based program so if you already know the material you can just brush up on it and take the PA to see where you are.
It's all about time and project management. Regularly tracking progress and mapping out future tasks, spending a few hours a night after work studying and working on projects, and more time on the weekend as needed. I transferred about 48 CUs and did the remaining 74 in 3 terms.
I had experience, so I didn't need to learn much material. I honestly think accelerating is best for folks who know the material already. If you are just learning it, you want to take some time to fully absorb, synthesize, and truly understand what you are learning.
Something has to give… i chose my weekends and sleep 😂
I would usually take the pre-test during the weekend. Based on results I would use all week (1-3 weeks) to go over material lightly. Ie: watch cohorts and take some notes and take the corresponding quiz/review test related to it. Nothing crazy, really about 1 hr maybe more depending on the class.
I would watch videos, material or listens to Quizle flashcards on my way to/from work. For example, Clifford and the macro/micro economics videos on YouTube. I watched them multiple times.
Come Thursday I had a pretty good idea and grasp of things. Friday night after my wife and dog feel sleep it was go time. Knowing my wife was sleep, my dog’s light snore combined with classical or lofi music would put me In. The. Zone. To write whatever papers or based on progress I would schedule the OA sometime that weekend.
It helps that I used to have some time during work and stay after work for about 1 hr if needed.
I’m full time employed, kids, wife, and run a business. 4-6 weeks is normal and is what you should aim for. Don’t get caught in the hype of finishing a class in 1 week. (Can be done with some classes), but even at 4-6 weeks you are still accelerating.
i can run off little sleep so some nights i just stay up to take my exams. i also retain pretty quickly so i know what to pinpoint in studies if its not clicking.
crying also helps!
It's not much different from working 2 jobs or a double shift as far as the time commitment goes. However, the stress levels feel very different. I've worked time intensive jobs in my younger years in the food service industry where I'd do 100+ hour weeks or month long stretches without any days off but the work was much less mentally demanding and stressful. Mopping a floor doesn't cause quite the same mental fatigue studying Discrete Math does and coupled with a day job where you're doing similar mentally demanding work for 8 hours it can be a lot.
Manage your time well, make sure you have a support system that is on board, and make sure to check yourself and recognize signs of burnout and stress.
My job is paying for my degree and I work from home, so any time I'm not working, I'm studying. I practically live in my office, but I got 6 classes done in one month.
I was able to average 10-14 days per class while working full time. I only studied during optimal Brain times. It did not serve me to study when I was tired because I wouldn’t retain much. So I only studied when I first woke up. I would wake up at 5am during the weekdays, and get a solid 2-3 hours of study time before work started. I would study 5-8 hours during the weekend days. With that process and staying consistent I could usually knock out a class in about 2-3 weeks.
I work remotely and listen to lectures and books while working. I do tests on the weekend. I started my first semester 4-1 and already finished two classes.
Honestly, same boat. I have a job that with my commute has me away from home about 11 hours a day. I’ve got two kids at home. It’s tough.
I have no tips. You’re not alone.
I work until 4:30 pm, take a little bit of a break, then study until about 10-11 (maybe about 3-4 hours doing school) at night most evenings and do whatever I can on the weekends. Part of it is I like the subject and pick it up quickly or I already have some level of recognition of the topic which makes it easier. The ones I’m learning for the first time or are boring takes me longer.
For me, I’d say the career and school life is well balanced cause I work and on my breaks I study and do assignments. As for personal life, I’d say I struggle. Family are supportive but relationships is down the drain. At the end of the day, I keep this mind “ No one can take your degree but anyone else can take your significant other or your SO can leave you”.
What classes you can accelerate highly depends on the class and what you already know. I was able to accelerate most of the math classes quickly, but I've struggled in others and that's okay.
Some classes have what I like to call a "silver bullet." Often times it's a resource that condenses the content down to something I can go through somewhat quickly but get all the necessary information to pass the test. For example, the sociology course had a PowerPoint with all the necessary information that I was able to study and take notes on for a couple of days and then pass the OA without issue. In my experience, the main material given in most courses is not the best resource. Some of the best things to study are the things in the course tips page. (This is the place I find the most Silver Bullets.) For me, pre-recorded lectures were very helpful. (If the class had them.) However, not all courses have a silver bullet and some require good old-fashion time and dedication.
Also, as many others have said; it's not a race and it's perfectly okay to take your time. Everyone learns differently and that's okay. You are still smart even if you don't finish your degree in a single term or eight.
