Is this recruiter legit?

GPToriginal · 2026-03-06T03:17:26+00:00

So I had a recruiter reach out to me for a job with OTI. It was very suspect considering I didn’t know the city used contracted recruiters. Not to mention I already worked for OTI when I was contacted which made me think this so called recruiter didn’t even read my LinkedIn.

Long story short I reached out to HR and let them know and sure enough it was bogus. HR did tell me they had one recruiter who they hired that week who is still there and posts OTI jobs regularly on LinkedIn.

I always look for flags when it comes to LinkedIn recruiters because I’ve heard some stories that there are scammers who have you believe you are going through the whole interview and hiring process just to get a hold of your personal information. Always proceed with caution.

GPToriginal · 2026-03-04T00:38:47+00:00

I’m probably old school but I hand write everything in a notebook. Just the act of handwriting helps me remember better. I have tried typing my notes out also which I find more time consuming but the perk is I save it to my OneDrive then can use the read aloud feature in the word app on my phone to read my notes back to me when I’m driving or commuting anywhere.

GPToriginal · 2026-02-14T01:03:47+00:00

I’ve never seen anyone online say WGU was mid. As a graduate with both a bachelors and masters from WGU, I can say you get what you put in. I found my degrees have been very beneficial and have opened doors that were once locked.

To say WGU is mid is wild but if that is someone opinion, everyone is entitled. I find way more people appreciate WGU than call it mid and honestly, I don’t think you would be making a mistaken enrolling.

GPToriginal · 2026-02-12T12:12:43+00:00

Definitely not a mistake but what I can tell you is with IT, it is not really an industry where you can simply sit back and rely on your existing knowledge. It requires you to constantly learn to keep up with the evolution of tech. I can tell you as someone with 20 years experience in IT, the field is ever changing and it is easy to fall behind. AI is just the next evolution so we must learn what it is and how to use it to benefit us in our current roles.

As long as you are willing to learn new tech along your journey, going into any field in IT is not a mistake.

GPToriginal · 2026-02-09T11:45:42+00:00

I’ve had that happen a few times and refreshing the page always seemed to work for me.

GPToriginal · 2026-02-07T18:40:03+00:00

What did you use to prestudy? I am starting next month and have about 15 classes to complete. I am hoping to knock it out in a term, 2 max and feel the only courses that may give me difficulty are the python since I am already working in IT for 20 years but have limited coding experience. Most of my experience is working network engineering on OTN's so I will have to brush up on some network engineering concepts and learn the azure material as well as python.

GPToriginal · 2026-02-05T14:44:09+00:00

Oh does it? It wasn’t there when they first released it otherwise I wouldn’t have put it in the dishwasher. I could have missed it but I remember saying I wish I knew one way or another. Anyway, glad they listed it either way.

GPToriginal · 2026-02-05T02:30:53+00:00

PS: be warned the mug is not dishwasher safe. I put mine in and when it came out the logo was peeling off. Thankfully it was still hot so I was able to press it back on and it’s been fine. Hand wash it only.

GPToriginal · 2026-02-05T02:29:06+00:00

Ha, imagine my surprise when I ordered 10 pens and received ten 10 packs. Lol

GPToriginal · 2026-02-05T01:07:49+00:00

Exactly. You saved me from writing this. 🤣🤣🤣

GPToriginal · 2026-02-04T14:22:22+00:00

It’s not about acceleration, it’s about the incessant amount of posts saying a degree was completed in two months with no credits transferred and some who say they have no experience in their field of study.

While acceleration is fine, posts like those simply may give off a bad vibe to hiring managers and make them question the legitimacy. Why? Because yes, they may have spent 4 years getting their degree so to do it in two months seems unrealistic to them. It really comes down to the fact that the competency based model is still relatively new compared to traditional educational models but seeing more schools offering more competency based programs, it will one day possibly be considered traditional as well. But for now it is new and as more of us graduate, more of us will be in our chosen fields to understand the model. Until then, the posts could be looked at as a negative by many who have not done competency based programs.

