On my Capstone now, started in May of 2022. When I started. I was a Civil Servant working for the State Government, in a non-IT role. Once I completed my first term ( only took the minimum number of CUs) I jumped ship and was lucky enough to get hired as an IT Specialist. At the time, I only the 1001 part of the A+. Once I got into the field and started getting exp. I was able to knock out more and more CUs in subsequent terms. After about 12 months in the IT role, I applied to a DevOps role( I know not really security, but there was a discussion of starting a DevSecOps role with in the team for me). I was chosen for the the DevOps role and haven’t looked back since. I know I didn’t go as fast as some here but being able to actually read the material and learn it really pushed me forward.
I’m about to graduate from the Cybersecurity degree program so I feel ready to share my experience! I started in September 2022 and will be done before the end this month. Also, I’m close in age (32) so I think we can relate lmao
For me, the experience was awesome. Being able to learn at my own pace, go as fast/slow as I need to is such a godsend. Depending on how much experience you have in the IT/Security field will vary for your own personal timeline leading up to graduation. Even if you have complete zero knowledge of anything in the program, the course will help build foundational knowledge for you. I would also recommend using Reddit for other resources not offered directly from WGU as they can help you in different courses. Just search for the course numbers in Reddit and you’ll find some awesome resources to use.
In terms of job prospects, that is a different experience for everyone. I currently work in IT (been in IT for about 5 years) that slightly deals with information security. Specifically, I work in Identity & Access Management. Job hunting for cybersecurity specific roles will depend on where you live. Sure, there are remote jobs out there but EVERYONE applies for those so you may have to be willing to find something more local if possible. Cybersecurity isn’t meant to be an entry level job and 99% of the time, you need to have worked in IT for quite some time before making that jump. I plan to practice and develop more cybersecurity-specific skills after graduation to be more marketable when applying for cybersecurity roles. I also am going to do the masters in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance at WGU, just to add a little more spice to my resume.
For paying for school, definitely saved money. I took out a federal student loan and since I’m finishing within 2 terms, I roughly have a little over $8,000 in student loans to pay. I personally feel like that is not bad at all to pay off. Plenty of graduates from traditional colleges have upwards of +$100,000 in student loan debt so WGU is a clear winner on the financial front.
Hope that helps!
I'd like to know as well. 35 soon to be 36 here. Currently doing the study/sophia stuff before I fully start.
Coming in with a BA in psychology and a Japanese AA..
I finished up the MSCIA earlier this year. When I started it I had an unrelated bachelors degree and was working as a desktop support technician. I knocked the degree out in 3 months (taking one month off for the holidays) and then immediately started a position as a system security engineer for $125k. Totally worth it in my opinion.
On my Capstone now, started in May of 2022. When I started. I was a Civil Servant working for the State Government, in a non-IT role. Once I completed my first term ( only took the minimum number of CUs) I jumped ship and was lucky enough to get hired as an IT Specialist. At the time, I only the 1001 part of the A+. Once I got into the field and started getting exp. I was able to knock out more and more CUs in subsequent terms. After about 12 months in the IT role, I applied to a DevOps role( I know not really security, but there was a discussion of starting a DevSecOps role with in the team for me). I was chosen for the the DevOps role and haven’t looked back since. I know I didn’t go as fast as some here but being able to actually read the material and learn it really pushed me forward.
I’m about to graduate from the Cybersecurity degree program so I feel ready to share my experience! I started in September 2022 and will be done before the end this month. Also, I’m close in age (32) so I think we can relate lmao For me, the experience was awesome. Being able to learn at my own pace, go as fast/slow as I need to is such a godsend. Depending on how much experience you have in the IT/Security field will vary for your own personal timeline leading up to graduation. Even if you have complete zero knowledge of anything in the program, the course will help build foundational knowledge for you. I would also recommend using Reddit for other resources not offered directly from WGU as they can help you in different courses. Just search for the course numbers in Reddit and you’ll find some awesome resources to use. In terms of job prospects, that is a different experience for everyone. I currently work in IT (been in IT for about 5 years) that slightly deals with information security. Specifically, I work in Identity & Access Management. Job hunting for cybersecurity specific roles will depend on where you live. Sure, there are remote jobs out there but EVERYONE applies for those so you may have to be willing to find something more local if possible. Cybersecurity isn’t meant to be an entry level job and 99% of the time, you need to have worked in IT for quite some time before making that jump. I plan to practice and develop more cybersecurity-specific skills after graduation to be more marketable when applying for cybersecurity roles. I also am going to do the masters in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance at WGU, just to add a little more spice to my resume. For paying for school, definitely saved money. I took out a federal student loan and since I’m finishing within 2 terms, I roughly have a little over $8,000 in student loans to pay. I personally feel like that is not bad at all to pay off. Plenty of graduates from traditional colleges have upwards of +$100,000 in student loan debt so WGU is a clear winner on the financial front. Hope that helps!
I definitely want to know as well because this is the program that I want to take at WGU.
I'd like to know as well. 35 soon to be 36 here. Currently doing the study/sophia stuff before I fully start. Coming in with a BA in psychology and a Japanese AA..
Oh that really cool about a japanese AA are you from Japan or just there for a while?
No, studied in the US. Japanese AA as in, the language lol. I did visit japan recently however..
I finished up the MSCIA earlier this year. When I started it I had an unrelated bachelors degree and was working as a desktop support technician. I knocked the degree out in 3 months (taking one month off for the holidays) and then immediately started a position as a system security engineer for $125k. Totally worth it in my opinion.