[Realedazed]

Hi! I've been a (lurking) member of the MUDding community for about 15+ years under various names (I'm also realedazed/ezbreezy on the other MUD forums.), I don't really like that name anymore :/) so I thought it was Ok to post. I'll delete if you like.

Anyway, I'm trying to get into a school called Western Governor's University. I chose WGU because you pay a flat fee ($3500) and you can earn as many credits as you like. Basically you can take 6-9 credits at a time and as you successfully pass classes, they allow you to move on the the the next. Each class ends with a proctored test or a tech cert. It's completely self paced, so if you have the time and/or previous knowledge, you could could earn several tech certifications during that 6 month period and it's all included in that one price.

WGU is very selective. They only accept you if you have 2 years work experience, a certification that is in the program you will be taking or have studied high level tech courses. I have no prior work experience other than help desk. I've taken a bunch of self study courses (Android Programming on Coursera), but that's not what they are looking for. So, I'd like get the CIW Web Foundations since I've started web programming and I think I have at least half of the required knowledge. Anyway, I can't afford the practice tests or the voucher.



TL;DR: I started a GoFundMe to help me fund a tech cert. Do you guys have any advice (free, cheaper practice tests, study guides, etc) to offer or would you like to help spread the word of my fundraising campaign?

Thanks!!

[Newworlds]

First off. Congrats on your choice, sounds like a really good plan.

I'm not sure who reviews what work experience/tech courses you have, but I know from many years of interviewing people and evaluating while producing projects that most of these orgs only need it to look good on paper. You say that you have no work experience. Make sure that you are including Non-Pay work. Donated time or non paid time (internships, church, school, etc) are just as valid as paid positions. For example: In Film/TV productions, I have numerous college students and interns who get real work experience even though they are not paid on the set or in the studio. Some of the support staff, guides, and creators on NWA are not paid and still can use their hours of work on a resume.

Both of these types of work are fully supported by me in interviews or reference calls. Some of these people have gotten jobs or at least interviews for jobs from this type of inclusion in their resumes.

Do NOT sell yourself short to these folks. Have someone help you with your application and what to put on it and help you in how you word your experience/courses. It is all in the writing. Trust me.

Good Luck!

[Realedazed]

Thanks, Newwords

I don't have any non-paid stuff either. Other than my tech support, I'm just a newbie. I've been learning from TeamTreeHouse.com (I got a free account from my library. The site is awesome - think codeacademy, but with more videos and a lot more interactively between the staff/instructors.)

I'm trying to come up with projects to do on my own. I'm also going to a bunch of meetups to meet other people in the industry. I met a ruby recruiter that I'm trying to become good friends with lol.

[Newworlds]

Seems like you are going in the right direction. With your plan of action, possitive attitude and aggressive demeanor you will succeed. Just don't let a few roadblocks stop you and don't let negativity from others or rejections set you back.

Good Luck!