WGU while in the Military - Choosing and Finishing your Degree (2021) | Viewer Q&A

In this video I attempt to answer a viewer's question about which degree to choose while three years are left on their contract. I recommend some alternative degrees, discuss DOD 8570 and 8140 Compliance, and talk about some of the benefits of completing WGU while in the military.
WGU while in the Military - Choosing and Finishing your Degree (2021) | Viewer Q&A
It's a great idea to plan for separation, especially if you wish to go into a new field of work.
WGU can be a great option, whether you're in the army, army reserves, national guard, air force, air national guard, navy, marines coast guard, or civilian.
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0:00 Intro
0:08 Question
1:00 Answer Start
1:40 Benefits of being in (Opportunity Cost)
3:15 Degree Pre-gaming
4:39 Alternative Recommendation - Cybersecurity
5:48 DOD Aligned Certs DOD 8750 DOD 8140
7:10 CISSP preparation
7:39 How to pass certs quickly
7:59 Enough time for Master's Possibly
8:20 Outro
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 🥺

[@kevinetienne9683]

I graduated from WGU back in 2019 while still active duty AF. Honestly, I believe its one of the best schools to attend while active duty since it offers so much flexibility. Here's a few tips that helped me complete the B.S Information technology in under a year. 1. Start your program at a time where the old fiscal year will overlap with the new fiscal year. Reason being if you find that you still have classes to take and you've already exhausted your Tuition Assistance from the previous year the funds will already be replenished and you won't have to wait in between terms. 2. Utilize CLEP/DSST exams! review your courses degree plan and see what classes you are able to CLEP or knock out through DANTES. 3. Start studying for some of the certifications that are in the program you choose. If you complete them before hand you should be able to receive credit for the class that uses that exam as the final. Lastly, good luck! It won't be easy with the crazy work hours at times and you'll have to sacrifice your weekends but it'll be worth it since you'll still have your GI BILL to use for something else.

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey, thanks for watching! This is a great post with a lot of acronyms I don't know, but I'll pin it for people who are serving, Haha!

[@OpsGogo1]

@@JoshMadakor haha no problem, thanks for making quality informative videos.

[@jayvet8402]

@@JoshMadakor I'm starting WGU cybersecurity and information assurance. I already have my bachelor's in education with no information technology experience. I would like to know which courses in the program apply directly comptia A+, comptia network+, and comptia security+ so I can push my counselor to assign those courses sooner?

[@dustinkonesavanh5232]

Good stuff! I'm glad you giving us some your opinions and tips to break IT field.

[@JoshMadakor]

Ayy, no problem. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment :)

[@oki1966]

Josh awesome stuff. Keep up the great work!

[@JoshMadakor]

Thanks so much! Will do!

[@RipTideNetwork]

PLEASE MORE VIDS!!!!! ALL YOUR CONTENT IS GREAT

[@JoshMadakor]

Lol thank you so much. I will start uploading again once I finish my CompSci BS from WGU :p. Cya soon!

[@jordanportee8373]

Just wanted to say I saw your interview with Shane on his channel and it was extremely informative. I’m currently getting a business degree that’s concentrated in information technology and I just got my first job as an IT specialist and I was just wondering if this career had room for growth and opportunity and you helped me understand the options that are available. I really appreciate everything you’re doing on this channel. It’s very helpful.

[@JoshMadakor]

Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and comment. I really appreciate the kind words too, I'm glad the channel has been helpful :). Congrats on your new job. The sky is pretty much the limit, or your own sanity is the limit in my case, hahaha. Good luck, and thanks again!

[@j.cannon6708]

Great advice 👍

[@JoshMadakor]

Glad it was helpful! And ty for watching :>

[@Geomaverick124]

Good stuff!

[@JoshMadakor]

Thanks! And that was so fast lol

[@takaoda5266]

Yeah, preparation consists of 80% of the total result. Pre-gaming!!

[@JoshMadakor]

Sharpen axe for 1 hour, cut for 10 minutes lol

[@minds777]

great video

[@JoshMadakor]

Thanks chief!

[@AlejandroCastillo]

Hi Josh you’re videos are super helpful and I’m really glad I found your channel. I have seen several of the videos and wanted to know which of all the degrees WGU offers is the fastest to obtain. I saw your video about the wavelengths and saw Business would be easiest, but which degree in Business would be the easiest to get. Thanks again for your content.

