A+ Certified, Again

On Friday I passed the A+ 220-602 (IT Technician) exam which completes WGU’s IT Fundamentals III course. So now I’m an A+ certified technician for the second time. The first time was in 1994, as I explained in a previous blog entry.

Making Progress

Well, I’ve completed my first three courses (Education Without Boundaries, IT Fundamentals I, and IT Fundamentals II) at Western Governor’s University. Along with the last two courses, I passed two computer industry exams (CIW v5 Associate and CompTIA A+ Essentials). I hopefully will finish my fourth course (IT Fundamentals III) tomorrow by passing the CompTIA A+ Technician exam. I’m already an A+ certified computer technician, but my certification is 15 years old, so WGU said I had to redo it. Following tomorrow’s exam (assuming I pass), I’ll have one more class for this semester (a JavaScript class). Since WGU allows students to accelerate their studies, if I get through this JavaScript course in a timely fashion then I may add one more course to this semester’s load.

Really Likin' WGU

I started my Information Technology program at Western Governors University on September 1st. So far, I'm diggin' it thoroughly. Online learning is wonderful.

 

All students begin their studies at WGU by working their way through the first required course which is called Education Without Boundaries, or EWB. EWB is essentially an introduction or orientation to the way WGU works. It comprises a series of modules that one has to complete, one by one, until finished. Presently, I'm more than half way through EWB. I'm on module 6. There are a total of 8 EWB modules and then a conclusion. So far, so good.

 

Once EWB's out of the way, I'll have a telephone chat with my mentor (David Brinkerhoff). During our conversation, we will formulate my Academic Action Plan (AAP) which is a blueprint of all the courses, assessments, dates, etc., that are required for my chosen path. I'm looking forward to it.

 

With my computer background and prior experience, I believe parts of this program will be quite easy. Still, there will plenty of material which will be rigorous, I have no doubt. Also, because I transfered my Associate's degree to WGU, all of WGU's liberal arts requirements have already been met. All except for one class that is. There's a class called College-level Reasoning and Problem Solving which is apparently considered a liberal arts course that I have to take. It's my understanding that there really isn't any class that can transfer to WGU which will allow a waiver of College-level Reasoning and Problem Solving. Oh well, not a big deal.

 

Because of the course requirements that have already been met due to my A.S. degree, I'm hoping the program won't take me longer than eighteen months to two years to complete. Right now, I've declared IT as my major, but I'm thinking I want to specialize, either in Databases, or Software development. Adding one of these emphases will tack on another semester's worth of work, so to finish any sooner than two years would be tough.

WGU, Here I Come!

I'm getting stoked about starting my B. S. degree program in Information Technology at Western Governors University (www.wgu.edu). I begin this coming Tuesday, September 1st.