Passed C960 Discrete Math II

       Took 13 days on C960 and I think it can be shorter with some better strategy. There are 6 chapters in the course, and the most challenging part for me is the pseudocode questions. 

       Ch1: Algorithms, Ch2: Number Theory and Cryptography, Ch3: Recursion and Induction, Ch4: Counting, Ch5: Probability, Ch6: Modeling Computation

     Zybook is still a good source and I used Ch1, 2, and 6. The pre-assessment and the OA are aligned and slightly easier than the Zybook and the exercise questions you can find. You can find tons of resources for learning these topics on Youtube so just learn what you need to know by the pre-assessment questions. 

      If I could start over, I would go for the pre-assessment right away, and I would know to focus on Ch1 and 2 for me and learn Ch6 at a much faster pace.

      

Passed C836 Fundamentals of Information Security

     I passed C836 in 1 day, while my C172 was transferred and I hold a Google IT support certificate with one security course included. The assessment is theoretical and the terminology is the key part of passing the exam. 

     I watched the webinars in the "course tips" column which include 12 videos with 2 hours of total length. These videos are extremely boring and just putting the words on the Powerpoint, but included most important concepts. Took some notes during the videos, and my pre-assessment score was 1 question away from passing.

    The flashcards recommended might be also helpful but I didn't use it because I found the contents are quite the same as those webinars. After all, with the CIA triad and memorizing some names of acts, you are almost there.

       Flashcards: https://quizlet.com/408767074/c836-wgu-complete-flash-cards/

Passed C949 Data Structures and Algorithms I

    Data structure and algorithms are undoubtedly the most important part of learning computer science. I like the material provided and I chose and I don't like the design of the assessments.

    The Zybook contains two major parts, one is teaching some core concepts of coding by introducing python, and another is the academic part of different data structures and algorithms. They are both important and you will have to learn them sometime somewhere after all. Zybook is not a bad choice and they are detailed enough. I also used Pluralsight videos (Data Structures and Algorithms Part I & II) as my main learning materials.

    The assessments are aligned with each other and not aligned with the book. I had a call with a CI and got some study tips including 2 mistakes in the pre-assessment questions. I think the pseudocode and Java multiple-choice questions are not efficient for our learning and test our ability in computer science, but in WGU just shut up and deal with it for a couple of hours and you'll be fine. The algorithms part is more reasonable, the Zybook and Pluralsight should cover all the things you need to know. 

   I spent 11 days on this course. These are knowledge that we will learn and review by ourselves throughout the career, so don't bother with it just figure out how to pass will be a smarter choice.

Passed C867 Scripting and Programming - Applications

         I happen to see many posts about this course. Maybe it is the normal pattern that many students start in August and about to take this course as our third or fourth course. It took me 16 days to pass and it is unnecessary if you want to save more time. 

        I watched the Linkedin Learning videos on some introduction to C++ and started the project after I finished one course on Linkedin. My mentor told me that C867 was a "big" project and people spend 8 weeks on it in average, which made me overestimate the difficulty before I started. Don't be afraid of coding and it's not that hard after all.

       Watch the youtube video about the project, and learning by doing would be a more efficient way to learn if you want to be fast.  I may probably be more familiar with C++ after I watched the Linkedin video, but I could pass C867 faster and learn it in my free time in the future, too! It's up to you. 

      My next course plan is C836, C949, and C482.

Passed C959 Discrete Mathematics I

      I have to praise the design of this course. I have attended 2 similar discrete math courses before: one in high school which was a kind of extended math class talked about proof, sets and matrix, and an introductory graduate-level course from a brick and mortar university. WGU C959 is way better than any course I attended. It was quite difficult for those who don't have the experience of math, but you will know everything you have to know about this subject, and the assessment is basic but not easy.

     I took the pre-assessment at the beginning with a score of 60, which was shocked me for I thought it should be a walk-through for me. I then talked to the CI and set a plan of reviewing/studying. I might be too careful, but I spent 12 days on this course and just passed the assessment. 

    Zybook is a good tool for quick reviewing. Zybook breaks the proof and procedures into very small pieces so you can watch carefully. I read through the Zybook and practiced the pre-ass again before taking the exam. If the content is new to you, I believe that you should choose a set of teaching videos on Youtube or whatsoever, and don't be rush on this course. I spent 12 weeks for discrete math course at college and we should not contempt this WGU course. In my opinion, spending 6-8 weeks for C959 is acceptable for an absolute beginner. 

Passed C173 Scripting and Programming Foundations

         This course is very easy for anyone with any kind of coding experience. I took the pre-assessment, review some definitions of terms, booked the exam 30 mins later, and passed.

         The algorithm in this course is pseudocode, therefore, there's no need of learning any new language, just use some logic you will know what the questions ask for. 

        The last chapter may be the "hardest", it asks the definition questions like what is complied language, markup language, interpreted language, etc. If you have no experience, use the pre-assessment questions to help you review, you will be fine.

How I passed WGU C779 Web Development Fundamentals

 

    This is considered an easy course for many students so my mentor assigned it as my first course. My mentor talked about this course on our first call and said that it should not take me too long since I have some experience with that. It turns out that I spend 7 days to study this course. It was a little bit slower than what I expected but I worked on another project (using WordPress) and that took some time.