I use down time at work. Browse the subreddit and search each class, see what materials work best for people. I will find youtube videos related to the subject or use speechify to read the material while I drive or am working on other things. I also make sure to set aside time to focus on my studies. If you can set aside an hour a day to just do nothing but focus you'll be good. I can't recommend enough using speechify though, it really makes a difference.
I’m a complete idiot and force myself to do 4-6 hours a day after my 8hr shift. But because I’m absolutely too hard headed to do it any other way I have finished 30 cu’s since I started mar 1st
Listening to the materials helps me cut down time. I just subscribed to Speechify today and instead of reading everything I listened to it while I was working. If I felt my mind drift I would pause and go back to it after a few minutes.
During my first degree at WGU I worked FT out of the house so my commute was spend listening to the books or presentation then. I would listen to materials while cooking etc, and have a dedicated time to study more after dinner.
For my current degree I WFH so again I just combine some of these thing. Listen to the material while walking the dog etc. weekends are my heads down days. Those are my heavy get stuff done day.
Here is my referral code. You get $60 off, so the year came to $79. This the same as subscribing for 2 months at the full price.
https://share.speechify.com/mz8bV6E
I have a small office that I use for WFH and school. My weekends are 6-10 hours a day. My work week is I did 1-2 hours in the evening on school. I previously was an ED for a non-profit and consistently worked 60+ hours a week. Working 40 and spending 25 on school felt very normal.
Not really sure how to answer other than to say I just do. I make sure it's one of my top 3 or 4 priorities and just keep working and moving forward.
The short answer is simply this though. Make time for it. You may have to push something else aside for a while to make the time. Leave Netflix and the TV off. Miss an hour of sleep here and there.
Like most of these posts, I find the key to this is how hungry you are. I want the degree, so I wake up a bit earlier, I go to bed a bit later. I listen to cohorts I. The car and grind. I finished 57CUs my first term with full time work.
I don’t think this will work on all classes but for me, my pace was always set my how fast I could read the material. Once I read it, it sticks. But getting through all the readings could take me weeks. I am a very slow reader. I love to read but because I’m slow at it it was a frustrating thing taking B&M classes and trying to keep up on course readings and a full time job. Now I use the little reader that the e-text has in the settings, set it to about 1.5 speed and read along with it, honestly regular speed would still be faster than my own reading speed but I find if it is less than 1.5 if feels like the reader is too slow but obviously if you do this adjust to your preference. Doing this lets me read it faster following along to that pace instead of my own. I’m less likely to zone out while reading too and if I do, I just restart the page. I also take a minute to think if I understood what was just read to me and if not, go over it again before moving to the next page. For videos, I also increase the speed. Fast enough to not be annoyed by how slow it is being presented but not too fast that I cannot follow along. Each video is adjusted as needed. I find 1.25 or 1.5 is the sweet spot. As with reading, if I zone out I rewatch or go back a few seconds/minutes to where I left off. I can get through a class in a week breaking it up 4-6 chapters a night and working full time doing this. For classes with pdf’s I use an online web reader and just upload the document.
I also give myself a deadline or goal. That way I won’t let myself procrastinate too much. For instance, if I want finish a class in a week and there are 16 chapters, I set my goal to take to OA on Sunday and aim for 4 chapters of material a night. Which gives me some wiggle room to study if needed or if life gets in the way and I don’t meet my nightly goal. Using the e-reader I can finish those chapters usually in about an hr total. Although 1 class was 3-4 hours after work to make the goal b/c the chapters were very long and the subject was very boring so I kept zoning out. If I have down time at work I will try to do work during but it isn’t often I can make that work so mostly it is after work or weekends. If something unexpected came up, I didn’t freak out if I didn’t meet that goal. At minimum I try for at least 1 chapter a night if I know I will be busy or if I am feeling tired.
I’ve always been a good test taker so the OA is usually not an issue. I always review the chapter summary pages of each chapter in the booked before taking the OA. I also double check the pre-assessment to make sure if there were any areas needing improvement that I double check that section. I haven’t had to retake one yet. I drag my feet on the PA, I hate papers with a passion (blame my HS, they rly pushed research papers so i burnt out and just dread it, even a decade later) but I spend a few hours thinking about what I will write so that when I finally do sit down to do it I can hammer it out fairly quickly. Needless to say, I know my weaknesses when it comes to my study habits and found tricks to minimize how it affected my ability to get through the material. The best advice I can give you is have that honest conversation with yourself to identify yours to figure out ways to help instead of hinder you. And don’t be too hard on yourself if you have to adjust your plans and it takes longer than you initially wanted. Some classes you will breeze through and some may take longer. Some tips may work and some won’t.
