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Looking for some advice. My younger brother will be transferring to Las Vegas within this year. He spent 6 years in the Philippines studying computer engineering before switching over to computer science and now he wants to finish his studies in the US (he's not very impressed with the university he is currently attending).
He saw a bootcamp at Nucamp (link here) that he was interested in since it will give him a fast route to an entry-level job. Problem is....the bootcamp will take 11 months. He will be transferring his college credits in the Philippines to WGU. WGU's degree programs are designed to let you take as many classes as you want in a single term. He has no idea how many college credits will transfer over or how many classes he can finish in one term. One term is 6 months long.
The bootcamp costs $4,268. WGU costs $3,625 for one term.
So there's a risk. He'll be paying more money at WGU if he can't finish in 1 term. The advice students gave at WGU was to focus on WGU because he'll get his degree faster (if he starts taking his college classes right away) and the classes at WGU might be similar to the bootcamp, plus the resources WGU offers might cost less.
I have no experience with how employers hiring for IT jobs hire. Not sure if they prefer certifications over degrees or if they like hiring people who took bootcamps. The question my brother has is: should he focus on the bootcamp, get the certifications offered by the bootcamp, and fast track to a job? or should he go the college route and go straight to a degree (which also comes with certifications but it might take longer to get a job)?
Looking for some advice. My younger brother will be transferring to Las Vegas within this year. He spent 6 years in the Philippines studying computer engineering before switching over to computer science and now he wants to finish his studies in the US (he's not very impressed with the university he is currently attending).
He saw a bootcamp at Nucamp (link here) that he was interested in since it will give him a fast route to an entry-level job. Problem is....the bootcamp will take 11 months. He will be transferring his college credits in the Philippines to WGU. WGU's degree programs are designed to let you take as many classes as you want in a single term. He has no idea how many college credits will transfer over or how many classes he can finish in one term. One term is 6 months long.
The bootcamp costs $4,268. WGU costs $3,625 for one term.
So there's a risk. He'll be paying more money at WGU if he can't finish in 1 term. The advice students gave at WGU was to focus on WGU because he'll get his degree faster (if he starts taking his college classes right away) and the classes at WGU might be similar to the bootcamp, plus the resources WGU offers might cost less.
I have no experience with how employers hiring for IT jobs hire. Not sure if they prefer certifications over degrees or if they like hiring people who took bootcamps. The question my brother has is: should he focus on the bootcamp, get the certifications offered by the bootcamp, and fast track to a job? or should he go the college route and go straight to a degree (which also comes with certifications but it might take longer to get a job)?
My advice, get a computer science degree from a real public university, or switch careers. If your brother has been studying computer science for 6 years he does not sound like someone who can master these subjects on his own, which is what both of your choices would require.
Here's a discussion of NUCAMP boot camp on reddit.
The consensus is that the Nucamp program is a single four hour boring on line lecture on Saturday morning and the rest is up to the student to learn on their own, with help from Udemy, Youtube, etc. There's no feedback for the sudents assignments and a limited number of actual coding projects.
Here's some very negative reviews of the WGU Computer Science degree.
The consensus is that all the learning is self taught, no actual instruction. Only good if you already have the knowledge and just need a diploma to apply for work.
My advice, get a computer science degree from a real public university, or switch careers. If your brother has been studying computer science for 6 years he does not sound like someone who can master these subjects on his own, which is what both of your choices would require.
As someone who graduated from WGU, I (as well as over 200,000 people) can attest to WGU being an accredited online university which is also supported by many top companies in the country. Can you explain why WGU is not a "real public university"? Technically, it's a private university so I'll agree....it's not a public university. Some people like online degree programs while others prefer in the classroom face-to-face. So I guess it depends on your personal preference and what makes you succeed. I mean....my brother can go to whatever university he wants but I would put WGU at the top of the list for universities where you can get your degree at a much quicker pace.
Quote:
Here's a discussion of NUCAMP boot camp on reddit.
The consensus is that the Nucamp program is a single four hour boring on line lecture on Saturday morning and the rest is up to the student to learn on their own, with help from Udemy, Youtube, etc. There's no feedback for the sudents assignments and a limited number of actual coding projects.
Thanks! Will check it out.
Quote:
Here's some very negative reviews of the WGU Computer Science degree.
The consensus is that all the learning is self taught, no actual instruction. Only good if you already have the knowledge and just need a diploma to apply for work.
6 reviews..... come on man... If it had maybe 60 reviews, I would take that review page seriously. But if you're going to judge WGU's computer science degree based on 6 reviews, you gotta be kidding me.
It sounds like you already made up your mind, so good luck to your brother at WGU. I have nothing against online universities. I do know very few people have the ability to be software programmers, or to learn on their own unless they are in love with it. Maybe your brother's 6 years of computer science courses will give him the background needed to complete the WGU degree and land a job as a junior developer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by compwiz02
As someone who graduated from WGU, I (as well as over 200,000 people) can attest to WGU being an accredited online university which is also supported by many top companies in the country. Can you explain why WGU is not a "real public university"? Technically, it's a private university so I'll agree....it's not a public university. Some people like online degree programs while others prefer in the classroom face-to-face. So I guess it depends on your personal preference and what makes you succeed. I mean....my brother can go to whatever university he wants but I would put WGU at the top of the list for universities where you can get your degree at a much quicker pace.
Thanks! Will check it out.
6 reviews..... come on man... If it had maybe 60 reviews, I would take that review page seriously. But if you're going to judge WGU's computer science degree based on 6 reviews, you gotta be kidding me.
