WGU BS IN COMPUTER SCIENCE (CS) - My Plan to Graduate in Less than 6 Months (2021)

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In this video, I talk about the strategy I'm going to use to accelerate through the WGU BS in Computer Science Degree. I plan to graduate within 6 months of my registration date, but hope to do it in 3 months. I cover some of the material I'm using to prepare myself!
▶ WGU BS CS Courses List: bit.ly/34VMoxV
▶ WGU BS CS Study Materials: bit.ly/3aUIoBO
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0:00 Start
0:17 Why I'm getting a BS in CS
0:58 My plan overview
2:05 My goal
2:25 Courses and Pre-game/pre-study details
3:55 Discussion on Calculus
5:49 Discussion on Discrete Mathematics
6:13 Discussion on Data Structures and Algorithms
6:43 Discussion on Scripting and Programming Foundations
7:19 Discussion on Scripting and Programming Languages
7:37 Discussion on Software Quality Assurance
7:47 Discussion on Computer Science Capstone
8:27 Outro
9:53 Lmao
Intro:
Hey everybody, it's Josh here
This video is going to be a little bit different.
I decided to enroll in WGU's CS program, and thought I'd share my plans--I figured it might help anyone interested in doing the same thing, or perhaps give an idea of what might be possible.
If you already know me and you're wondering why I'm getting another degree, there is a cool program PhD program at Dakota state university that I want to apply to and it requires an undergrad in CS.
I really want to make myself as competitive as possible and apply to the program, plus I'm a pretty big fan of coding and CS concepts in general, so I'm pretty excited in general.
Goal:
So my main goal of this endeavor is to spend as little time as possible actually registered and trying to complete classes.
What I mean by this, is I don't want to register and then spend 2 months trying to complete calculus.
I'll dive into the details here in a minute, but the idea is, I'm going to "pre-game" and prepare myself as much as possible, register for the program, and try to complete it as fast as humanly possible.
I'm certain I'll be able to finish within 6 months of registering, but I'm hoping to finish much faster than that!
Spreadsheet / Word Doc:
So this is a spreadsheet i've prepared.
My transcripts haven't been evaluated yet, but this is what I kind of suspect to see based on the degrees and certs I currently have.
Explain Easy/Medium/Hard
Explain Preparation
Explain Primer Sheet
Calculus is probably the hardest thing on here
My approach for this is I'm going to review a bit on Khan Academy and then I'm going to take the Calculus course via straighterline and transfer it into WGU. (b-roll)
There are a few reasons for this
Only the final exam is proctored,
Based on the scoring, if you get full credit before taking the final, it looks like you can do very poorly (even 0) on the final and still pass
SL allows for the use of "better" calculators beyond the standard TI-84 and the final is open book with notes
Reddit post: / straighterline_calculu...
DISCLAIMER: This video description has some affiliate links and I may receive a small commission. I only share stuff that I use and believe in. Thanks so much for your support 🥺

[@slater-cguy]

This is almost exactly how I've been prepping for the wgu bs in CSci, great advice! The khan academy calc material is top notch on 2x speed!

[@JoshMadakor]

Good stuff! It really is quite good! I'm about halfway through StraighterLine Calc and KA did a great job prepping. I'll make a video about the maths once I pass this course lol. Thanks for watching and I'm glad you validated my plan lol.

[@mollybehrens2694]

Im taking the calculus course through Khan as well!

[@tylercornett2022]

Thank you so much for doing this. I dropped out of college 12 years ago. I enrolled at ASU during covid to finally finish my CS degree, but the timeline seemed stupid and the cost was outrageous. Why would I pay ~$50,000 to prove that I know how to program? Your youtube channel has given me hope that I can actually complete this in a reasonable amount of time, for a reasonable cost. And not only that, you've shown useful resources to brush up on calculus (took 1, 2, and 3 previously -- but I know my retention is poor at this point). I don't know why you popped up in my youtube feed... but I'm incredibly glad that you did.

[@JoshMadakor]

Thank you so much for the nice comments. Glad the channel has been useful for you! You don't need any more calculus right? haha 😂.

[@donaldbunce2741]

Thank you for posting this. I'm going to consider everything you highlighted.

[@RicherThanIeverbeen]

Thanks man this is awesome!

[@jimcas2ro]

Thank you for taking the time to make this video , and sharing the resources. I am switching careers to computer science and your video is a great start.

[@JoshMadakor]

Glad it was helpful! Good luck with your program :)

[@kiarrathomas1]

So helpful!! I’ve been watching a ton of your WGU videos because I needed motivation to accelerate the rest of my term. Plus I live in Seattle too! 💛

[@JoshMadakor]

Oh awesome, thanks for watching and good for you! Another WGU video is scheduled for tomorrow at 12:30 haha. What program are you in?

[@kiarrathomas1]

@@JoshMadakor I’ll definitely be watching :) I’m in the accounting program! But obviously living here Tech is always calling my name lol

[@MuMu124]

Im planning on starting CS in June..cant wait and im going to try to follow your routine. Thanks dude

[@JoshMadakor]

No problem! Good luck! I ended up using Study.com for Discrete Mathematics 1 :>

[@estebanvazquez8315]

Thank you for all the pre study resources. Great video, subscribed!

[@JoshMadakor]

Thanks so much for the sub!! I actually finished the program and made a whole playlist on it!

[@MrWardo2009]

Thank you for making this video!

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey Michael! No problem! I finally finished the CS program at WGU. Here is the playlist for it if you're interested :P kzbin.info/aero/PLqBeiU46hx1F_asaQBCnDWzkvzJ11RTqJ

[@stepf2892]

Thank you ahead of time!

[@JoshMadakor]

Thanks so much! I have 6 more classes left for BS CS, then I'll start making videos again. I had a bit of a late start :D.

