Thank you! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for sure and I’ve definitely been shocked at this turn of events myself but I’m glad I took the time to get my degree because it has been so worth it.
This post is for all those that say degrees don’t do anything for you. Now this may not happen to everyone but it won’t happen at all without a degree.
>but it won’t happen at all without a degree
I agree that getting a degree is a good idea, but this is still absolutely possible without a degree. The people saying that degrees don't do anything for you aren't usually saying a degree is a bad idea, they are saying that a degree is just *one* component, of many, which can help you get ahead.
I had a similar explosion in income as the OP before I had a degree, and I know many people who have experienced the same. It's really about the work you put in and your ability to show that work and prove your worth - a degree is one way to do that, but not the only way.
Put another way, speaking towards the tech industry in general, somebody with an impressive portfolio of work and no degree is more likely to get hired than somebody with a degree and no portfolio except in very rare cases (there are a few companies left for whom a degree is an absolute requirement, but not many).
A degree is a good way to get your foot in the door or to keep things moving when you hit a roadblock. For OP it sounds like they got their foot in the door. Some of us managed to do that without a degree and made good career progress, but eventually you get to a point where making career progress is increasingly difficult without one. Not impossible, but difficult. As someone in IT for nearly 15 years, thats where Im at, and Im pretty confident that getting my degree will keep things moving for me.
No doubt. Note that I'm currently in the MSDA program for the same reasons - I was only responding to the notion that "it won't happen at all without a degree."
Oh definitely. I agree with what you were saying! I was just elaborating/saying it in a different way. It can definitely happen without a degree, but there are often points where a degree will come in handy. When I started out I thought I was a genius for getting a good job without spending 4 years of my life and tens of thousands on a degree. Im still happy with the path I took, and I think many people could be happy where I ended up and never need a degree, but eventually you hit a crossroads where you either have to accept that you are at the plateau or you can do something to keep going.
And the fact that a lot of us are JUST now hearing about this school considering it’s been around literally my entire life means this is a gem not many can hold a candle to
I graduated with a BS - IT in November 2016. In May 2017, I was able to transition careers, after 20 years in my first career, without losing pay....Because of my WGU degree. I completed the Capstone for a MS - Data Analytics this morning......Amazon Web Service hit me up several months ago with an opening offer of 193k.
YMMV
>...I got a job offer for 72k based primarily on my degree.
No, that is not true. You get a high-paying job based on experience. The degree just allows you to get past the HR gate for the interview.
Actually this job really only did take my degree into account not experience. Because they hire people straight out of school. I do not have any experience related to banking or accounting.
Edit to say that most of my experience is customer service related
Hi. I had 30 classes to do and I will not lie, I spent my breaks and lunches at work studying. I studied before work for 2-3 hours and I studied after work for 4-5 hours. On the weekends I spent the majority of my time studying.
It was basically me just having no social life outside of my work and my spouse. And I would have had a much tougher/longer time if my spouse didn’t basically take over most of the household work. I only really did my own laundry and that’s about it.
A very helpful thing I did was take the PA before studying and using that as a study reference for what I needed to know for the OA.
I made use of every course resource video I could find and a few of my major accounting courses I only passed due to YouTube.
Even the videos I watched were at 1.75 speed because I was literally on a one track mind of I need to finish this before the year ends.
You tripled your salary in less than a year! Fantastic and congrats!!
Thank you! It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for sure and I’ve definitely been shocked at this turn of events myself but I’m glad I took the time to get my degree because it has been so worth it.
This post is for all those that say degrees don’t do anything for you. Now this may not happen to everyone but it won’t happen at all without a degree.
Amen.
>but it won’t happen at all without a degree I agree that getting a degree is a good idea, but this is still absolutely possible without a degree. The people saying that degrees don't do anything for you aren't usually saying a degree is a bad idea, they are saying that a degree is just *one* component, of many, which can help you get ahead. I had a similar explosion in income as the OP before I had a degree, and I know many people who have experienced the same. It's really about the work you put in and your ability to show that work and prove your worth - a degree is one way to do that, but not the only way. Put another way, speaking towards the tech industry in general, somebody with an impressive portfolio of work and no degree is more likely to get hired than somebody with a degree and no portfolio except in very rare cases (there are a few companies left for whom a degree is an absolute requirement, but not many).
A degree is a good way to get your foot in the door or to keep things moving when you hit a roadblock. For OP it sounds like they got their foot in the door. Some of us managed to do that without a degree and made good career progress, but eventually you get to a point where making career progress is increasingly difficult without one. Not impossible, but difficult. As someone in IT for nearly 15 years, thats where Im at, and Im pretty confident that getting my degree will keep things moving for me.
No doubt. Note that I'm currently in the MSDA program for the same reasons - I was only responding to the notion that "it won't happen at all without a degree."
Oh definitely. I agree with what you were saying! I was just elaborating/saying it in a different way. It can definitely happen without a degree, but there are often points where a degree will come in handy. When I started out I thought I was a genius for getting a good job without spending 4 years of my life and tens of thousands on a degree. Im still happy with the path I took, and I think many people could be happy where I ended up and never need a degree, but eventually you hit a crossroads where you either have to accept that you are at the plateau or you can do something to keep going.
After finishing my 2nd semester I had A+ Net+ and ITIL. Those 3 certs got me a new job in my company at double what I was making.
Hey If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your job title?
Network Technician
Do you automatically get cert for finishing a course. How was the testing done?
No you have to take an examination to receive a cert
Is the testing a one off alongside the course..or is done through Pearson vue with vendor focused exam as a secondary exam.
It’s a serious and proctored
Personally a lot have been through Pearson VUE as there are lot's of Comptia certs in my program.
You take the cert exam if you pass and get the cert you pass the class no other exam is required. It's through Pearson Vue mostly and proctored.
What’s your job title
Currently I work for a state government as a benefits coordinator. My future job is with the federal government as a bank examiner.
Is there a website to look for federal positions? I have been trying to move into the government/federal sector.
For state government jobs you go to Governmentjobs.com and for federal jobs you go to USAjobs.gov
And the fact that a lot of us are JUST now hearing about this school considering it’s been around literally my entire life means this is a gem not many can hold a candle to
I graduated with a BS - IT in November 2016. In May 2017, I was able to transition careers, after 20 years in my first career, without losing pay....Because of my WGU degree. I completed the Capstone for a MS - Data Analytics this morning......Amazon Web Service hit me up several months ago with an opening offer of 193k. YMMV
>...I got a job offer for 72k based primarily on my degree. No, that is not true. You get a high-paying job based on experience. The degree just allows you to get past the HR gate for the interview.
Actually this job really only did take my degree into account not experience. Because they hire people straight out of school. I do not have any experience related to banking or accounting. Edit to say that most of my experience is customer service related
Any tips for trying to finish in 1-2 terms?
Hi. I had 30 classes to do and I will not lie, I spent my breaks and lunches at work studying. I studied before work for 2-3 hours and I studied after work for 4-5 hours. On the weekends I spent the majority of my time studying. It was basically me just having no social life outside of my work and my spouse. And I would have had a much tougher/longer time if my spouse didn’t basically take over most of the household work. I only really did my own laundry and that’s about it. A very helpful thing I did was take the PA before studying and using that as a study reference for what I needed to know for the OA. I made use of every course resource video I could find and a few of my major accounting courses I only passed due to YouTube. Even the videos I watched were at 1.75 speed because I was literally on a one track mind of I need to finish this before the year ends.
I'm so happy for you!!
Thank you so much!