The first time software engineer Joseph Cole heard about Western Governors University, the idea of going back to school was the farthest thing from his mind.
“Honestly, a degree wasn’t even in my vocabulary,” he said. Rather than a degree, he’d earned IT certifications instead, including two from CompTIA, which served him well over the years.
But the news that he could complete an online bachelor’s degree in information technology — without neglecting his job, traveling to campus, attending scheduled classes or going into debt — had him hooked.
Now he’s just a few months away from earning his degree, and he’s been able to maintain his volunteer work with his church and even travel to visit his girlfriend four hours away. With WGU’s online platform, he can just bring school with him.
And if he was enrolling today, Cole would be the perfect candidate for a new WGU scholarship for CompTIA certification holders.
CompTIA Certs Transfer to a College Degree
Cole, a southern Indiana resident, grew up with parents and grandparents who had not attended college. Education beyond high school wasn’t part of his game plan. Working in information technology, Cole figured he could advance his career by accumulating industry certifications instead.
“I started just grabbing the certifications in my area that I felt were going to help me,” he said.
Then he heard a radio ad for WGU Indiana, his state’s partnership with the national Western Governors University. In his research, he discovered something that struck his interest: Many of the certifications he had earned — including his two CompTIA certifications — would transfer into his B.S. in information technology degree program at WGU, letting him waive course requirements and move more quickly toward graduation.
WGU is a competency-based university, meaning students study independently, with individualized faculty support, and advance through coursework as soon as they are able to prove what they have learned. As a result, students move quickly through material they already know so they can focus on what they still need to learn. This allows many students to accelerate, and with WGU’s flat-rate tuition of about $3,000 per six-month term regardless of how many courses are completed, acceleration can also save money.
WGU recognizes industry certifications as an important component in the development of a well-rounded, highly educated IT professional poised to thrive in a competitive job market. As part of their degree programs, students working toward degrees from WGU’s College of Information Technology also earn a number of highly respected industry certifications, at no additional cost, including seven CompTIA certifications. Incoming students who already hold industry certifications may have some of their course requirements toward a bachelor’s degree waived. The list of transferable certifications includes nine from CompTIA.
For Cole, who is on track to graduate this summer, that meant being able to finish up school with more certifications and no debt. “I had flexibility,” he said. “That’s ideal for someone working full time.”
The self-guided study and 24/7 access to course material has meant that he could study whenever he had the time or the mood struck. “It could be four in the morning — it’s completely up to me,” he said.
WGU’s unique faculty mentor model includes a personal advocate who helped him stay on track and make the most of his time.
“My mentor has been a really good strategist,” he said. “She’s helped me think about [things like], ‘Some courses are harder, so this term let’s just plan on 12 competency units.’” Competency units are WGU’s equivalent of the credit hour.
And what’s more, the curriculum matched perfectly with what he was doing at work, first as a systems analyst, and then during his transition to software engineer. While his first reason for seeking his bachelor’s degree was the improved pay and career opportunities, he’s now more interested in what WGU’s curriculum can teach him.
“My goal is to, yes, advance in my career, but it’s also to be a little bit more well-rounded in my knowledge,” he said. “Because I’m in development, it’s like I’m a lawyer or a doctor. I have to constantly learn about what’s new. The things I learned two years ago are dinosaurs now.”
Doug Smeath is social media manager at Western Governors University.