[@Tyler-ec5bz]

Your videos helped me decide to start my Master’s program in IT Management at WGU! I started Feb 1st and am down 2 courses already! Your content is very helpful and high quality. Thanks!

[@JoshMadakor]

That is awesome! Also really fast lol. I'm glad the content is helpful. Good luck with the rest of your degree, I'm sure you're gonna finish in 1 term at this rate 😂 If you finish too fast, you'll get the feeling like you want half your money back, lmao.

[@nicholasbyers4323]

How did to go?

[@leothalion3983]

Happy New Year, Josh!!!!

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey! Happy New Year to you too!

[@user-sf2yl9yx1c]

Great video! I’m finishing up my B.S. in IT Management from AMU, then doing SANS MSISE. I saw the cyber ops PhD, but wasn’t tracking WGU having a program for it. I’ll probably look at doing this next. Cheers from Korea!

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey! Thanks for watching. WGU doesn't necessarily have a program for it, I'm just using the CS degree at WGU as a prerequisite!

[@maxrwhite1]

This is EXACTLY what I need. Thank you so much. I plan to start 1st term July 1st. This will give me time to prep all these courses like your plan!

[@newfoundling9275]

I start at July first too :)

[@JoshMadakor]

Dope! Good luck with your program and thanks for watching!

[@JoshMadakor]

Sheesh, let's get it! lol

[@___Ken___]

Following up. How did it go? Have you graduated?

[@sheldong9482]

Just submitted my transcripts to WGU for the CS program. Excited to get started!

[@JoshMadakor]

Sheeesh good luck!! I'm excited too!

[@dodonnell4006]

I'm sure you definitely have updates lol, but am reacting before looking further. Thank you for this video. I am currently in the process of applying and planning enrollment, but i work at Amazon in IT and am waiting until the busy season is done with. My manager knocked his BS out and his MBA in less than one term each and inspired me to do the same. This pre planning seems amazing for me to implement in my free time while I wait, thank you so much again! Nervous about Calc lol

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey D, thanks for watching! And you're definitely right, I do have some updates haha. I made a whole playlist about the degree and how to deal with the difficult classes, specifically calculus, discrete math, and data structures and algorithms: kzbin.info/aero/PLqBeiU46hx1F_asaQBCnDWzkvzJ11RTqJ Calculus is really manageable in the way I discuss in the Calculus video. Very cool about your boss and good for you for considering it! I Did a LOT of prep, but once I enrolled I could complete the degree in 1 term. I also transferred in some courses from Study[.]com--i recommend transferring in as many as you can, and transfer in calculus from StraighterLine (like I talk about in the playlist). Here is my study[.]com video with discount code "JoshMadakor" kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmi5mnSdmbubfLM Best of luck! Excited for you!

[@lifebyjustin]

This is interesting. I actually took on the same pre-gaming approach when doing my WGU master's degree. I didn't realize others undertook this strategy too (I made a KZbin Channel sharing my accelerated journey as well). This makes me think that some, or many, WGU learners are more strategic in their learning, in comparison to other post secondary students. Not sure if it's the type of learners or the setup of WGU that fosters for this strategic approach, or maybe a fusion of both. In your recent video, you talked about non-WGU students questioning the legitimacy of the school and, I think you're right in that maybe they don't have the strategic and systematic mindset and drive needed to get their schooling done as efficiently as possible.

[@JoshMadakor]

That's dope! And yeah, I'm wondering if maybe they don't think about it or don't take the time to look into it. Congrats on the master's. Did you find it way easier than your undergrad?

[@lifebyjustin]

@@JoshMadakor Thanks! And I actually did a previous master's degree and I found WGUs masters easier in some easy and more difficult in others. I found it easier in that the content was more relatable and less abstract, but more difficult in that I had to do 31 performance assessments (papers + presentations) which got a draining overtime. But overall, I loved WGU. Hope you like it too!

[@alphatech1031]

Awesome videos' josh! Big inspiration to aspiring I.T. professionals! Look forward to calling you doctor Madakor! Request for next video: Your experience in I.T. interviews as applicant and recruiter?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey, thanks for the kind words and thanks so much for the idea. I'll add it to the list :)

[@swish2727]

Great ideas , great attack plan .... fantastic motivational videos , thank you for sharing

[@JoshMadakor]

Np, thanks for watching!

[@toneallday5468]

Your channel gonna help me finally achieve my dreams at a low cost and at my pace. This idea is genius. So basically learn for free and when I pay for the course I should be able to breeze through in 6 months God willing. Especially them websites where I can get my class credits for a great discount. That website you mentioned Saylor is GOLD!!!! Most of the classes I need to take (I have no prior college credits) are free. So I’ll bust my brain on them now but when it’s time to start the course I’m in and out. It’s still hard to believe I can have my bachelors in less than a year. Hopefully my masters in 2. Thank You you’re truly a God send. Now all I have to do is map out these courses around my schedule. I really can’t thank you enough.

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey Tone! I'm so glad the videos have been useful! Best of luck! You definitely going to get it and it's gonna feel great afterwards, haha. Good luck :)

[@Geomaverick124]

Wow...I am going to take the Software Developer program...this is very efficient! This is a method that I feel most people should take before going into even a 4-year program.

[@JoshMadakor]

Dang good for you! I feel so too lol, definitely takes some of the load off and lets you focus on the core stuff when you're ready.

[@PaArriba]

Great info! I’m thinking about getting a CS BS degree with WGU.

[@JoshMadakor]

If you have the time and means, you should! And thanks for watching. I'll post more updates about my progress when I can :)

[@wificannibal9704]

Ty so much for this!