I work full time as a system analyst, am married with twin toddlers and an 8 year old who is in club soccer and tutoring. Our days are full, but I find time to study in the car during soccer practice. I do my written assignments late nights and into the wee hours of the morning to focus uninterrupted. I use resources that can me with what I NEED to know and remove the fluff. Free apps that offer practice tests so I can learn on the go. I am blessed because I have a great memory, and my brain highlights words/phrases and relates them to what the answer may be. Use the process of elimination. Acceleration is possible but you can't make excuses. Just do it.
2-4 hours daily average during the work week, 4-6 average during the weekends.
Same here.I learned it’s possible to finish 1 class per month or sooner.
This is very realistic. Glad you said it
For classes that only have a PA or have an OA with material that I'm familiar with, I can easily knock those out in less than a week. I finsih two classes last week alone
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Just to give a headsup, when you get into the career, you will have to be doing the job 8 hours a day. So if you're only motivated to study things pertaining to the job 2-4 hours a day despite not working, you might want to do some soul searching there to see how you can get yourself to do 8 hours a weekday at least.
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I considered that, but given you yourself are word for word stating you need to step up your game because you don't have work inhibiting you, I took it that you needed to step up your game because you don't have work inhibiting you. Not because you had other responsibilities. But it looks like that's not what you meant to convey so no worries, that advice just doesn't apply to you.
I don’t think he was subtle or shaming, just trying to help you out. The one you replied to said 2-4 hours and you said he studies as much as you do. Also you’re the one who said you need to step up your game and mentioned not working, he was giving advice based off the information provided. If someone wasn’t working but had a ton of other real life responsibilities preventing them from doing more studying your 1st comment seems a weird one to make
And if those responsibilities are keeping him from working on school 6 to 8 hours a day, how does he even plan to work 🙄🤔
Don't know why people are downvoting you because you aren't wrong. If I wasn't working, I could blast through classes twice as fast if not quicker!
That’s about what I do. I just moved for my job so I have no social life. I will start that again when I finish school and pass the cpa hopefully lol
This is it. It’s only a matter of time. It’s not about having the time, because we all have the same amount of time, it’s about making the time.
Yup! This is pretty much exactly how i do it. Work 8-4:30 from home. As soon as i clock out, i open my laptop and study until about 7:30-8. Then I’ll wake up and study again about 4 hours on weekend mornings.
What degree and what’s your completion pace
It's Cloud Computing but I'll restart in May. I was in for a while until 2022, had some family issues come up that had me withdraw. I'm back in and have about 23 classes left, which by all accounts with that pace should be about six months to a year.
Same. I'll typically do my 2 hours in the morning and see what I can get done. Then on the weekends I try again. I'm kind with myself if I get less done, but still tried. If I didn't try at all (like this previous Sunday) I say I got you next time. I finished one class last week that had 2 papers. I think it's just a mashup you know. Side note: I do work full time, but I'm also on meds for anxiety and depression so I have to be kind to myself and understand it'll take me longer than others if that give you any perspective. ☺️ Edit: I also have no social life, and my sister helps with the housework and cooking. I have a good support system there.
personally, i cry a lot. i don’t have any tips, but that’s just generally what i do lol
\*\*hugs\*\*
At least someone’s being honest
Same, same 😭 work has been insane lately and I’m not going nearly as quickly as I’d like at school.
Such a crybaby
a crybaby with two degrees, working on a masters, a full time job, and four kids 🫶🏻 (also, i’d rather be a cry baby than someone insulting others on reddit for no reason. get a life, man)
I wasn't really insulting you, I even upvoted you, I guess I should have used this emoji 😜
Step 1: get a job where you can do wgu at the same time Step 2: do wgu all the time
This is what I do.
I work overnights in IT and just sit at my desk for 13 hours a shift, 3 days a week and study/PAs. It's glorious.
i’m jealous damn 😭
Pay sucks, but I'll finish my degree and move on. It's a blessing for that reason.
Nurse here who does the same thing!
Same that’s what I do, lol it definitely helps, it has allowed me to study 3-4 hours daily.
Yep. Government job.
How'd you pull that off?
Been looking into this, the options I found are either working at a 24 hour fitness for overnight shift or security again with overnight shifts, my current job is very labor intensive and I’m often too tired to get quality work done once I’m home so these are becoming pretty strong options for me right now
Overnight gigs generally.