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey, thanks so much for watching! This is a great question and I don't actually know. It's /probably/ BSBA or the BS in Marketing. What I would do, is open the program guides for two of them business degrees, and use www.diffchecker.com/ to compare the courses for them and see which courses look most interesting to you, then keep doing this until you've compared all of them, and see which degree seem most interesting/easy to you. Something like this: i.imgur.com/TuMGWbw.png I may make a video on this, it's a pretty good question.

[@silentwraith692]

Hey Josh, thanks for your content it really helps. For someone who is looking for a career change in 1 year into something IT with an interest in cybersecurity. What do you think the pros cons are of choosing WGUs Bsnos vs BSCSIA degrees? Would having a cybersecurity degree make it harder to get my start in IT? I'm planning on taking the cybersecurity masters after. Would the Bsnos degree make me a more balanced candidate? Or should I focus in cybersecurity right now. Thanks for your help.

[@thekingsmen2819]

Hey Josh! I was wondering if you knew if the WGU BS Business IT Management was considered STEM or not? You mentioned a few times you would do that one because it was a bit quicker.

[@JoshMadakor]

It's hard to say. I feel it's some kind of strange hybrid degree. I suppose technically it's a STEM degree focused on management, since IT is considered the 'T' in STEM. Just a my shallow opinion haha. Great question!

[@MikaelLaCas]

Hey Josh, I really like your videos they are interesting and are informative. I am in my last year of high school and am looking at WGU for their accounting degree. Is WGU still a good school for people out of high school who do not necessarily have experience in the field of the degree? Thanks Josh for all you do.

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey Mikael, thanks for watching and commenting! WGU is great, in terms of cost, academics, and credentials. The thing that kinda sucks about WGUI is you don't really get that "college experience" with the friends and events and all that. Of course the pandemic isn't really helping much with that anyways :(. I really enjoyed my time going to community college. I made a lot of friends, learned a language, and did stuff that shaped who I am today, so if I could go back in time, I still would have gone to community college just for the experience. If you don't care about any of that, and just want to bang out a degree fast, WGU is probably the way to go. Hope this helps :)

[@booneboone9705]

Which is easier to obtain (6 months) in your personal opinion, a BS in Business management or BS in Business IT management?

[@gwtptech0335]

Hey Josh, I have a question for you, I received my certs for A+, Network +, and Security + back in 2012 and I never did anything with them, nor did I keep them up to date. I currently have a job as a computer refurbisher, It requires the A+ but I was lucky enough to get a interview and the job by telling them I had all these certs back in 2012 even though they are currently expired. I have almost a years worth of experience now in the field and I want to make my way into security. Where should I start, I was thinking of getting the Network operations and Security bachelors from WGU, do you think i could pass it in 6 months with my prior knowledge? Should I even go for this degree, or should I try and just get certified again, do I even need to do that now that I have some experience? My girlfriends lives in Austria and I am thinking about moving my life there and I was wondering if that would change what I need to do, like getting a bachelors or more certs, since I have very little experience in the field and non in networking or security. I know you have experience working out of the country and I was wondering if you could help me form a plan to get a job there as quickly as possible. Thanks, Josh

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey! >I was thinking of getting the Network operations and Security bachelors from WGU, do you think i could pass it in 6 months with my prior knowledge? So the network ops and security is probably the hardest IT degree outside of computer science, so I don't think it's really reasonable to pass it in 6 months. The reason for this, is I believe that one includes CCNA which is quite brutal and takes a decent amount of time to pass. It's a great degree and has some great certs, but will take a bit longer. > Should I even go for this degree, or should I try and just get certified again, do I even need to do that now that I have some experience? It's good to have a degree, especially for immigration purposes in some cases. It's quite difficult to get a working visa in Japan without a bachelor's degree. I donno what the laws are like in Austria or how you plan on going there (marriage vs working holiday or whatever else), but I might look into it. As far as needing a degree to get a job in IT in the US, you don't really need one. For the area in which you want to work, I would get a cert or two and then generate yourself some experience and put it on your resume! (I have a video about this titled, "How to get a job without Experience", maybe check that one out. I do have some experience working overseas, but with the the dept of defense. I know there are a lot of contractor positions in Germany (check out the company called Vectrus), but I'm not sure about Austria :(. Sorry I wasn't able to help much lol. Thanks for watching though :)

[@Ed77x77]

Hey josh great videos , I am very interested in having a career in tech , I had a question regarding WGU, and you mentioned that a degree in cyber security takes longer than for example IT , so then y does WGU say it would be faster for the degree in cyber security? And which one would you recommend for a beginner in this field ?