[@JoshMadakor]

No problems!! Thanks for watching! I made another video that goes over the whole CS degree. It's kinda long, but here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmTMfICleK6WoqM

[@wificannibal9704]

@@JoshMadakor Ty, Josh! I'm currently working as a delivery driver and I need to make a career change ASAP! Would you suggest immediately pursuing a CS degree, pursuing an A+ certification and starting with a help desk position, or studying web development on my own? I'm stuck in analysis paralysis and your opinion would be incredibly appreciated.

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey! I created a response to you in the form of a short! Check it out. And sorry for the delay: kzbin.infoQc2CRuhcfMY

[@drewwmercer]

Thanks for sharing...current BS CS student at WGU with just a few classes to go.

[@JoshMadakor]

That is awesome! Good luck! I'm still making my way through calculus lol...hopefully I can finish it before the end of the month.

[@AndreNoStacks]

This is really helpful! I have 17 classes to complete after transferring to WGU. I was able to complete the Calc class in about a week and now I'm moving on to Discrete Mathematics II. I'm really hoping to finish within 1-2 terms.

[@JoshMadakor]

Daaaamn Calc in a week, that is seriously insane. I'm actually uploading a bunch of videos right now, but they aren't live yet. I did one on DM II, it might be useful for you. It's unlisted though, so don't tell anyone lmao kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZTZn4SDfalsnMU Best of luck finishing the program. I'm super glad that I did it. Thanks again for watching :)

[@AndreNoStacks]

@@JoshMadakor lol my situation is a bit different from others since I previously took Calc 1,2 and 3 in the past when I attended a different college. I had to retake Calc since it was 5 years since I had taken a calculus course so this was just a refresher

[@AndreNoStacks]

@@JoshMadakor I'll definitely check the video out. Thank you!

[@sameerroshan9542]

good video. I am currently enrolled in BSCS. It would be great to get updates as you go along this path.

[@JoshMadakor]

For sure! I will post update along the way. Did you have Calc finished before going in? It's taking me some time to complete hah. I just want to get it done before enrolling.

[@sameerroshan9542]

@@JoshMadakor Ya I transferred calc before going. I was in a community college before wgu and had taken some of the required classes already. I still have 17 more classes to go tho. finishing calc would be a good idea. Luckily I had a good teacher for that in my community college.

[@TaaAaaF]

Thanks for the informative video! It helps me a lot and I’ll watch all your videos😊 Btw, I was sooo surprised 9:55 - 愛を込めて、日本のあなたのファンより🥰

[@janportillo683]

my friend recommend me this video, I start CS in December. This video gave a a big realization, I’ll give myself a good 6months-1 year to graduate.

[@ChrisHavok]

My game plan is always to wing it and hope for the best. Extremely impressed by your ability to prepare ahead of time. Curious to know if you actually managed to complete it within the first term

[@JoshMadakor]

I didn't actually start yet, I got super busy with a lot of stuff! However, I did just complete calculus and C++ outside of WGU via straighterline. I'll make some videos about this at some point :o)

[@PrincessTatyanna]

I plan on enrolling so I can major in computer science. I am excited

[@JoshMadakor]

Good for you!! I've been working on the BSCS at WGU but I should be finished sometime next month. Then, I'll release some videos about it :p. When you thinking to start?

[@abdullahe3674]

Video quality is👀 Great Oh and not to mention sound:)

[@JoshMadakor]

Thank you so much! And thanks for watching 😁

[@jordanalexander3076]

Crazy how organized/prepared you are! Have you started pursuing your degree yet? Looking forward to a follow up video.

[@JoshMadakor]

Thank you so much! I officially started on July 1st. I had 11 classes required to graduate but now I'm down to just one, Discrete Math 2 💀. It's very hard, so I'm taking my time with it lol. I'll def make some follow-up videos once I'm done :). Ty for watching and commenting!

[@jordanalexander3076]

For sure man! Your vids are very informative, so I will definitely keep supporting. Good luck with that discrete math class 😂 You got it

[@stardestroyer59]

I'm currently in my bs IT, I'm halfway done, the reason I chose this degree was because I needed something I could finish fast. I'm married and have a kid in California, I can't survive off of minimum wage. I would love to work as a cloud engineer and later down the line cloud architect so I know that a CS degree would do me better. My plan is to finish my BS IT and immediately after graduating pregame just like you to do the CS after. I really would also like a master's degree and the one I'm looking at is the Cloud Computing Architecture from UM GC. I'm not someone that cares about the prestige of schools, I care more about the content.

[@JoshMadakor]

Sounds like a solid plan! CS degree is a pain in the ass, but it's really useful to have on your resume. Cloud is a nice field to go into. I feel it's relatively straight forward to get into. There are a lot of cloud support engineer jobs with Microsoft, Amazon, and other orgs, both full-time and as a vendor, which aren't TOO hard to obtain, with some education/certs/self-made exp. Best of luck :)

[@robertsterenchak8431]

Would love to see an update on your progress so far!

[@JoshMadakor]

Will do! I haven't forgotten! I've just been really busy with other stuff, but I actively started working on my CS stuff. Hopefully I can finish in a couple months, but we'll see. When I finish, I will do a whole bunch of videos. Thanks for commenting and watching btw :)

[@Meta-Drew]

Best of luck to you! I am starting this month on my BSCS but couldn't get a meeting to actually enroll in classes until the 6th. I'm coming in with an associates so I need 57 CUs to graduate, I'm planning on blasting but I don't have experience with the competency model so I'm not sure how fast I will end up going. I look forward to hearing about your progress

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey, thanks! And thanks so much for watching. I'll definitely post more about my progress on the way. Do you have to do calculus too? I feel it's the largest hurdle for me so far, tryna bang that out first if I can

[@Meta-Drew]

​@@JoshMadakor Luckily not, I've taken calc 1 and 2 already. I went from college algebra to calculus(with a 6+ year gap in between XD) so the hardest part for me was always the trigonometry, otherwise I think its not so bad, and it actually gets pretty interesting once you get your head wrapped around it. I never did anything with Khan Academy but I always found The Organic Chemistry Tutor YT channel to be an excellent resource to supplement what I learned in lectures All of my coding experience is in C# so I feel like the biggest things for me that I can foresee will be getting used to python for data structures 2 and java for the software classes

[@JoshMadakor]

@@Meta-Drew Nice nice on the Calc, I can't wait to get it out of the way. And I feel you on C# too. I haven't used Python outside of random tutorials, so that will take some getting used to. Good luck in the program :)

[@templofsanddesign6788]

@@JoshMadakor If you want any help with differential Calculus I’d be willing to help, because I love the subject.