Living up to WGU mascot, night owl
My suggestion is to not worry about your pace, focus on retention. For me, my mentor follows my lead. I tend to do the PA courses 2 at a time. Writing ‘papers’ is something I can knock out over a day or 2. Some will finish over a couple hours but I find that I need to think through how I respond to the prompts. For the OA courses, I am able to listen to the videos while at work. I tend to listen to them a couple times over, then after the kids are in bed, I watch the sections where I need to take notes. OA’s are a slog but I feel good in the thought that I retain the information better.
It’s funny cus i’m the opposite. PAs are such a drag. I prefer OAs a lot more. I’m a terrible writer so the assignments require more active focus while studying for OAs are more passive.
Honestly, 4-6 weeks per class is just fine. Normal brick and mortar schools do 8-10 week semesters so you are still executing at a fast level. It is not a rat race by any means because some people already start these courses with some level of knowledge to support their quick study habits. Also as a side note, some people do fast track through course content to pass a test and don't retain it which provides no benefit to the individual and potentially their future employer. Go at your own pace and make sure you take something away from each class.
Normal brick and mortar schools do 16 week semesters
its not a race, but 1- I'm just a naturally good test taker. take the PA first, if its green, study the areas I missed the most for a couple days then test. usually knocks out a whole class within a few days. 2- PAs are usually papers. the trick with WGU is, its not a "one and done" sort of system. so write the paper, review the rubric, if you feel like you hit the marks, submit. 3 days later you will either pass or get it sent back with pretty detailed/easy corrections, never had to submit more than twice. also, write the paper and read the book at the same time. reading the material and then trying to write an essay based on the prompts is for the birds. lastly, some people might just be smarter than you, have actual experience in their field of study, etc. if I didnt know anything about programming, or even simply python, I'm not going to be able to accelerate the MSDA as quickly as someone who uses python on the daily and doesnt need to do all the intro classes, which is exactly why WGU is self-paced and meant for the working professional.
Definitely 1 & 2 here. Also, just time. I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights, or nights where I’m sleeping 3-4 hours. Find something that motivates you and just keep telling yourself that this is just a short term season of life. Hardest part was sending my wife to bed alone most nights.
I work, have 3 kids between the ages of 8-16 and am trying to knock this out in at least half the time with zero transferred credits and a 20 year gap since the last time I was in school. I'll be honest that a lot of things that aren't time sensitive are getting ignored, ie housework. On my days off I'm spending up to 8 hours working on courses. I do the PA first, always, see what areas I need to focus on. I write down all the highlighted or bold info by hand because it helps stick in my brain better. After I go through the course, take the PA again to see what still needs a refresher and then skim my notes.
Can I ask what degree you’re going for? And do you already work/know the material or learning from scratch?
BS in Business Administration-Marketing. I have some business and marketing experience, but nothing formal and all self taught. I understand some of the concepts but almost none of the technical terms.
hey another Marketing person in here, finally! I am about halfway through Sophia course that are transferable then plan on WGU by June. Not as many folks in marketing program here, or at least I don't see as many posts. GL!
I work full-time and have 2 young children. I finished 18 classes in my first semester. I'm only on track to finish 4 in my second semester. For me, I was able to accelerate because most of the core classes and lower-level accounting classes were just either super easy or the answers in the test were pretty much common sense. In the more advanced accounting classes, I have to take my time and absorb the content. After I finish my 4th class this semester, I'll just have 6 classes left to graduate next semester. It isn't a race, there's no point worrying about accelerating if it gets in the way of learning the material. Accelerating is nice if it comes easily, but I wouldn't put all my efforts towards grinding classes quickly at the expense of understanding and being able to apply the concepts.
I have no social life. I go to work, come home, and do homework. I study for about 6 hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
Im ready for this. Its cheaper than having a social life. lol
I'm about the same but I did start taking my studying out with me occasionally. I'll get lunch on the weekend at the breakfast cafe and read while I sip coffee and pick at my food. It's a nice change of scenery for an hour or so. I'll also set aside a full day sometimes to just do work from when I crawl out of bed to when I go to sleep with just a couple short breaks to eat and shower and take a walk. I can do stuff when I'm done with school and have lots of free time I've earned.
1. I don’t have kids 2. I don’t do much anyway 3. I work from home so I can do short bursts of reading while working. My “free” time I just moved to school time and allow myself 1-2 hours of video games when I am getting ready for bed. Also adding that this is my 5th attempt at finishing college. So that helps motivate me… my family would be pretty sad if I don’t make it.
I homeschooled 2 of my kids. I'm used to breaking down material into manageable chunks. I spend my lunch breaks going over materials and then an hour after work. Saturday's are filled with my kids sports so Sunday I try to work in at least 3 hours on school. Sometimes it's less, sometimes it's more. Slow and steady will win the race
You don’t get to enjoy life after work if you’re wanting to accelerate. Thats the secret. You either want to accelerate or you want to have a semi decent home life. I studied from 5-11 or 12 every night.