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey Edgar! I have no idea why WGU would make that claim. The Cyber Masters is has a lot of certs that are, in my opinion, more difficult. Also, the BS in IT Management doesn't have any third party certs, which usually take longer to complete than an in-house WGU exam, making the BS in ITM faster to complete overall. As for what Id recommend for a beginner, all the degrees are kinda designed fo beginners, its that just some will take longer than others. If you are undecided but don't necessary want to finish ASAP, then I'de recommend just going for the normal BS in IT :) It will give you a bunch pf certs with some well-rounded knowledge!

[@Ed77x77]

Hey josh thanks for the reply really appreciate it ! Probably going to do the Comptia A+ first since WGU requires a cert or some type of experience, will keep watching your videos , thanks again !

[@ausdlantein]

Why Josh what about go to wgu before joining army after getting a degree

[@cvo7617]

Hi thanks for you help last time and your degree recommendation for me to get a degree in BS IT Management so i called and do I get it in Buissness or do I get it in Information Technology i had called and didnt know which degree to choose

[@JoshMadakor]

I believe technically it is in the school of business! See here for ref: www[.]wgu[.]edu/online-business-degrees/it-information-technology-management-bachelors-program.html Best of luck!

[@tombert512]

How is your BS in Compsci coming? I started on Feb 1 at WGU, and I'm a bit more than halfway (though I suspect that pace is going to slow down because the classes get harder).

[@JoshMadakor]

Daaaang, good for you! I stopped doing the prep for now because I got overwhelmed IRL. Just sold house, moved, etc. Other life stuff T_T. Sounds like you are on track to finish real quick though!

[@tombert512]

@@JoshMadakor Sorry for resurrecting this thread, but I figured it was relevant. I have exactly one assignment left (the capstone), I'm about halfway done with it, and my deadline is July 31. If I manage to complete it, I'll have completed the BS in CS in one term :) Also, it looks like DSU started doing the online PhD in cyber security again. Don't know why they took it down.

[@danishsiddiquee500]

Really appreciate you..How to move from Sccm administration to cybersecurity.. please help

[@JoshMadakor]

I'll leave the same comment here as the other video lol. Sorry for copy/paste. (Thanks for watching!) Try to incorporate some security functions into your SCCM duties. Such as using Configuration Baselines to remediation vulnerabilities or something like this. Also get Sec+ and maybe another security cert and start applying to security jobs :). There is more I could say, but this is a decent start!

[@cordellmitchell1997]

I’m with the Florida national guard and was wondering if I could get a it management 4 month plan? I have certifications I’m working on and really need your guidance for both bachelors.

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey! I believe some certs may satisfy some of the BS ITM classes,but I'd double check with an enrollment counselor. When you say 4 month plan, do you mean finish in 4 months? 4 months is pretty darn fast, but you could get close to that target if you brought in enough credits, had a lot of free time to focus, and really accelerated.

[@cordellmitchell1997]

@@JoshMadakor yes

[@cordellmitchell1997]

Do you have anything for me?

[@cvo7617]

Hi im following up on your response to me but yes i live in a big city in illionois and it really doesn't matter what i get my degree in I want a good job and something good with to start my job as fast as I can i also heard that you cant get into WGU with no college credits i dunno if thats True also the reason i was sorta gonna try to get a degree fast in like 6 months to possibly a year preferably 6 months i was gonna try to join the military as a officer which you can only join with a BA

[@JoshMadakor]

I gotcha! Thanks for the follow-up. I feel you for getting a degree to get apply for OCS. If you just want to go as fast as possible, I'd probably just get the BS in IT Management. After completing this, If you're still interested in IT, would probably get A+ and Security+ as these will both help your OCS application (these certs satisfy some DOD 8570 reqs, google DOD 8570 and CompTIA) and marketability in the civ world if you want to get a job during your application period. Whether or not you can get into WGU without prior credit depends on the degree! The "hard" tech degrees usually require you to get A+ or something like this prior to enrollment. I would double-check with WGU enrollment for the BS ITM, but I don't think there are any requirements--if there are, you can probably meet them by transferring in some study[.]courses. To speed up your graduation, I would probably research all the courses for the program you want and look on reddit to see how people are passing them the fastest, then go from there! Best of luck with your officer application and school. LMK if I can help with anything else!