It sounds like you already made up your mind, so good luck to your brother at WGU. I have nothing against online universities. I do know very few people have the ability to be software programmers, or to learn on their own unless they are in love with it. Maybe your brother's 6 years of computer science courses will give him the background needed to complete the WGU degree and land a job as a junior developer.
We're at the "lets ask people with experience in IT to see what they would recommend" phase. He studied in the Philippines and he is struggling due to bad professors, a bad system, classes not being available, and other things so he wants to transfer to the US to be in a better environment where he can do better. Will WGU be good for him? I have no idea. I recommended it because I liked WGU but that's my experience. Not sure if my brother will like it. He compared WGU against Purdue, SNHU, and Capella. He's taken online classes before. Learning on his own....only time will tell if that's a learning style he will do well in.
I mean....time's are changing. We're getting into the era where online classes are getting more and more popular and what was once thought of as a laughable idea of studying and working online is now something people are taking more and more seriously. Companies are innovating and making the impossible become a reality.
But like I said, he's confused on whether to take classes at an online bootcamp or start his degree classes or do both. At the moment, we're thinking of doing both the bootcamp and taking some classes from straighterline and study.com that will transfer over to WGU so he can start knocking some classes out in his degree program.
Sorry, didn't want to sound too defensive. A lot of people are still closed-minded about online universities and think local brick-and-mortar universities are best way. Nothing wrong with brick-and-mortar universities except for how much they cost.
We're at the "lets ask people with experience in IT to see what they would recommend" phase. He studied in the Philippines and he is struggling due to bad professors, a bad system, classes not being available, and other things so he wants to transfer to the US to be in a better environment where he can do better. Will WGU be good for him? I have no idea. I recommended it because I liked WGU but that's my experience. Not sure if my brother will like it. He compared WGU against Purdue, SNHU, and Capella. He's taken online classes before. Learning on his own....only time will tell if that's a learning style he will do well in.
First, I suggest you post your inquiry in the Education forum; I suspect you'll get more useful feedback there.
As a retired hiring manager, I'd prefer an applicant from Purdue (of the three schools you mention). I'd consider the WGU alum but only with a track record. I see SNHU advertised on television sometimes, and that is a negative for me.
While you're right that times are changing and online universities are gaining traction, currently & for the coming decade I would advise my own child to go the traditional route of a recognized public university or recognized traditional private university known for its engineering, comp-sci and IT programs.
Admittedly, I've never run across a WGU alum, so I have no first-hand knowledge. WGU might easily be mistaken for a for-profit university, also known as a diploma mill, which has a negative connotation. I see from Wikipedia that WGU is actually a non-profit online university, that so that is a plus in the education space. But as a hiring manager, would I bother to go to wikipedia to see that? Or just assume it isn't good and go on to the next resume?
You asked about degrees vs. certificates vs. bootcamps and how they are perceived by hiring managers. A degree from a reliable university is preferred. By "reliable", I mean one where we've had success with applicants in the past several years, or one where by reputation we know the program will produce good candidates. But this is a very generic answer and the real question is about your brother's career interest.
Which of the 9 WGU focus areas is your brother interested in pursuing?
Computer Science
Cybersecurity and Information Assurance
Data Management/Data Analytics
Network Operations & Security
IT Management
Software Development
Cloud Computing
Information Technology
Health Information Management
But it begs the question, why did your brother switch from an engineering focus to a comp sci & IT focus?
I have a bias for true engineering programs rather than IT programs. They are different career paths, of course. The engineering focus can lead to a career where you design, sell or support the products and tools that are used by IT people to help manage the information infrastructure of a corporation. I think the engineering focus would provide more flexibility to entry level positions.
But again, I suggest you post your question in the Education forum to get some more useful responses.
Last edited by moguldreamer; 01-18-2022 at 08:02 AM..
I've been working on software development for many years. Largely, nobody cares about degrees or certs that much anymore. Having a degree from a top tier school (Stanford, MIT, etc.) will definitely open doors and get interviews. A degree from WGU is not likely to be worth mostly anything.
Right now, software development interviews are heavily weighted on data structure and algorithm questions. There are so many resources online to learn an entire computer science curriculum. Some people do learn better in person, but honestly, if a person has difficulty self learning, this is probably not the career for them. This career is literally built around the need for constant effective self study.
He should be working leetcode problems and learning whatever topics he needs to effectively solve them. He should be building some sort of portfolio of personal projects on github. He should eventually try to contribute to open source projects. Those are the things that will actually get him a job.
It's fairly difficult to get an entry level software development job. Most truly entry level developers are quite frankly a drag on their team and companies need to be willing to make an investment in them. There are of course exceptions to this. Much easier for companies to spend a few bucks hiring senior developers who are multiple times more productive than an entry level developer.
To me these online universities seem more like a way to buy a diploma to me.
I tend to agree. I have no knowledge of how the IT degrees works but online Nursing is hit or miss. The practical application for the online degrees is kind of missing. While learning the student is expected to find their own internship or other learning enthronement, which may or may not work out. Some degrees need a more structured learning with scheduled. graded learning experiences while in school. A lot of the on line degree programs fail woefully at providing that part.
What is his end goal? Most people are self-taught, naturals. You can get in with certs but you'll need a degree to give you an edge if you want to move way up.
WGU is accredited by NWCCU so its legit. Classes are self-paced, but your exams are proctored. He can even take classes on Straighterline, and transfer credits to WGU or any partner college. Coursera has coding practice and Dev point labs has a free online intro to coding workshop. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-intr...aff=erelexpmlt or practice on Codeacademy site.
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