Simply put, WGU gives opportunities where they otherwise don't exist.
I work in IT full time and I'm happily married with 6 kids. I would not trade my family for anything. However, it proved to be a factor that traditional universities would not work with me on. The schedules at traditional universities for IT related degree programs are intensive and in my location required me to decide exclusively between working my day job or going to school full time. This was not a decision I was going to make; I wanted both!
A good friend of mine had another friend, a working mother, that had successfully gone through a WGU degree program. He knew about my dilemma and recommended that I speak with his friend about her experience; so I did! Shortly afterward I took her recommendation and I started at WGU!
I studied in WGU's College of IT working through their Bachelor of Science Software Development degree program. It took me 4 years to complete my degree program. I worked my day job full time, I spent some time with my family on the weekends, and I spent what seemed like endless hours every weekday night and most weekends studying. It was like holding a second job. However, I had the opportunity to work full time and provide for my family while working toward my degree. It was hard, but this was a true gift because it was not an accommodation that other universities would afford me.
During my time studying at WGU, I worked through many courses with many different instructors. WGU's structure is very well designed for those that have a full life that requires flexibility, such as mine. They allow their students to study whenever, but still require them to be dedicated to their academic pursuits putting in the time and effort. They assign each student a mentor that stays with him/her throughout their degree program. Additionally, with each class a student is assigned a course instructor. The combination of the two, program mentor and course instructor, make of an invaluable duo that gave me as a student the guidance and motivation that I needed to keep focused and complete my degree. I personally am deeply grateful to my degree program mentor. He spent many hours with me working toward my success. The course instructors helped in targeted areas for specific classes by guiding me in my course work so that I could be successful in my various studies and project work. A wonderful system.
Would I recommend WGU to someone? Yes, for sure! It's not easy though. It takes time and dedication, but they have a great system, especially for those who cannot attend a traditional university. The money, time, and work are well worth the experiences and the degree that I've received from WGU.
Thank you, WGU!
