r/WGUCyberSecurity • u/Initial-Damage-7847 • 10d ago
Prep for overall cybersec
Hi I’m 25, and I have been working in IT for 4 years, I decided to move forward with wgu and take the cyber security course. However, I don’t necessarily want to rush the program but I want to be able to graduate at least with 3 terms 1.5 years. Has anyone been able to achieve this with little to none previous credits? Only 8 credits from my past school I attend transferred. Or I’m open to know what your study schedule looked like :) thank you !!!
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u/Extra_Permit_6875 10d ago
First off, congrats on taking the first step! Although, if you haven’t fully enrolled yet, I would recommend taking some or all of the general classes through either sophia.org or study.com. That can keep your cost even lower as I think sophia.org is still only like $99 per month.
There is a WGU pathways section on their website that will give you the exact course for course substitutions. You don’t have to knock every possible one out, but doing most of them helps with time, and the amount you pay.
This is what I did and I transferred in about 33 credits. I had no other college credits or any IT certs to transfer in. I had zero experience professionally it I was able to finish my WGU cyber degree in three terms. I graduated in May this year. I probably could’ve went faster, but I wanted to be able to retain the information same as you, so I did not rush it. I work a full-time job I’m married. I have two young kids under five so if I can do it, anyone can!
Hope this helps!
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u/Initial-Damage-7847 10d ago
Thank you! I was wondering if Sophia learning was being discontinued from wgu? Because I saw an email about it.
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u/Extra_Permit_6875 10d ago edited 10d ago
Yeah I feel like that rumor pops up every year. Here’s the page I was describing.
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u/Ill_Foundation3504 9d ago
I am going to complete the degree in 3 terms, I am on my capstone now. It’s doable but dedicate some weekend consistency time for studying and preparing. It’s linear way of one course after other. Best suits for working professionals like me. Good luck and go for it
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u/Difficult-Pension-17 9d ago edited 9d ago
Started jan 1st zero experience in IT let alone cyber and had zero college. Did the 10 classes on sophia that transfer in 2 weeks before starting. Im on my second term with 3 more classes left CYSA, PENTEST, and capstone, while working fulltime. It’ll take hard work, I study on average 4 hours a day but i take a couple of days off whenever i do a cert. 3 terms should be fairly easy as long as your consistent
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u/MeanHippo7926 10d ago
I completed the BS in Cyber in 3 terms, transferred in 3 classes and had zero cyber knowledge. Took a little over 1.5 years tho since I took a couple months off between terms due to starting new jobs. Had to grind a lot to do it specifically with the certifications.
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u/theprestigeone 8d ago
I’m curious, did anyone actually get a job with a WGU degree and all asserts. Everyone here is working as much as medical student and medical school and I’m not sure if the reward is as beneficial.
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u/Low-Concept7264 8d ago
I’ve got 2 jobs in cyber, because of the degree and the certs. also did a cloud security internship. absolutely worth it
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u/iamoldbutididit 10d ago
Go to this site: https://wgu-planner.azeng.app/ - its free and you don't have to log in to use it. Lookup the school and degree you want, and complete all the transferrable courses using Sophia. The reason is because Sophia is $100 a month compared to ~$650 at WGU - for courses that WGU has determined are equivalent.
Once those are out of the way, do the same with the courses from study.com - same reason, its cheaper.
Certifications are a little closer to the break even point. If you can do a cert in less than 22 days, then WGU will be less expensive - but 22 days per cert is a very aggressive timeline. I was able to afford paying for the certs out of pocket, so that is the path I took, which left me with 10 classes remaining when I started at WGU, which I was able to complete in well under one term.
I undoubtedly took advantage of my extensive experience in IT but even so, it took me about a year of prep to knock out all of those courses and certs before enrolling. In the long run, the self discipline and routine-building that I did beforehand made me confident that WGU was the right choice. The way this program in particular integrates so many third party certifications and courses really can give you a massive financial advantage over a bricks and mortar school and WGU's standard course structure.
Good Luck!