I don't know how I missed this video, but congrats! 🎉 I'm so happy for you! Thank you for sharing your journey with us. It's sad that your family didn't support you, but the fact that you were able stay focused and finish anyway is amazing. You're an inspiration to us all. 🏆
@MonaCodeLisa8 ай бұрын
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it 🙏
@viktoriyaseme4 ай бұрын
Wow, I am so sorry about your family member who was extremely unsupportive. When my family moved here from Russia, my dad had to start over and became a software engineer. Everybody wasn't extremely supportive of the idea. They told him to go to nursing. After many years have passed, they are now tired of their jobs and ask him about what they can do in the tech field and how to get into it. Let your English not become a barrier! You have great language and grammar. The accent just makes it even better and makes you sound professional/smart and like you know what you're talking about. Thank you for this video. I am 18 years old, getting out of high school and looking into taking this exact program.
@MonaCodeLisa4 ай бұрын
Thank you so much, I really appreciate your comment and I am really happy about your dad 🙏 I wish you all the best with your studies :)
@dama_alt7 ай бұрын
Thank you for sharing your experience with WGU. I am just beginning my program with them and your story is very inspirational to hear. Congrats on graduating in your program as well!
@MonaCodeLisa6 ай бұрын
Thank you so much :) And I hope you enjoy your program :)
@d.o.nmuzic380210 ай бұрын
Amazing! Congratulations There’s not much videos on the SWE program. Thank you for doing this 🙏🏾
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
Yes I noticed that too, happy to help, thank you
@shahutcherson299210 ай бұрын
Thank you Esther for this video. I am starting WGU on Jan 1, !!!
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
That's great best of luck 👍👍👍
@Truck03318 ай бұрын
How is it
@fnbtv19617 ай бұрын
How is it going I start March 1st
@Ethiohit4 ай бұрын
Congratulations on your achievements, may you be blessed with even greater success.
@MonaCodeLisa4 ай бұрын
Thank you! You too!
@ROLOGamingOfficial9 ай бұрын
That's Great! I am in a similar position, I currently work as a web developer, and I'm pursuing a bachelor's degree because I really want to focus on the Backend development. I'm interested in this program specifically on the c# track since that's what I use at work. Also English is not my first language and I am more worried about English Composition than any of the other classes 😅. But this gives me hope that I can also complete this program.
@MonaCodeLisa9 ай бұрын
Yes, you can definitely do it, I know what you mean about English Composition - I actually completed that one through Sofia. There are some harder courses but there are really fun ones to balance things :)
@tae_accomplish3 ай бұрын
Hello, Do you remember how many months you completed all your Sophia Learning courses? Nice video overall!
@MonaCodeLisa3 ай бұрын
Thank you, I wasn't rushing through Sophia courses, probably around 4 months but it can be done faster
@tae_accomplish3 ай бұрын
@@MonaCodeLisa Great, Thank You So Much For This Information And Bless Of Luck In Your Journey!
@Anonymous5170114 күн бұрын
Congratulations. Your hard work has payed off. I’m proud for you that the obstacles you mentioned didn’t stop you! Don’t listen to the haters. Your “family member” making fun of you is a slow loser who doesn’t understand we’re not in the 70’s anymore
@MonaCodeLisa8 күн бұрын
Thank you so much!!
@Castelanu9110 ай бұрын
Congratulations im doing sophia right now but was wondering if you recommend CS or if SE is good enough?. Im on the fence with discrete math. Calculus kicked my bitt a bit so idk if discrete math will be the same or more difficult..
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
Thank you. I personally loved SE, as someone already working in the field of web development I found it very practical + a bonus mobile development course. I was concidering CS but first of all I was not doing well with the Calculus course at Sophia and also the CS felt way too specific with courses like descrete math that I'm not sure that I personally would need or apply in real life at all. I can't speak much about CS but what I can say is that Calculus & Descrete Math require a slightly different mindset. I am assuming Descrete Math is more complex than Calculus but that is just an assumption. CS is somethings so standard and a lot of ppl choose it because its the most safe choice. But the way I see things - for programming SE is a great choice. Hope this helps, best of luck going forward 👍
@Castelanu9110 ай бұрын
@MonaCodeLisa thanks for the reply. It helped out
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
@@Castelanu91 grad to hear
@GoingDev10 ай бұрын
I’m literally in the same place. Taking Sophia courses toward CS but I’m so worried that Discrete Math is going to be near impossible for me to comprehend or do well in.
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
@@GoingDev Yes, exactly and I'm still thinking whether discrete math is even practical. If you are accelerating - just seems like an added pressure and not so necessary.