[@JoshMadakor]

Dang, thank you so much. I'll hit you up if I start struggling too much lol.

[@Aaron-hg8jo]

This is exactly what I'm planning on doing. Probably starting in April.

[@JoshMadakor]

Awesome! good luck with it. I'm still working on calculus. It's taking forever because I'm doing too many things at once though :(

[@innocentrage1]

I just watched The Cyber Mentor's video and he is actually doing the same thing trying to get a BS at WGU and then the Doctors at Dakota U

[@JoshMadakor]

Yeah I saw that too. One of my favorite KZbinrs

[@kevinwilliams9891]

Watched every video you put up today started with the WGU one cause I just enrolled in the business it management degree and was trying to figure out how I can get this done ASAP. Love the content of you have anymore tips on the degree would love to hear it.

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey man, thanks so much for watching, it's much appreciated! In addition to what I kinda talked about in the "graduate in 6 months" video, there is a lot of information on the individual courses on reddit, where people kind of shared their tailored strategies they use to pass each course. You can supplement your current study plans with these strategies where it makes sense :). There are also slack channels and stuff, but I haven't used those that much. Generally I tend to laser focus on one course at a time and just bang them out! Good luck, and thanks again :)

[@kevinwilliams9891]

@@JoshMadakor thanks man looking forward to seeing more post 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@JoshMadakor]

@@kevinwilliams9891 For sure!!

[@jeremiamleczko7216]

I have a question about your spreadsheet. In the green column, under complete, are you putting the date the course was completed? And in the yellow columns under active, assigned, and type what data are you entering in those cells?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey, thanks for watching and thanks for the questions: >In the green column, under complete, are you putting the date the course was completed? I tend to not keep track of that in the spreadsheet, although I guess I could. The numbers in column A:A are just the course codes that I believe will satisfy those classes. >And in the yellow columns under active, assigned, and type what data are you entering in those cells? Assigned is some crap, you can just ignore it. I was using it for my friend's stuff. Active are going to be the courses currently assigned to me by my mentor. As in, the courses I'm Actively working on. Type is just going to be "objective assessment" (aka exam), or "performance assessment" (aka an essay), or both. Hope this helps, let me know if it doesn't make sense :)

[@PaArriba]

Thanks for that info! I am starting from scratch and i'm going to use the plan on this video. Do you have any take or plan for the other classes? In the complete excel section. Which you have already taken.

[@JoshMadakor]

I haven't really made any further plans, and unfortunately the classes in the "Complete" section, i just had finished already from my BS. There IS however, a general strategy I would recommend for completing PAs and OAs at WGU. I talk about it in depth here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJCYl4aumZKdmM0 Hope this helps!

[@seanolson9037]

How long did it take you to finish? I’m starting in November and will use your plan as a resource to prepare!

[@dizzled15]

Hi Josh! Did you take Discrete Math 1 else where or at WGU?

[@TrixxManaty]

Thanks, Josh! Is there an alternative to WGU for international students?

[@ericmadden186]

Love your videos, top notch! I am wanting to start WGU next year for either CS or Cybersecurity. However, I have ZERO experience/understanding of either and I sometimes have a hard time with maths. Will either of those programs be unreasonably difficult for someone like me?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey Eric. CS will be harder if you're starting from zero, but it's not impossible. You can get started learning math and stuff now and even knock out a couple classes from study(.)com if you wanted. I made a whole playlist about the CS courses, including videos on how to deal with the math (Calculus and Discrete Math II) and difficult programming classes. Check it out :) kzbin.info/aero/PLqBeiU46hx1F_asaQBCnDWzkvzJ11RTqJ

[@amaramedeiros4754]

I was in cybersecurity and i didnt like it. im going to comp sci now

[@getgoodorstaybad6849]

Hey Josh, were you able to get into the program at Dakota State University with your degrees from WGU?

[@huranku98]

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the WGU Cloud Computing BS. I'm really interested in this and just wanted to get some opinions.

[@JoshMadakor]

Haha, this has been requested so many times. I will start making videos again once I finish my BS in CS from WGU. I have 6 more classes left :). Thanks for watching!

[@saeedsherani7275]

Hi Josh. I am big fan of you and i am following you as i have completed my 6 courses of BSCS from Straighter-line. I have a question that ITIL Foundation certification from axelos. Does it have exam also included in that package of ITIL V4. I am bit confused of Axelos process. As i finished from straighter-line. Straighter-line site is very easy to understand. But axelos is bit difficult

[@gurlycash7394]

Thinking about going to a coding boot camp but I'm debating getting my C's degree as well. What are your thoughts?

[@oki1966]

I really like your strategy. I just enrolled in the BS cyber security degree and hope to finish it quickly but it does have a tons of certificates that will slow me down. I really like the idea of certs that come with it so I am ok with taking more time to graduate. Any tips would be appreciated. I already a BA from a well known State Univ.