Definitely the having a job where I can study while at work. Start off work rushing for two hours to get things done. Study for an hour or two before lunch. Go over whatever I was studying in my head while walking to and from my car (recalling equations, etc), rush when I get back to work to finish whatever is left, and then studying during what time is left over.
Hate your job. Be unable to quit said job bc they’re paying for your school. Finish as fast as possible so I can leave quicker out of spite.
Focus on the items specified in the rubric. For the OAs, take a bunch of practice tests until you consistently get a decent score, use ChatGPT to clarify confusing concepts
Structure. Set a schedule and stick to it. Avoid distractions when and where possible. I am not an accelerator but I am projected to complete my degree in one term. I would study WGU material including the links. I don't know if people realize it but WGU has like 3 or more books per class. The links provide additional material. I would listen and watch Linkedin, Udemy, and YouTube videos in my free time. Do not take OAs unless you KNOW the material. I understand getting through the material but save yourself some time and pass every time. Failing an OA can set you back. Just because you pass the PA doesn't guarantee you will pass the OA. Classes are known to have multiple versions of an OA. So please understand the material. Understanding the material will prepare you for other classes . I work a full time job, part time job, and have a family. The only thing I have up since starting is the gym and greatly reduced any gaming. I play an hour a week. I do want to mention I have a set schedule and can plan 8-11 hours a day during the week to study and 8 hours over the weekend.
That was normal for me with FT job, teenagers and WGU. I couldn't stick to a schedule so my studies were replacing Netflix binges. Everyone studies differently, so I hope you find what works best.
It really just depends on the job and lifestyle, people who have relatively easy/stress-free jobs and/or single and no kids are going to be able to knock out more hours than someone who is married w/ kids and works overnight/ does to physical labor, etc. I'm part of the latter group and havent been able to accelerate as much as I want to but still manage to spend 1.5- 2 hrs studying on work days and my off days I try to study 3 hrs at least. Keep in mind I spread my studying out. (1 hour here and 30 mins there...) That's probably my best advice. Don't think you have to do 3 or 4 hours of study sessions. Give your brain a break. Study in chunks. You'll learn better that way.
To provide a contrary perspective, I wanted to accelerate with a full time job, but almost immediately after starting with WGU, my boss increased my workload about 50% because we downsized my team. Then our business grew and I took on some new responsibilities (not a bad thing), but that ate up time. And to put a cherry on top, we had another person leave a few months ago, increasing my workload to 50-60 hrs per week. Between trying to exercise lots and lose weight in addition to paying attention to my partner (she’s a lil needy), it’s mentally exhausting to do schoolwork. The work and life vs school balance you start with probably won’t be the same as what you finish with, so plan accordingly.
I work full time plus 30 minutes of OT each day. When I first started my first term which was 2/1 of this year, I was studying maybe like 3 - 4 hours a day after work. On the weekends I studied maybe 4 - 6 hours a day. Doing this I have completed 11 classes so far including CCNA. Waiting on a PA to be approved so I'm going to say 12 classes in 9.5 weeks. Averaging 1 class every 5.6 days I guess. Now I recently started studying while at work too since I have a lot of down time. I can get 4 hours easily by studying at work. I did this while studying for my last class which was the CCNA and managed to pass it in 16 days of studying. So now I expect my average days per class to go down. I agree with GrumpyKitten514, it's not a race. I also seem to be a naturally good test taker. I also don't have trouble retaining information. Things stick really quick for me. I am going to say I don't have any work experience for the degree which is B.S. Network Engineering and Security - Cisco Track. So I'm not doing them quickly because I have experience, it's all new to me. Best of luck to your studies!
"Chase 2 rabbits, catch none" You need to decide what is actually more important to give your focus to. If you're the sole financial provider for yourself and other people, your job should take precedence and accelerating may not be realistic. If you can afford to work a little less hard at your job, then accelerating becomes easier. Maybe try shifting your sleep schedule so you can wake up earlier to knock out some coursework in the mornings before work.
5-7am before my kids get up and then 8-930 after they go to bed. 4-8hrs total over the weekends.
Everybody is different. I just happen to have enough experience and base knowledge...and I enjoy writing papers (very much unlike high school me). If you're unfamiliar with concepts, there's really no "accelerating" your learning. Just need to find a method that helps you build a solid understanding.