@eaglevision_76 ай бұрын
Thank you so much for sharing. Finishing my first term this week. I wish I watched your video before I started. It’s so inspiring. Did you self teach before WGU to gain experience?
@MonaCodeLisa6 ай бұрын
Congrats on finishing your first term :) hope you are enjoying the program and I am glad to hear your feedback. Yes, prior to WGU I was taking a lot of courses - on Udemy, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning and I started working on small projects as a freelancer, then after a while switched to full time.
@eaglevision_76 ай бұрын
@@MonaCodeLisa Thank you so much. Yes, I am enjoying it so far. Can’t wait to finally earn a bachelor degree in Software Engineering.
@Thecanadiangamer256 ай бұрын
Is it like college where you have to take 50 million other classes or do you take just software engineering focused classes?
@griegBrew10 ай бұрын
Congrats! Do you have any advice on how to tackle Software 1 & 2, and also Mobile Development for the C# track? TYIA
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
Thank you :) Software 1 & 2 Mobile Development for the C# were so much fun :) I really really enjoyed them. It depends on your experience level, I already had experience with C# and I find it to be very straightforward. Software 1 & 2 are windows forms - there are a couple of good videos on YT on windows forms - they are not complicated. The mobile app is now with .NET MAUI which is a newer multi platform (newer that xamarin) and I liked it a lot. Here is a cool into playlist - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpmVaGx7iMR5hLM And of course if something seems too confusing - chatGPT is very helpful in clarifying concepts, but not for actual code - watchout cos chatGPT knows very little about .NET MAUI
@jlocana14 ай бұрын
Congratulations. I will do the same thing. Blessing. Thanks, Esther!
@MonaCodeLisa4 ай бұрын
Wonderful! thank you
@BeatrizMartinez-vv1fq3 ай бұрын
Hi Esther! Thank you so much for this video. I'm planning to go back to college and finish it. I have my associate done and right now I am actively doing research for colleges. I found WGU is very affordable compared to the universities near me. I'm very happy I found your video because I wasn't sure WGU was legit and I was also worry about how online classes are taught. I have had a bad experience taking an online class before where the instructor was very hard to reach and I ended up failing the class and wasting my money. Anyways, I really love your personality and the time you took to talk about everything. I'm a first generation college student and learning day by day the steps to take. You inspire me even more to achieve my goal of earning my SE Bachelor. One more thing I would like to ask is, what's the difference between java and c# in your opinion? If my plan is to be a freelance in the future, which track is more useful or can be courses taken after for either one? Thank you again! A huge congratulations for your efforts and hard work! Wish you success on your career! 🥳🥳🥳 *** I'm very happy for you! I'm here smiling for what you have achieved.
@MonaCodeLisa3 ай бұрын
Thank you so so much :) I am happy to read your comment, I am sure you are going to do great with your studies :) The main difference between C# & Java in WGU is the structure of the exams & classes. With C# they have 2 larger classes and with Java they have 4 smaller classes. Just the way it's broken down to. I feel that that if you are trying to fit in within a time constrain then this is something to consider. Oh one more important thing - most people take the Java track so on Reddit you will find more information on the Java track. But whichever you choose you can always learn the other in your own time so it is not a huge deal. I have always felt more comfortable with C# myself, primarily using Windows and all of that - just felt like a more natural choice for me. Hope this helps and best of luck with your studies :)
@BeatrizMartinez-vv1fq3 ай бұрын
@@MonaCodeLisa thank you so much for replying back! I took a closer look today at the tracks and I am going to choose Java. Since they are both new to me I think I'll start with this one and later learn C#. I'm planning to contact WGU this morning and see how many credits they can take from my associate.
@MonaCodeLisa3 ай бұрын
@@BeatrizMartinez-vv1fq sounds great :) 👍
@prico335810 ай бұрын
17:50 this part broke my entire heart ill be honest.
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
thank you, appreciate it
@yousefdawood29354 ай бұрын
You deserve an award, Congratulations!
@yousefdawood29354 ай бұрын
And thank you for the informations that I actually was looking for
@MonaCodeLisa4 ай бұрын
Thank you so much
@MonaCodeLisa4 ай бұрын
glad to hear
@itsmikego5 ай бұрын
6 Months? Wow! Oh, so you already had experience as a Web Developer, which makes the program much easier, considering Web Developers need to understand HTML/CSS/JavaScript to work. I see, I see. It's a significant part of the program. I'm assuming that because of previous experience, You understand how it all meshes with databases, cloud computing, SaaS's, API's and whatnot. I can see how you were able to manage to get it all done in half a year. Congrats!