[@JoshMadakor]

Congrats on enrolling in the program! The only tips I might have are on the efficiency of studying and passing the WGU content as well as the third-party certs: How to pass WGU content quickly: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fJCYl4aumZKdmM0 How to pass third-party cert efficiently: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fn6meYKMedSNn8k You don't have to follow these methods exactly, maybe just look at them and see if there are any aspects of the strategies you can use. Thanks again for watching and commenting :)

[@oki1966]

@@JoshMadakor Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. Great strategy on how to studying certs. Your story about moving to Japan to work near mount Fuji had me rolling. I feel bad for you. Being a veteran and someone who grew up in Japan, I totally sympathized on what you went through. At least you didn't go to Okinawa. You don't know hot until you get through a summer in Oki. LOL

[@dennispilat]

Hi Josh, I’ll be starting in May and your channel has been a source of motivation. I had a question about your senior capstone. How did you work on your senior capstone program or know what to actually develop for your project before registering? I can’t seem to find any information about the Software Engineering capstone project. Since I don’t start until May, I don’t have a WGU account to check the senior capstone archives. Thank you

[@JoshMadakor]

I didn't end up doing the cs program actually lol. But once you're enrolled, there is a section in the portal where you can look at other students' capstones. I'd check that out ;)

[@dennispilat]

@@JoshMadakor Thanks so much! :)

[@sanctioned1176]

@@JoshMadakor Why did you choose not to go through with it? I'm enrolled in my state college atm for cs. This college seems much more within reach for me due to a chaotic schedule.

[@shar5581]

IN A NUTSHELL. Tuition is charged by the term so it would benefit you if you could cram extra courses in that term. Note: Tuition is due on the first of the term. However, they will charge you $55 dollars to set up a payment plan. My strong advice is not to pay the set-up fee and just make the payments. Having not paid the full tuition will put you on financial hold which means absolutely nothing. WGU is competency-based, where once you complete and pass the assignment called performance assessment(PA), you move onto the next course. Each PA follows a rubric, has writing requirements, and goes through an evaluation process. There were 2 objective assessments which are monitored via webcam. (not kidding) Here's the crappy part, if you have questions about the rubric or the course, they insist you make an appointment with the course instructor (CI), who is usually not immediately available. There is an alternative group who you can schedule an appointment with one of them. More times than not, it has been my experience the CI is someone off in la la land and not worth the wait. Get a mentor that will call you every week and talks about you.

[@JoshMadakor]

Thanks for the detailed post! I feel both CIs and mentors are kind of hit or miss. With the amount of research I do (reddit, Google in general), I ALMOST don't need them for anything, but sometimes the CIs have some nice goodies (Artificial Intelligence Task 2 comes to mind).

[@abdullahe3674]

And yeah sweet stuff Thank you for putting it on KZbin How is your progress ☺️🐱

[@JoshMadakor]

I'm a little more than halfway through calculus at Straighterline. I'll post a video once I finish!

[@abdullahe3674]

@@JoshMadakor 🦾 I'm thinking of signing up Perhaps we can chat How do I contact you ☺️🐱

[@user-yr6xc7gg8q]

What if you already have completed general Ed's in junior college will I able to transfer? Should I do information technology to prepare for computer science? I just finished a math class completely self paced the bummer is I have to take calculus. Thanks

[@JoshMadakor]

You an transfer in a bunch of classes if you've already completed them. If you want to do compsci, I'd just jump into that and forego specifically studying IT. Also, you can complete calculus from Straighterline and transfer it into wgu! I'm gon a make a video on that eventually, but not yet for a while hehe

[@brodie9944]

Im curious your opinion. Currently a Net Eng but I think I want to go the path of dev-ops or net-security. Im torn between BSIT or BSCS. I transferred in about 45% and 38% respectively. The BSIT is closer to what I do now, itll be easier, and cheaper to complete. The BSCS is probably more beneficial for what I want to do but itll likely take longer/more money. What would you suggest?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey, thanks for watching! It's hard to say as it really depends on what you want to do, but as someone who already had the BSIT and has recently got the BSCS, I might recommend just going for the BSCS. Especially since you already have experience and are already working, it might be worth your time to just endure the trials of the CS degree, haha. I actually just finished the CS speed run video which might be useful in making your decision. It's unlisted, but I can link directly to it for now: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmTMfICleK6WoqM Hope this helps!

[@brodie9944]

@@JoshMadakor Good point. Thanks for the advice.

[@jacehix3775]

@@JoshMadakor What happened to the vid?

[@leaseb2206]

What do you think about cybrary?

[@songwenluo7893]

I have a question. After I finish my undergraduate degree at WGU, can I apply for a master's degree from another school? Such as UW /Umich?

[@JoshMadakor]

Yes! Many people have done this, even with doctoral programs. I highly recommend you check with your target university first before enrolling though.

[@MyVitros]

Do you think this is achievable while working full time? By the way they have evaluated my transcripts and I think about 55% is transferable to the cloud bachelor's program

[@JoshMadakor]

Oh nice, 55%! It really depends on the job and if you have to commute or not. For example, if you have a job at a bean factory where you have to commute, it means 1+ hours of your day is wasted on commute, and you obviously can't implement binary trees while pasting labels to cans of beans, so it's going to be a lot harder to fit your course work in. However, if you work from home doing help desk, you can get a lot more of your course work done. I'm usually in some kind of scenario where I can do course work throughout the day, so I can finish quick if I put a lot of effort. Hope this makes sense!

[@saintsour124]

can you make an update video? have you finished it? what was it like? how long? is it worth it? how many hours did you study? etc.... this video was very helpful btw.

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey Mosawer, I'm 100% going to make an updated video. I actually JUST finished my CS degree yesterday. I was enrolled from July 1 - Sept 1, so almost exactly 2 months lol. I studied/worked probably something like an average of 5 hours a day. I would definitely say it's worth it. I don't really expect everyone to finish it in 2 months, but you can definitely save some time by using WGU. I will make a few really detailed videos about the process! I also pre-gamed a bit differently than described in this video, so I'll cover that too. Thanks so much for watching! Will post probably in the next few weeks. I have to get my brain back (super burnt out), write scripts, shoot, edit, and all that good stuff. See you soon though :p

[@yeshua5978]

what about if your bad in math and can barely past algebra is it possible to get this Master degree ?