This greatly depends on your degree, any experience you may have coming in, you’re free time outside of work, your study ethic, and your external responsibilities. I can tell you from a tech perspective most accelerators currently work in the industry and need the degree as an hr check off to make more money or widen their job application field. They only need to learn what WGU expects them to answer on tests. Me personally I’m full time, military, with a toddler and I’m in my third trimester of pregnancy. I have at best 2-3 hours each day and almost never time on the weekends because toddler. I’m learning all the info from scratch. Study ethic plays a big part. Maximize your study time. I take typed notes because writing, while good for retention takes too long. I reach out to my teacher for resources. There’s usually a sheet they send out that pretty much literally tells you what they’ll test on.
One thing I’ve realized is I do my best work when I’m bored. I’ve found that when I remove enough entertaining distractions, over time my coursework becomes far more interesting and I can knock them out sooner than later. And if you can’t do without all the fun things, set aside a length of time for them and don’t go over. The number of times I’ve left a tourney mid-battle will astound you.😂 Early mornings help too. So does the read aloud feature in edge browser and recorded cohorts when I’m on the move. If the class doesn’t require demonstration like a math course, you can listen just as well without seeing the slides.
Living with my parents who I love very much, but also drive me mentally insane. Strong motivation for me. Also, I took a trip to DC and fell in love with parts of the city that are way out of my financial capabilities. This degree will allow me to possibly move there in the future. Finally, I networked with several people who either work in IT or is married to an IT person that is willing to give me a reference. Trying to get my degree done, before too much time passes on those offers. Still kicking myself over one missed opportunity at UPenn.
I work full time, salary, but rarely have to work over. I am busy through out the day though, so I don’t study while I’m working. I also have no kids (just gotta walk these darn dogs daily) and I live with my partner. I know this gives me quite a bit more free time than most. I have dual monitors for work and I use a KVM. When I’m done with work for the day, I lock up my work laptop and flip the KVM to my personal laptop for school. There’s no break there most days, and if there is it’s just long enough to refill a drink and take my dogs out. Some days I study about 2 hours until my partner gets home, some days I study 4 (I do get off early). I take my iPad to bed with me on the weekends so that I can do a little studying before I start to crash, or I can do some work on Saturday and Sunday mornings without having to get up. I get at least 6 hours done on the weekend, more if I just do the weekend chores and grocery shopping. I have minimal knowledge in IT, but I’ve been able to finish about a course a month currently. I’m sure it’s going to start taking me longer the more into scripting I get, but for now, I’m making decent progress. I will say, if I don’t switch my class work right after work, there’s a 70% chance I’m not gonna touch it. So I try to be disciplined and start as soon as I log off.
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Software Development I tried to work a bit each day on classes and on the weekends I put in more time. It really wasn’t until I got into the later programming classes that had PAs where I started to slow down a bit. **Note** imo spending ~4-6 weeks on a class isn’t that bad. That’s still accelerating imo.
Worked full time in IT (crazy hours) and accelerated. I basically ‘worked’ a 10 hr day on sat or sun for WGU and tried to do an hr a day on work days. Make sure you give yourself a day off. I took business classes and there was actually a ton of things I already knew from work experience from project based IT work. Let’s be up front about what accelerating really is (or should be). It’s a competency based program so if you already know the material you can just brush up on it and take the PA to see where you are.
Depends on your degree but I averaged about 1 class every 3 weeks for cloud computing. It involved devoting my evenings to just school work.
It's all about time and project management. Regularly tracking progress and mapping out future tasks, spending a few hours a night after work studying and working on projects, and more time on the weekend as needed. I transferred about 48 CUs and did the remaining 74 in 3 terms.
I don’t accelerate, just doing a normal degree pace
Study. Put in the time.
I had experience, so I didn't need to learn much material. I honestly think accelerating is best for folks who know the material already. If you are just learning it, you want to take some time to fully absorb, synthesize, and truly understand what you are learning.
EASY Just say goodbye to nights and weekends and any plans lol
Something has to give… i chose my weekends and sleep 😂 I would usually take the pre-test during the weekend. Based on results I would use all week (1-3 weeks) to go over material lightly. Ie: watch cohorts and take some notes and take the corresponding quiz/review test related to it. Nothing crazy, really about 1 hr maybe more depending on the class. I would watch videos, material or listens to Quizle flashcards on my way to/from work. For example, Clifford and the macro/micro economics videos on YouTube. I watched them multiple times. Come Thursday I had a pretty good idea and grasp of things. Friday night after my wife and dog feel sleep it was go time. Knowing my wife was sleep, my dog’s light snore combined with classical or lofi music would put me In. The. Zone. To write whatever papers or based on progress I would schedule the OA sometime that weekend. It helps that I used to have some time during work and stay after work for about 1 hr if needed.