@MonaCodeLisa5 ай бұрын
Thank you very much. Yes, the program does cover everything that you mentioned and a lot more - Data Structures and Algorithms, Security, Networking, Hardware and OS, Ethics in tech, it is very practical. All the courses were related to things that I had already done at work, yes. I chose it exactly because I wanted something that focuses on the real life skills.
@JewelDixon-eb7jw10 ай бұрын
Wow!! I found you off of Reddit ! I love to see another women in SE congrats love! I did have a question if possible. I'm trying to get through the web development class d277 and was wondering by chance if you have tips or examples of what the task should look like? I have been stuck for a few weeks now:/
@MonaCodeLisa9 ай бұрын
Thank you. I think I had a post about it, oh yes I share some of my thoughts about it and a link to my task submission here - www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7135326920082079744/
@thestrifestream11346 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing so much insight! My start date is May 1st and I’m in a similar position. I am transferring in 42 credits for the Java track. That leaves me 24 classes in one term. Would you mind sharing approximately how many hours per day you dedicated towards school work? Also I know that program mentors can make the overall course schedule map, but would you happen to have your course schedule noted somewhere? Thank you!
@MonaCodeLisa6 ай бұрын
Thank you so much and it's great that you are staring in May that is very exiting :) I was devoting between 8 and 10 hours, it was full time for me, but I took a complete day off after passing each Objective Assessment (the live video exams). I had a biweekly call with my mentor and we discussed the course program, my mentor was great - she was helping me and adjusting things along the way. At first she opened up 2 courses for me which I often completed or was close to completing by the next call and then she would open up a couple more courses, some times up to 3 courses. When I was ahead - I just emailed her and she would open and move up more courses. She really was amazing - she helped me switch to C# and made the transition quick and flawless.
@thestrifestream11346 ай бұрын
@@MonaCodeLisa I was worried about being set back by having to request course unlocks. I’m glad to hear that your experience with your mentor was amazing. That person was staying on top of it! But I can see that you were constantly communicating and also staying on top of your schedule. Hoping mine is the same way :-) congratulations! Your story inspires me that it’s possible to achieve in one term.
@MonaCodeLisa6 ай бұрын
@@thestrifestream1134 thank you I am glad to hear :)
@thugwafflebro80629 ай бұрын
Being a fast learner and computer savvy, I plan on completing this in 6 months with no exp. I’m able to dedicate 5 hours+ a day. What are your thoughts on this
@MonaCodeLisa9 ай бұрын
That sounds great and if you believe that you can do it that's all that matters :) I cannot tell you whether you can do it or not - you know best what your capabilities are... All I can say is - that I know that I would not have been able to do it like this.
@prico335810 ай бұрын
Hi, do you feel like you miss out of computer science or if without computer science you wont be able to bring value? Is the SE degree knowledge good enought for what companies ask of you?
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
I did have that feeling in the beginning, in my first couple of roles. But now I know that this was mostly because I had co-workers that were telling me that this is the case, when in reality - that wasn't really the situation. I do feel more fullfiled having the degree, but as I said in the video I think that for Frontend work is not so crucial to have a bachelor's degree. For Backend and Full Stack roles is a plus to have one - that's at least the conclusion I came to. But it really depends - a devoted person can gain the knowledge in different ways. I just really liked the structure of the degree and I do think that the SE degree covers a lot of what companies typically look for.
@-despair9 ай бұрын
Congrats! I was wondering if you had any tips for D385 - Software Security and Testing. I've been stuck on this class for a few weeks now.
@MonaCodeLisa9 ай бұрын
Oh I remember this one, a tough one, but the book was great with Bob, Alice & Mallory 😂 I have few quizlet sets, I am sending you my longest, hope it helps - quizlet.com/825687782/d385-software-security-and-testing-flash-cards/?funnelUUID=d81fe0d3-9fbf-4a25-bc39-c1f1630a8201
@Ksmoovey10 ай бұрын
Does anyone know if WGU has any internship partnerships with tech companies? Being that this program is fully remote and so super flexible, that would be my only concern. IF they do have that, it would be perfect for beginners, or ppl like me who have a tech background more on the client facing side looking to learn more of a technical skillset.
@MonaCodeLisa9 ай бұрын
That sounds interesting, I don't really know much about this, all I know is that they recommend using the - Handshake website
@taurusmoore55327 ай бұрын
New subscriber here! You’re awesome!! Thank you for this amazing content!!