[@JoshMadakor]

The CS degree at WGU is a Bachelors, but yes it's possible. You just need to do a lot of deliberate practice. It's difficult and takes time, but it is possible.

[@eviljigglypuff2329]

Would you recommend this for someone who doesn’t have any degree at all?

[@JoshMadakor]

It depends on what your goals are and if you are OK with self-study. If you are interested, I would recommend completing some of the general courses at straighterline or sophia.org to see how you feel. they will likely require you to do this before admission anyway :). Good luck!

[@donsan6404]

hey do you get a letter grade for each class after your done? and do you get a GPA?

[@JoshMadakor]

At WGU, you just get a 'pass' with an automatic max GPA of 3.0 :)

[@donsan6404]

@@JoshMadakor last question, how does the tuition work if you do everything in less than 6 month. Is it under 6k?

[@JoshMadakor]

Great question! At WGU you pay per term (6 month time period). So if you finish in 1 term, you only pay for 1 term. For most BS programs, it's around $3500 per term. For Masters it's a bit over 4k!

[@Dee_Generate]

I saw that they do proctored exams? Would you be able to give us some info on that please?

[@JoshMadakor]

WGU or StraighterLine? The WGU proctored exams, you just connect through some screen-sharing software. They make you angle your camera to see your whole desk, your screen, and your person at the same time. It's a real pain in the ass lol. The proctors really vary from person to person as well. One of them wouldn't let me use headphones, so I had to take them off and pretend to use them as speakers. It's a weird experience. I haven't dealt with the StraighterLine proctors yet, but I'll find out soon enough I guess, haha.

[@Dee_Generate]

@@JoshMadakor WGU, yeah I keep hearing stories of them sometimes being asses haha. But I guess if we know our stuff, there’s nothing to worry about. Thanks for the reply!

[@professionalcheekclapper7608]

I'm interested int the field but don't have any experience would I be able to finish in 6 months.?

[@JoshMadakor]

Compsci in 6 months is probably impossible unless you're some kind of hyper genius lol. Don't let that deter you though, it's a cool field. Once you get the math classes and data structure and algos out of the way, the rest is "easier".

[@achininishadi368]

Do you think a BSCS degree from wgu will allow you to enter a masters degree in Machine Learning, as most universities either require a gpa around 3.5 or at least second class honours. In wgc we will be automatically assigned a gpa of 3 as far as I understand. What is your opinion on this matter. Thanks for the great informative videos:)

[@xjakex2514]

Your comment was from a year ago but a lot of people from wgu do their masters at Georgia tech. They accept wgu grads, and Georgia tech is a top cs school

[@achininishadi368]

Thank you

[@general_pepito]

Out of curiousity does a degree in WGU look good in other states like florida

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey! One thing I've noticed is that people tend to put too much weight on where the degree is from. IT and Tech in general, employers don't really care where you got your degree. This becomes the case even more-so when you have a portfolio and start getting experience. Google reached out to me for a Software Engineering interview while I have a CS degree from WGU. I can guarantee they don't care where my degree is from haha. But to answer your question, I would say employers look upon it neutrally and just think, "Oh ok good, he has a degree." This is a great question though, and I think I'll make a video about it in the future.

[@cr0cop738]

Any update on this?

[@unknownprofiler5792]

How many hours a week you spent?

[@loujon191]

Can someone explain to me the difference between IT and Computer science and if one degree is better than the other when it comes to working in cybersecurity

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey! I kinda made a video about IT vs CS. It doesn't exactly answer your question, but I'd take a look: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJCwZ4WBaKyrmJI As for which degree is "better", the computer science degree is hands-down the best, in my opinion. It teaches you the deep inner workings of operating and touches on other security topics. You'll also learn how encryption works on a really low-level and obviously you'll learn many aspect of development/software engineering, etc. However, there is a cost to getting the cs degree, that is it's much, much harder than the IT degrees. You can obviously work in Cyber just fine without a CS degree as most people do, but if you have the time, patience, drive, and coins, the CS degree is better. Just my opinion!

[@tombert512]

Hi! I'm starting a CS degree soon too..when is your start date? I start February 1, and I'm going to also try and knock this out in one term (or less). I also want to do the online PhD from DSU...any idea how you're going to get recommendation letters to be admitted to the program? WGU doesn't seem to have the same opportunities for making connections with professors like you do with a "traditional" university.

[@JoshMadakor]

Dang good for you! I didn't register yet--I'm just slowly doing calculus on the side while I work on KZbin and do my regular job, so we'll see. I'm not sure about my letters of recommendation, I'll probably just get them from some of my past employers and use my extracurricular stuff (KZbin etc.) You thinking to do the Cyber Ops degree or Cyber Defense?

[@tombert512]

@@JoshMadakor I was fortunate enough to have made it through calc III before I dropped out of college a decade ago, so my calculus review has been mostly just watching a few Khan Academy videos....I have already passed the pre-assessment for it, so I think I’ll be able to get through it pretty quick. It hasn’t been approved yet, but I want to do the PhD in compsci from DSU...my goal is to eventually do research in programming language design :)

[@tombert512]

@@JoshMadakor I’m sure you know this already, but you can actually take the pre assessments as soon as you finish orientation; I start class in two weeks, but I’ve already gone through 10 pre assessments (passed 7 of them), just so I can gauge where I am with the subject

[@JoshMadakor]

@@tombert512 Dude that's awesome. So many people have been discovering DSU...or has it always been this popular? haha. Good luck with the application!