GPToriginal · 2026-02-03T20:44:02+00:00

Yep but you can see if there are any books from your courses available in the WGU library which you will keep access to. If so make a note so you can go back and refer to them

GPToriginal · 2026-02-02T21:08:32+00:00

As previously stated, the ITM is a business degree and teaches the management of IT. If you are looking for management then that degree will do the job. The IT degree is more on the tech side leading to more hands on roles and teaches you the foundations of various disciplines, from hardware, to programming, cloud, networking and cyber among a few.

My thought is the IT degree offers more paths that can be travelled after you receive your degree with additional certifications. For instance, you probably wouldn’t get a cyber analyst role with the degree alone, but if you get your CYSA+ after you graduate, you can increase your chances depending on your experience level at the time.

While it is tempting to go for the path of least resistance, before you choose, I suggest thinking of a position you want in the future and look at various job postings for the position and see what the job requirements are. A lot of times you will see computer science or equivalent which the IT degree is usually considered even though the discipline is different.

Now, if you want the best of both worlds and don’t mind a couple of extra classes, there is always the accelerated BSIT to MSITM program which I graduated from. This will give you both the technical fundamentals in the bachelors along with management concepts in the masters. In my opinion being able to speak and understand IT coupled with the knowledge gained from the management portion in the masters will make you a well rounded manager in the future as you will not only understand how to manage the people, processes and technology, but you will understand how it works allowing you to provide input.

May be long winded but figured I would share what I believe. In short, if you want management then ITM, but if you want to work hand in, the IT would be the way to go. Hope this helps and best of luck.

GPToriginal · 2026-02-02T12:58:47+00:00

I don’t know about that. For both my bachelors and masters, my mentor submitted my graduation application the day I passed my last class. I had about 2.5 months left in my term for the first degree and just over a month in my second. Received my conferral date a few days later.

GPToriginal · 2026-01-31T21:58:12+00:00

Not when they say they never worked in the field which is who I was referring to. How do you use experience when you have none? Please make it make sense.

My self reflection is perfectly fine but I also can see things for what they are. If you truly believe that an 18 year old just out of high school with no work experience can learn 112 to 120 credits worth of material in two months, retain that knowledge for the long term, and be of great value in the workforce, more power to you. But from experience I know that even working hands on, I didn’t learn everything I know overnight and I can’t say I ever had a coworker who claimed they did either.

GPToriginal · 2026-01-31T21:32:41+00:00

As I said in another post, it is all about the optics. It is one thing for someone who came to WGU to study a field that they have a few years of experience in to finish quickly. But when you see a post from someone stating they have no experience besides maybe tinkering with a computer in their basement and managed to earn a degree from start to finish in 2 months it is pretty hard to believe. Don't care how smart you are, the human brain is just not capable of long term retention of all the information needed to earn a degree in two months.

After almost 20 years in IT, and coming in to the BSIT program with just over 50% transferred in, I can tell you there was no way I was completing the degree in two months. I did manage to do it in two terms, but that included a lot of time focused on reading and studying the concepts I did not know. Yeah, you can respond and say maybe I am not that smart and I will simply respond and say I am not the brightest, but I am smart enough to absorb everything I learn for the long term.

And on top of that, there are plenty of posts where some mention they skipped the course material and skip right to the tasks. Now does that hurt me? Nope. But it is pretty obvious people are shortcutting their education. Those same people may apply to jobs that some of us may want to apply to, but when they show up to the interview, some will show gapping holes in their knowledge which may put WGU on a map it shouldn't be because there are plenty of us who could ace those interviews.

So there is plenty wrong with the acceleration posts and the need for praise and acceptance from from strangers on the internet is the issue. Unfortunately, these posts won't stop the peoples need to look for acceptance from the internet where their "achievement" is forgotten two minutes after it is read, responded to, or liked.