@MonaCodeLisa7 ай бұрын
Thanks for subbing I appreciate it, glad to hear you like it :)
@nancydavis41509 ай бұрын
This is very inspiring, thanks for sharing! I started at WGU a month ago, with not as much experience as you. You said that you already knew Angular before starting, can you recommend any Angular tutorials or resources that can help me? I heard Angular is the hardest part of the program!
@MonaCodeLisa9 ай бұрын
Oh, no don't worry about it Angular is really not that hard, I would recommend the Maximilian's course on Udemy - I started with that one. Currently there are some changes going on with angular and it is actually becoming easier for people with no prior experience with it to use it :)
@michaelAmontoya898 ай бұрын
Congratulations! I’m so happy for you 🎉
@MonaCodeLisa8 ай бұрын
Thank you so much!!
@cr0cop7382 ай бұрын
Great video
@MonaCodeLisaАй бұрын
Thank you
@mikehenkelman21119 ай бұрын
Fun fact, the gomers that doubted her now clean her house while she is coding and door dashing Chipotle. It turns out that software engineers make...about 10x what cleaning people make. I bet vacuuming her BMW stings
@MonaCodeLisa8 ай бұрын
👍👍
@СилвияБрянова9 ай бұрын
Wow, hearing how your family members were sabotaging you was hearthbreaking. Kudos for your persevierence!
@MonaCodeLisa9 ай бұрын
Thank you so much!
@GoingDev10 ай бұрын
I’m currently working on Sophia credits to transfer to the Comp Sci degree but I’m really considering switching to the Software Engineering program. Would you say that someone with little to no experience with coding/programming could start this program and do well as long as they paid attention?
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
The crucial thing is whether you want to accelerate or not. If you want to do it in 6 months and you have little or no coding experience - it is probably possible but it might be a bit too overwhelming because of the time constraints. But if you are not aiming to accelerate maybe 1 - 2 y would be better, that gives you time for retakes, understanding, learning it's just going to be better for over all mental health. You can definitely do well, it is interesting and the level is welcoming - it is not super complex, most courses are around mid level programming complexity, some are simpler. DSA might be a bit challenging - but again if you don't rush the concepts will start to make sense bit by bit, I believe :)
@GoingDev10 ай бұрын
@@MonaCodeLisa Thank you for taking the time to reply back, I really appreciate it! I don’t plan on accelerating through. I’m coming from a completely different field of work and looking to change career fields. My first choice was the SWE program because that job seems the most interesting to me and I’ve enjoyed the small amount of work I’ve done on Code Academy. However, I switched to Computer Science because I thought it would open up more job possibilities. I’m worried about some of the CS classes being way too difficult but I’m also not sure if I should switch back to the SWE. I know ultimately it depends on what I want to do, but I’m afraid that companies here in the US will scoff at a SWE degree when compared to other applicants with CS degrees.
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
@@GoingDev I know what you mean. If you are not accelerating either degree is achievable :) SWE seems to have a little bit more hands on programming but a lot of the courses are the same. I used google docs to compare
@Shitoryumaster10 ай бұрын
I would say go for the SWE degree so that you can get more hands on experience building things, if you're worried about the math. CS is more theory heavy and you're not really going to use calculus unless you're working on something like a graphics rendering engine or physics engine in a video game. Most hiring managers don't know the difference between a Computer Scientist and a Software Engineer and the ones that do, know that SWE has more focus on building stuff.
@MonaCodeLisa9 ай бұрын
@@Shitoryumaster so in point, I was about to mention that about the hiring managers and hiring teams all together - they may demand this or that but most of the time they have no clue... I didn't go into it because I could talk about this for a while... it really get's me so annoyed...
@passwordrevealer-fy3fm8 ай бұрын
Always a family member isn't it? Proud of you for making it through anyway. Nicely done.
@MonaCodeLisa8 ай бұрын
Thank you so much
@luiscarreno88054 ай бұрын
Now u might study a master degree in EEUU? Like eve league
@MonaCodeLisa4 ай бұрын
I was considering masters... I was pretty hyped for a bit, but this will have to wait
@mushroom58510 ай бұрын
Congratulations! How many courses would you estimate required tests versus projects?
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
Thank you. They are about equal, depending on the track. For the C# track I had 23 courses and 9 of them were OA - the proctored video type, the rest were project / task submission type.
@mushroom58510 ай бұрын
@@MonaCodeLisa Thank you! WGU has refused to give me even a ballpark split, so I expected the worst. That's not so bad. I'm currently in a purely project-based program, which I love. I do fine at tests, but I hate them.