[@tombert512]

@@JoshMadakor I actually had not heard about it until you mentioned it in your video :) There are not a ton of online PhDs out there, and most of the ones that are are also scams or from seedy for-profit universities. DSU is actually the only public university that I have found that does online PhDs

[@cordellmitchell1997]

Hey can you send me a plan via MS excel for information management technology?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey, I have one for the BS ITM if you wanna check this one out. They take a long time to make because I have to hunt down all the classes :(, but you can use this to make the specific one you want since there is probably a lot of overlap! Just go to "File" and "Make a copy". docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12YWdC06rKETDokI9PWQOhlR86SQlbIrZMtU6btvLiwA/edit?usp=sharing

[@imoen00]

I’m curious, after your masters in cyber security, what is drawing you for another BS for CS? As somebody contemplating cyber security vs BSCS, and no IT experience beyond self taught stuff, I’m wondering your thoughts. Do you think the CS degree is ultimately more valuable, or are you interested in a more theoretical approach to computing? I was trying straighterline calculus but I hated how the tests weren’t lining up with the video content, so I started working through study.com instead. I completed a few courses that transfer into wgu. I’m still in progress with discrete math and calculus. Cyber security looks appealing to me though too, and it doesn’t require Calc, so I’m trying to decide what I want to do. Thanks for your content!

[@JoshMadakor]

I kind of put the CS degree on hold for now because TOO much crap happening IRL (just sold house and moved, which was a huge pain). But I was trying to get the BS in CS so I could apply for a PhD program that required it at DSU. This is all on hold for now while I straighten out some stuff IRL. You definitely don't need a BS in CS (or any degree really) to do cybersecurity :) Though, the BSCSIA is pretty nice.

[@imoen00]

@@JoshMadakor It’s important to me to finish my bachelors. I also like all the certs you end up with with WGU’s BSCIA, so I’m leaning in that direction. Right now I’m working on the classes that will transfer from study.com and reading books on the COMPTIA A+. Good luck with your new house, and your studies! I’m really happy to have found your channel and look forward to more of your videos. And thanks for answering my nosy questions :)

[@sligon00]

@@JoshMadakor So, you are going to go from the BSCS to a PH.D program at Dakota State , skipping the M.S. CS ? Will WGU have a MSCS at some point , do you think ?

[@takaoda5266]

I would like to enter WGU too but its only for people who currently live in the US right?

[@JoshMadakor]

Yeah, I believe so. You can probably get "away with it" if you have a SSN, US phone number, and some address you can "use" in the US. :> lol. There might be something in place for people i the military overseas to attend classes as well.

[@takaoda5266]

@@JoshMadakor By the way, I am thrilled with the power of Powershell as you mentioned. How useful it is and I am shocked how much time I wasted without knowing it. チクショー

[@JoshMadakor]

@@takaoda5266 Haha "チクショー"! Yeah, it's p-good, You can do pretty much anything with it. I'll include some PowerShell in my next video!

[@Natalie-ip8sz]

Can you do an update on this? Have you started at WGU yet, or are you still pregaming?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey! I'm still pre-gaming, but I kind of stopped. I got halfway through calculus on straighterline (finished the mid-term), then someone randomly found my channel on youtube and asked me to do some security work for their business. It was the first time something like this happened to me, so I decided to take some time/effort to work on that. I'm kinda doing too much right now, so I just put my CS pre-game thing on hold :( sorry :(

[@loujon191]

@@JoshMadakor I love how flexible you are with your career. So many people get stuck when plans change

[@sumtingwong8768]

How would it have taken you if you did *NOT* study before even enrolling, just went in "blind" as you said? One Year?

[@JoshMadakor]

The CS degree? I estimate maybe about a year since I already have exposure to DS and Algos and the maths. Without those things and no other gen-ed classes, probably over 2 years. As an average non-smart person, it took me quite a while to learn data structures and algorithms. It takes me a while to learn math too, so I kind of assume those things would stretch out the CS degree quite a bit. For the Cyber Masters, maybe it would have taken me ~6 months instead of 12 days. It's easy compared to the BS in CS. It's really hard to gauge the time though. I get a bunch of random knowledge from doing random stuff over the years, plus I already had CISSP (which took 3 months to get) going in. Hope this helps :(

[@sumtingwong8768]

@@JoshMadakor I appreciate that, its good to know.

[@dennisclimer2780]

I'm 40 year old single father of 2. 9 and 13. Haven't been to school in almost 20 years. I also work full time and door dash for extra cash. I was always good at math and science. I want to go back to school and was thinking cs was a good fit for me. Any idea where i should start or advice?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey Rickle, I would definitely start with tis video, then check out the rest of my videos in the my CS playlist (pay special attention to the main CS video and the study.com video). If you are still good and want to give it a shot, I would definitely "up" your math skill and tackle calculus outside of WGU at straighterline. After that is done, I would bring your programming skill up to a decent level (see some of my recommendations in this video and the play list). Do as much of the CS degree as you can outside of WGU (taking classes from study.com, sophia.org, etc), then transfer the credits in before you start. Playlist: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mmTMfICleK6WoqM It takes a decent amount of effort/energy, but can be rewarding. Get as good as you can and don't like your health/physical slip during your study--it's easy to happen. Watch Frank Niu on Tiktok for motivation, haha.

[@dennisclimer2780]

@@JoshMadakor i just want to say thank you. The time it took to lay out it like that is truly appreciated.

[@sharonrizvi5310]

Hi is there anyone doing the Bsc in Computer degree now? Would you like to add on socials ? Because sharing our plans would be plus

[@offtothenextadventure]

Is WGU the best option for this (time, money, transferable credit wise)?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey! To answer your questions: Time = Yes. Primary reason I choose WGU, I'm not trying to spend 2-4 years on something that I can do in

[@offtothenextadventure]

@@JoshMadakor nice! Edit: I wanted to take both computer science and information technology. Which one in your opinion should I take first? Easier to finish then just roll over the credits to take the second one.