[@cvo7617]

Hi can you help me i only have a high school diploma and i am in my 20s and down on my luck im tired of workin dead in jobs im tryna get my life together what degree would you suggest i get im just tryin to get in a career field as soon as possible like 6 months to a year if possible

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey, thanks so much for watching and commenting. It really depends I guess. Do you live in a "big city" kind of area? What do you want to do? IT? or just anything? I made a video that might be really applicable to your situation, check it out: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4urooh9n9OAppI you don't necessarily NEED a degree, but if you want to get one FAST and start working, I'd recommend getting the BS in IT Management. Take your time to search reddit and plan out all the classes, maybe even transfer a few classes in from study[.]com, and then attack the degree hard. If you want to work on the technical side of things (IT, help desk, etc), maybe consider getting A+ afterwards and then just start applying for every entry-level job you can. I recommend checking out Heath's video here--you might be able to draw some inspiration from it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/faakioWPeKmXp5Y Anyway, I hope all of this helps, I could have said more but it's getting kind of long. If you wanna respond, I'll do my best to see it but it might get buried. If you make a new comment (instead of responding to this one) it tends to show up in my notifications and I can easily notice it. I donno why KZbin is like this. Anyways, good luck!

[@adnannazir4319]

hey josh my question is kinda general question, not related to this video. Are you in the red team or the blue team, hope you reply.

[@JoshMadakor]

Hey, I'm in the boring blue side :). I'd like to go red one of these days, but I'm not quite there yet!

[@adnannazir4319]

@@JoshMadakor well I shouldn’t be asking but if you dont mind may i know if the blue side pays good?

[@walterbond5735]

Do you need to obtain the actual certs to pass the wgu classes?

[@maximusm0104]

Yes, and CCNA will be your capstone

[@daikeembell4305]

Josh Madakor i have no experience and getting comptia a+ cert can i get the IT management degree .

[@daikeembell4305]

Josh Madakor sorry the question is can i get an IT degree with a GED and Comptia Certs

[@JoshMadakor]

Yep! I have my GED too. If you get BS IT, they will probably require you to pass one of the CompTIA certs before enrolling in the program. What I did, was pass most of the certs before enrolling in the program so I could finish faster once enrolled. If you are in the military, you probably don't have to do this since they will just pay for it :)

[@daikeembell4305]

Im not in the military and im going to get my network cert as well

[@daikeembell4305]

Josh Madakor another question what were the certification you required.

[@JoshMadakor]

Before enrolling? A+, network+, security+, project+, server+, ITIL, ccent!. Then a few other crap ones after enrolling

[@jesuscalderon6268]

I’m actually interested in applying at WGU online for a computer science bachelor’s degree any tips??

[@JoshMadakor]

Actually yes! I just completed that program 6 days ago and am preparing a video on it haha. Stay tuned :p. (If you want, you can DM me on IG and I can show you the script ahead of time)

[@jesuscalderon6268]

@@JoshMadakor oh really, that’s great, I’ll probably do both lol

[@jesuscalderon6268]

@@JoshMadakor I forgot to ask how long did it took you to get the computer science degree on WGU online? I want that degree to get a career at Apple

[@may-rg7yk]

HI can you make a video on which degree in Tech is the most versatile if you want to explore different careers in Tech ?

[@JoshMadakor]

Sure, I'll add this to my list of video topics!

[@zeuscybersec659]

please make a video on MSc and is masters degree important for managerial or higher roles in cybersecurity. by the way i will be going for OSCP soon and i hope we can doa cybertalk on my channel🙂⚡

[@JoshMadakor]

I will make this video next :), I've been moving so I haven't had much time, but I should be able to make one before the end of the week!

[@Jomiline]

Is somebody watching you and what you look like on a webcam during the exams?

[@JoshMadakor]

Yep! You have to clear your desk and point the webcam at yourself, your screen, and your keyboard, and you can't use headphones. It's kind of annoying tbh D:

[@homiedclown1885]

What happened Josh? Hope you're cool?

[@JoshMadakor]

I'm good! Just taking a break. I got so tired :>. Thanks for checking in!

[@yourfellowhumanbeing2323]

@@JoshMadakor Stay safe mate

[@jhnsb]

Is it just me or does he talk like he’s about to bust out laughing?

[@JoshMadakor]

It's because I always bust out laughing IRL, gotta edit it out hahaha

[@jhnsb]

Lol well you make great videos regardless! Keep it up 👍

[@hamzaessebaa1123]

Hi Josh , I did text you on instagram , I really appreciate if you answer. Thanks :)

[@JoshMadakor]

Sure thing!

[@hamzaessebaa1123]

@@JoshMadakor Thanks man , 🙏🏻