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
@@mushroom585 I completely understand
@MikeeBuildsCode10 ай бұрын
Just took a break from orientation to watch this! Just wanted to tell you congratulations 🍾 No more letting your coworkers limit your greatness!
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it 🙏 Enjoy orientation and your studies 👍
@jbs27636 ай бұрын
Congratulations getting your degree! I totally get the dog being a distraction.. mine gets mad and “yells” at me if both my wife and I are in the office at the same time 😂
@MonaCodeLisa6 ай бұрын
Thank you :) and yes dogs, oh they are sweet and demand their attention, I love all pets. This dog was one of the sweetest, it's owner not so much... Poor puppy was always hiding with me, it felt secure beside me
@jbs27636 ай бұрын
@@MonaCodeLisa mine is the best dog I’ve ever had he just HATES it if we are both in the office at the same time lol
@MonaCodeLisa6 ай бұрын
@@jbs2763 ohhh :)
@RobertJames-x6m9 ай бұрын
Need Advice! I`m 44 years old. I graduated with a Business Degree and have a Masters in Education. I`m teaching for the last 17 yrs, but wanted a career switch into Business/IT Management/Healthcare/Supply Chain career. Should I go straight Competency Based to MBA in IT in WGU or take Competency Fast Track Bachelor`s in Project Management in UMPI or UMASSGlobal? Any suggestion is welcome! Thanks!
@MonaCodeLisa9 ай бұрын
I couldn't give you advice since I don't know much about those fields, but maybe someone else who sees your comment can share some more insights
@RobertJames-x6m9 ай бұрын
Thank you! @@MonaCodeLisa
@lumib68853 ай бұрын
Excellent video so happy ❤for you
@MonaCodeLisa3 ай бұрын
Thank you so much!!
@joshua_chris_ofurunna10 ай бұрын
Congratulations to you.
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
Thank you very much
@kerenkalonji-eg3yi4 ай бұрын
What courses did you take in sophia ?
@MonaCodeLisa4 ай бұрын
here is the list of all the courses, the Sophia ones have the Sophia logo -monacodelisa.com/software-engineering-degree
@kerenkalonji-eg3yi4 ай бұрын
Thank you so much! I want to take the Java tract do you think if I take those courses you took on Sophia it will transfer for the Java tract at WGU? I really want to persue the software Engineer and go for Java tract your I would love for you to guide me tbrough. Thank you
@MonaCodeLisa4 ай бұрын
@@kerenkalonji-eg3yi It should be fine taking those courses, the transfer credits are not related to the track you choose. The whole transfer and calculating acceptable transfer credits happens before you even start the WGU courses. With those courses I had 34% of my program already completed from Sophia courses, before officially starting. Now it is very important to verify that the course is till giving you transfer credit since they change them from time to time.
@kerenkalonji-eg3yi4 ай бұрын
Oh ok. Thank you very much
@wissamsidki52379 ай бұрын
Does anyone know if it's possible for I can learn at WGU As a non US citizen? Thanks for your time!
@MonaCodeLisa8 ай бұрын
It is more important where you are located - are you in US ? If so, then you need to call WGU and they will walk you through your options.
@nathvirginia10 ай бұрын
Very good video 🎉
@MonaCodeLisa10 ай бұрын
Thank you, glad to hear
@lululolo64678 ай бұрын
🥺can i even get admission because I only completed 10th grade 4 years ago but i also have experience in html,css,and javascript and also ui/ux design I'm an international student living in oman🇴🇲 🥺😭i also want to pursue my undergraduate degree
@MonaCodeLisa8 ай бұрын
Don't give up hope, there are new and new programs coming up, look internationally. It was a pretty long wait for me too... I tried few different programs throughout the years, until I found a program that I liked and until everything aligned in a way that I can even start, and even so - there were still challenges along the way. But just keep looking and the right opportunity for you will come 🙏
@TheSeaOfAsher8 ай бұрын
How old are you now? Similar to my life, I tried too about 10 years ago to get a degree lol. Thing is God can open doors and you really don't need it if he opens it and positions you.
@wccw58153 ай бұрын
congratulations
@MonaCodeLisa3 ай бұрын
thank you very much
@YungBapacito8 ай бұрын
does doing the certifications on your own satisfy that class? would you recommend that to save time to aim for one term, even if you have to pay?
@MonaCodeLisa8 ай бұрын
You can have a look at the General Transfer Guideline Page (specific to each degree), here is the one for BS SOFTWARE ENGINEERING C TRACK - partners.wgu.edu/general-transfer-guideline-bachelor-dynamic