[@JoshMadakor]

CS is going to be much, much more difficult than the IT tracks, no matter how you slice it. You might not even really need to get the IT degree if you opt for the CS degree hehe. If you're dead set on taking both, I recommend doing CS first to get it outta the way 😂

[@offtothenextadventure]

@@JoshMadakor that’s what I thought after looking at the curriculum, but I might be wrong. I am concerned as to why it takes IT twice the amount of time to finish compared to CS if taken normally.

[@Andrew-ez9ft]

if you finish your bachelor degree in a traditional college, can you get a second bachelor's degree in WGU??

[@JoshMadakor]

Chadyes.jpg, you sure can 😄

[@Andrew-ez9ft]

@@JoshMadakor what? what's with your comment?

[@JoshMadakor]

Sorry I meant to say, yes you can get a second bachelors :)

[@bernardsarfo5951]

Great video as always bud. I’m playing on enrolling in the CS Program right after completing my Accounting degree. I would like you to elaborate a little bit more on your preparation for the discrete mathematics. Is it been done through Khan Academy?

[@JoshMadakor]

I'm definitely going to make a video on this. It's kind of hard to only use KA since they don't actually have a DM section--though they do have some DM topics. I ended up passing DM1 by using study.com, but I did use TrevTutor, Khan Academy, and some other random KZbins to help supplement the study. I haven't done DM2 yet, but I'll cover all of this eventually :D. DM is /super/ hard for me for some reason. Thanks for watching!

[@noel1512]

Is there a school that also expedite getting a doctorates degree?

[@JoshMadakor]

If there was, the dissertation and research would probably slow you down lol. Lemme know if you find one though

[@noel1512]

@@JoshMadakor how long is that? How much writing would that take?

[@1ycx]

How much do you think it will cost assuming you complete in 6 months ?

[@JoshMadakor]

About 3500 for a bachelors and 4500 for a masters :)

[@JessikaJArias]

do you have a GPA? or is it a competency-based school?

[@JoshMadakor]

Kind of both! It is competency based but you get a flat 3.0 across the board. I posted my transcript in the comments (or description) of my "6 month bachelors" video if you wanna check it out. I'm on mobile right now so it's kind of troublesome to navigate/link it :o(

[@melvinumana2536]

Any update coming soon?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey, yeah, I will start uploading again soon! Just a quick preview, I finished Calculus and Intro to scripting from StraighterLine, and I completed discrete math 1 and DS and algos 1 from study.com. I've been busy with a lot of other stuff though so I haven't uploaded lately :(

[@securityaardvark2405]

Have you applied to DSU for the Cyber Ops PHD yet?

[@JoshMadakor]

Not yet! the deadline isn't for quite a while, but it's been on my mind. I did finish the BSCS in September though :)

[@securityaardvark2405]

@@JoshMadakor I saw. Congrats on accelerating through it. Looking forward to the DSU content when it comes.

[@millerplanet8971]

Hi I'm From India, I'm just a Diploma holder but I want to complete Degree Can I get Degree in WGU?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey hey, I //THINK// you need to have a US social security number to register with WGU. Also, they typically don't want to register students outside of the US, though I heard there are exceptions to this. Try some googling around :>

[@jaygriddles]

Can you make the same one for BSBAIT? 😅

[@JoshMadakor]

I may do this eventually! Or rather a video that tries to quantitatively compare all of the IT degrees :p - This is kind of in the works actually. ^^

[@ammarkaram3224]

What is the rank of this university globally?

[@JoshMadakor]

NUMBER 1. Jk, I don't even know how to go about finding that out. Please help me

[@muzykaarmani7831]

how much is fee and time of classes and i want to do it how i can ?

[@JoshMadakor]

Cost is about ~3500 every 6 months. The curriculum is self-paced so there is no set time. You can call WGU enrollment and register lol

[@Handle6278]

So did you finish in 6 months?

[@JoshMadakor]

I actually registered and started in July 1. I have one more class left, so ill probably make it lol. I'll post some videos after :o)

[@Handle6278]

@@JoshMadakor wow many you're the best! Congratulations! I come to your videos once a week to keep me motivated haha thanks for everything you do.

[@JoshMadakor]

Daaang I had no idea, I'm super glad to hear it! And thank you! 😊

[@OnTheEdgex23]

Did you finish the degree already?

[@JoshMadakor]

Actually my first term JUST started July 1st. I did complete a bunch of classes before (some maths and DS Algos). Once I finish the program, I will make a bunch of videos about it! So far I've completed Software I and II after 8 days. Thanks for following up!

[@OnTheEdgex23]

@@JoshMadakor look forward to the updates. I’m a new fan working as a software dev. I need a degree and I’m looking at wgu. I’m also pregaming with courses from Sophia

[@JoshMadakor]

Very cool! Good fod you. It's nice to get the box checked and outta the way :)

[@monkeymuggs]

re-learn Calculus? Jesus, I wish I had your brain.

[@JoshMadakor]

My brain is a disaster, but thank you so much 🤣. And thanks for watching :o)

[@nexuz4258]

missed me? :)

[@JoshMadakor]

yes lmao, did you have a good new year?

[@nexuz4258]

@@JoshMadakor mweh, half of my fireworks didn't even went airborn

[@JoshMadakor]

@@nexuz4258 Lol you're hilarious. So the mortars just exploded on the street? 😂

[@JoshMadakor]

🖥 Break into IT in ~3 Months with my Hands-On Practical Course! 🖥 coursecareers.com/explore/it/ref/18242/

[@abdullahe3674]

Dude what do you do for a living, does someone pay you to study 😂 Lol You work ?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hahaha, I just like studying. I work for King County (local government in WA state) in cybersecutity 😂