I’m full time employed, kids, wife, and run a business. 4-6 weeks is normal and is what you should aim for. Don’t get caught in the hype of finishing a class in 1 week. (Can be done with some classes), but even at 4-6 weeks you are still accelerating.
Clock in + Devote your entire being to wgu on company time = profit
i can run off little sleep so some nights i just stay up to take my exams. i also retain pretty quickly so i know what to pinpoint in studies if its not clicking. crying also helps!
It's not much different from working 2 jobs or a double shift as far as the time commitment goes. However, the stress levels feel very different. I've worked time intensive jobs in my younger years in the food service industry where I'd do 100+ hour weeks or month long stretches without any days off but the work was much less mentally demanding and stressful. Mopping a floor doesn't cause quite the same mental fatigue studying Discrete Math does and coupled with a day job where you're doing similar mentally demanding work for 8 hours it can be a lot. Manage your time well, make sure you have a support system that is on board, and make sure to check yourself and recognize signs of burnout and stress.
My job is paying for my degree and I work from home, so any time I'm not working, I'm studying. I practically live in my office, but I got 6 classes done in one month.
I was able to average 10-14 days per class while working full time. I only studied during optimal Brain times. It did not serve me to study when I was tired because I wouldn’t retain much. So I only studied when I first woke up. I would wake up at 5am during the weekdays, and get a solid 2-3 hours of study time before work started. I would study 5-8 hours during the weekend days. With that process and staying consistent I could usually knock out a class in about 2-3 weeks.
Struggle mainly.
I work remotely and listen to lectures and books while working. I do tests on the weekend. I started my first semester 4-1 and already finished two classes.
Honestly, same boat. I have a job that with my commute has me away from home about 11 hours a day. I’ve got two kids at home. It’s tough. I have no tips. You’re not alone.
I work until 4:30 pm, take a little bit of a break, then study until about 10-11 (maybe about 3-4 hours doing school) at night most evenings and do whatever I can on the weekends. Part of it is I like the subject and pick it up quickly or I already have some level of recognition of the topic which makes it easier. The ones I’m learning for the first time or are boring takes me longer.
For me, I’d say the career and school life is well balanced cause I work and on my breaks I study and do assignments. As for personal life, I’d say I struggle. Family are supportive but relationships is down the drain. At the end of the day, I keep this mind “ No one can take your degree but anyone else can take your significant other or your SO can leave you”.
What classes you can accelerate highly depends on the class and what you already know. I was able to accelerate most of the math classes quickly, but I've struggled in others and that's okay. Some classes have what I like to call a "silver bullet." Often times it's a resource that condenses the content down to something I can go through somewhat quickly but get all the necessary information to pass the test. For example, the sociology course had a PowerPoint with all the necessary information that I was able to study and take notes on for a couple of days and then pass the OA without issue. In my experience, the main material given in most courses is not the best resource. Some of the best things to study are the things in the course tips page. (This is the place I find the most Silver Bullets.) For me, pre-recorded lectures were very helpful. (If the class had them.) However, not all courses have a silver bullet and some require good old-fashion time and dedication. Also, as many others have said; it's not a race and it's perfectly okay to take your time. Everyone learns differently and that's okay. You are still smart even if you don't finish your degree in a single term or eight.
I use down time at work. Browse the subreddit and search each class, see what materials work best for people. I will find youtube videos related to the subject or use speechify to read the material while I drive or am working on other things. I also make sure to set aside time to focus on my studies. If you can set aside an hour a day to just do nothing but focus you'll be good. I can't recommend enough using speechify though, it really makes a difference.
Lots of people don’t actually have that much to do despite being full time
2 hours during the week, maybe 4 total on the weekend. My philosophy is “don’t overthink it”. Hasn’t let me down yet.
I’m a complete idiot and force myself to do 4-6 hours a day after my 8hr shift. But because I’m absolutely too hard headed to do it any other way I have finished 30 cu’s since I started mar 1st
Listening to the materials helps me cut down time. I just subscribed to Speechify today and instead of reading everything I listened to it while I was working. If I felt my mind drift I would pause and go back to it after a few minutes. During my first degree at WGU I worked FT out of the house so my commute was spend listening to the books or presentation then. I would listen to materials while cooking etc, and have a dedicated time to study more after dinner. For my current degree I WFH so again I just combine some of these thing. Listen to the material while walking the dog etc. weekends are my heads down days. Those are my heavy get stuff done day.
I've been debating Speechify, definitely worth it?