    My background: Some self-taught WordPress experience and studied half of the Udemy course on web development.

    "A pass is a pass" is often said in WGU and that's the key to this course, too. This course is not asking you to make beautiful HTML and CSS pages. On the other hand, more than half of the course is not even about coding. 

    I took the pre-assessment on the first day with a score of 50%. I watched the Traversy's videos as many students recommend, and watch the first webinar of WGU. Tracersy's course covers most coding questions of the exam, and WGU's webinar contains materials like which law you should follow to serve people with disabilities, ethics in developing, etc. The flashcard in the study tips covers most terminology you may be asked. 

Traversy Media's HTML video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB1O30fR-EE

Traversy Media's CSS video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfoY53QXEnI&t=1s

   I passed the assessment around 80% on the first attempt. The pre-assessment is aligned with it. Don't overlook the terminology questions.

   Last, if you stuck on learning HTML or it is just totally new to you, the textbook is still a good choice especially the exercise questions. My mentor told me that the average passing time of this course is 8 weeks, so don't be panic if you think you are slowing down.

WGU computer science program application

   I applied to WGU in June and starts the program on August 1. The application was smooth as there are many resources on Reddit, sharing experience and comparison of different programs to choose from. In WGU, there are programs in computer science, software development, analytics, and cyber security, they might be similar at some courses and you can choose the best fit for you.
    There are 34 course in the CS program, and I transferred 18 of them:
     C958 & Prerequisite Calculus I
     C455 English Composition I
     C464 Intro to Communication
     C768 Technical Communication
     C955 Applied Probability and Statistics
     C100 Intro to Humanities
     C961 Ethics in Tech
     C165 Integrated Physical Science
     C683 Natural Science Lab
     C255 Intro to Geography
     C963 US Constitution
     C182 Intro to IT
     C172 Network and Security Foundations
     C175 Data Management Foundations
     C846 Business of IT Applications
     C176 Business of IT Project Management
     C170 Data Management Applications
     C993 Structured Query Language

And here is the course order that I plan to execute, which is mostly referenced from Lynda from the WGU CS subreddit:

1. C779 web dev foundation
2. C173 script foundation
3. C959 discrete 1
4. C949 data structure 1
5. C867 script application = C++
6. C482 software 1 = java
7. C195 software 2 
8. C960 discrete 2
9. C836 information security
10. C952 computer architecture
11. C191 operating systems
12. C188 software engineering
13. C857 software quality assurance
14. C950 data structure 2
15. C951 intro to AI
16. C964 Capstone

   For the courses transferred, most of them are from my IT management degree, and three of them were finished in May:
    Calculus from Straighterline, costed $118 in total (included one month subscription and one course, there are lots of  different kinds of coupons for each of them but you can only use the best one for each so try to refresh, change an IP or a browser, or look for them on the Internet). The calculus is also the prerequisite to enroll the program so you have to take the course after all.
    Two SQL classes from Study.com (CS204 and CS303). These courses counted for C993 SQL and C170 Data Management Applications. The one month subscription costed me $199 and I didn't use a coupon on that (some people say that you can ask for a referral code from current students but I didn't know that).

    These are the list of transferable courses from Study.com and Straighterline. Some people take more courses from these companies but I think WGU will have more learning resources for me so I only finished the required and highly recommended courses. Double check with those companies and WGU before you take any class you plan to transfer.
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.aspx?aid=19142&pid=86
https://partners.wgu.edu/Pages/Single.aspx?aid=15753&pid=86

Welcome to my blog and my journal of becoming a programmer

  Welcome to this blog. I would like to share some of my progress in how I fulfill my computer science knowledge and skills and find a job.
  Here are some of my background:
  Work: some entry-level experience in healthcare, had a business in telemedicine with friends, during that time I learned some coding skills but I didn't plan to be a developer at that time.
  Education: An incomplete degree of medicine and a BS degree in IT management. The IT part of the program is about databases with several SQL courses. I also have a Google Certificate in IT Support.
  I live in San Francisco, CA so I do have friends working in the tech industry from high school alumni and meetups around the Bay Area. They are from all backgrounds: Some have a degree from Stanford, some get masters from UC Berkeley, and some just ran into a boot camp.
  I got admitted from the Northeastern University SF campus MSCS align program in Jan 2020. This is a program designed for non-tech bachelors to transform their careers. I finished one semester, including courses such as "Intensive CS" and "Discrete mathematics and data structure". I decided to stop this program because of COVID-19: After the midterm of my first semester, all courses became online and this condition continued to the next two semesters. I found Zoom University was not for me and I want to save money for my CS education (the tuition of NEU is $1571 per credit and there are 44 credits in total). I conduct a CS self-study plan and hope to have the same or better effect than going to grad school.
  The main tool I will use now is the BS in CS program of WGU. As a WGU student, I have Linkedin Learning and Pluralsight access, too. I also collected some famous courses on Udemy, Coursera, and Edx in case I need to learn deeper skills for the technical interview (review algorithms, etc). Besides the regular CS learning path, I am also interested in blockchain so I will try to learn that if I have time.