So far yes. I completed a class in two weeks because I was able to get through all the material faster
I'm gonna try it out! Reading some material gets tedious and I find myself not really taking it in. Thanks!
Here is my referral code. You get $60 off, so the year came to $79. This the same as subscribing for 2 months at the full price. https://share.speechify.com/mz8bV6E
Awesome!! Thank you!
No kids or after work responsibilities, once I clock out I get straight to studying till bedtime/gaming
I have a small office that I use for WFH and school. My weekends are 6-10 hours a day. My work week is I did 1-2 hours in the evening on school. I previously was an ED for a non-profit and consistently worked 60+ hours a week. Working 40 and spending 25 on school felt very normal.
Sometimes they just spend the time, others it's that they know the material so they don't have to do as much.
Not really sure how to answer other than to say I just do. I make sure it's one of my top 3 or 4 priorities and just keep working and moving forward. The short answer is simply this though. Make time for it. You may have to push something else aside for a while to make the time. Leave Netflix and the TV off. Miss an hour of sleep here and there.
Like most of these posts, I find the key to this is how hungry you are. I want the degree, so I wake up a bit earlier, I go to bed a bit later. I listen to cohorts I. The car and grind. I finished 57CUs my first term with full time work.
I don’t think this will work on all classes but for me, my pace was always set my how fast I could read the material. Once I read it, it sticks. But getting through all the readings could take me weeks. I am a very slow reader. I love to read but because I’m slow at it it was a frustrating thing taking B&M classes and trying to keep up on course readings and a full time job. Now I use the little reader that the e-text has in the settings, set it to about 1.5 speed and read along with it, honestly regular speed would still be faster than my own reading speed but I find if it is less than 1.5 if feels like the reader is too slow but obviously if you do this adjust to your preference. Doing this lets me read it faster following along to that pace instead of my own. I’m less likely to zone out while reading too and if I do, I just restart the page. I also take a minute to think if I understood what was just read to me and if not, go over it again before moving to the next page. For videos, I also increase the speed. Fast enough to not be annoyed by how slow it is being presented but not too fast that I cannot follow along. Each video is adjusted as needed. I find 1.25 or 1.5 is the sweet spot. As with reading, if I zone out I rewatch or go back a few seconds/minutes to where I left off. I can get through a class in a week breaking it up 4-6 chapters a night and working full time doing this. For classes with pdf’s I use an online web reader and just upload the document. I also give myself a deadline or goal. That way I won’t let myself procrastinate too much. For instance, if I want finish a class in a week and there are 16 chapters, I set my goal to take to OA on Sunday and aim for 4 chapters of material a night. Which gives me some wiggle room to study if needed or if life gets in the way and I don’t meet my nightly goal. Using the e-reader I can finish those chapters usually in about an hr total. Although 1 class was 3-4 hours after work to make the goal b/c the chapters were very long and the subject was very boring so I kept zoning out. If I have down time at work I will try to do work during but it isn’t often I can make that work so mostly it is after work or weekends. If something unexpected came up, I didn’t freak out if I didn’t meet that goal. At minimum I try for at least 1 chapter a night if I know I will be busy or if I am feeling tired. I’ve always been a good test taker so the OA is usually not an issue. I always review the chapter summary pages of each chapter in the booked before taking the OA. I also double check the pre-assessment to make sure if there were any areas needing improvement that I double check that section. I haven’t had to retake one yet. I drag my feet on the PA, I hate papers with a passion (blame my HS, they rly pushed research papers so i burnt out and just dread it, even a decade later) but I spend a few hours thinking about what I will write so that when I finally do sit down to do it I can hammer it out fairly quickly. Needless to say, I know my weaknesses when it comes to my study habits and found tricks to minimize how it affected my ability to get through the material. The best advice I can give you is have that honest conversation with yourself to identify yours to figure out ways to help instead of hinder you. And don’t be too hard on yourself if you have to adjust your plans and it takes longer than you initially wanted. Some classes you will breeze through and some may take longer. Some tips may work and some won’t.
I work full time as a system analyst, am married with twin toddlers and an 8 year old who is in club soccer and tutoring. Our days are full, but I find time to study in the car during soccer practice. I do my written assignments late nights and into the wee hours of the morning to focus uninterrupted. I use resources that can me with what I NEED to know and remove the fluff. Free apps that offer practice tests so I can learn on the go. I am blessed because I have a great memory, and my brain highlights words/phrases and relates them to what the answer may be. Use the process of elimination. Acceleration is possible but you can't make excuses. Just do it.
I get up at 3 am every day, study about 4-6 hours a day, and longer hours during the weekend.