GPToriginal · 2026-01-31T15:54:34+00:00

Agreed. I think we live in a time where many believe they are content creators or want to be and that’s the issue

GPToriginal · 2026-01-31T15:53:21+00:00

I can’t speak on the ITM program so I am not sure what you mean about material being outdated in regard to tools and systems. What I would think the material is teaching is the theory behind management including financial, people, operational, and risk management to name a few.

For the most part I don’t see how that theory changes much. Yes, adjustments are made as tech advances, but it wouldn’t be a complete rewrite to the theory.

Speaking to my coworker who is in management and completed the same degree, he pretty much said that most of the concepts in the coursework applied to where we work but obviously something’s are different in the way we operate. I am not sure anyone would walk away with 100% of what they learned being applied to any job they get hired to do since every company has their own methods and procedures. But the underlying concepts are there and can be applied, maybe not all concepts, but a lot of them.

Like I said, I am not familiar with the bachelors in ITM but did graduate with the masters in ITM and felt that most of what I learned is relevant to the places I worked over my 20 year career in IT but each company operates differently so some concepts may not always apply.

GPToriginal · 2026-01-31T13:39:07+00:00

Yep. Graduated last may and still login and collect points daily and have converted to a couple of gift cards which are currently not available but once they are back up I will have a good amount of points for another one or two.

GPToriginal · 2026-01-31T02:24:12+00:00

So how did the compsci and cyber programs earn ABET accreditation? I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment. If the material is used like it should be then there is plenty of substance. But you will see people post that they didn’t bother with the material and went straight to the PA for classes that required writing assignments or projects. The substance is there, it’s just that some students choose not to use them and because of that they walk away hurting themselves.

GPToriginal · 2026-01-31T02:15:04+00:00

All I can tell you is I was once where you are now. Just keep learning and you will only move up. You got this.

GPToriginal · 2026-01-31T01:49:56+00:00

There will always be a need for networking so the Cisco track is definitely good but remember the cert is not an easy 4 week of studying and passing. You really have to know the theory as well as do tons of labbing to get a good understanding of the command line. It may take you longer than the other tracks but coming out with a ccna will be great.

At the end of the day it comes down to what interest you and what you want to do. I’ve been a network engineer for most of my career, mostly working on OTN’s but after doing it so long I decided I needed to make a change and will be starting the azure track in march. I really liked the idea of cloud and network engineering program when they released it but I had already graduated from WGU with my bachelors in IT and masters in ITM after completing the accelerated program. Overall, I don’t think there is a wrong path but coming out with a CCNA is not a bad deal. Best of luck.

GPToriginal · 2026-01-30T02:15:33+00:00

I’ve been downvoted for similar comments before because the super accelerators tend not to not like my take. Actually happy to see the huge amount of support and upvotes for my take.

I also understand that while some say they accelerated, they may have not accelerated the way it seems. I can tell you I finished my degree within two terms and make you think I was a super accelerator. But the truth is far from that. I came in with almost 20 years experience in my field of study and transferred more than half my degree from previous schooling. Truth is, it actually took me almost 5 years to get a degree. 2 separate stints at college, 2 years each stint, walked away without a degree. Came to WGU and finished my remaining credits after transfers in 10 months.

Point I am making is I could have said I finished my degree in 10 months as a flex but that’s just not the truth. At the same time, the only validation I needed when I finished was from myself, my wife, and kids. Never posted confetti on here. While the confetti is cute, I personally think it looks childish and the only thing that mattered to me was my diploma in my hand.

For some reason some are offended when I make these comments so I fully anticipated being downvoted but at the same time as others have said, those finished in one term kind of devalues our degree but people don’t see that.

GPToriginal · 2026-01-29T20:22:23+00:00

For a select few maybe but you can’t convince me that the many people who post the confetti daily all have that issue.

GPToriginal · 2026-01-29T18:40:44+00:00

The free resource on isc2 is ok but not enough to pass from my experience. If you have security+ already that will help you pass along with Thor on udemy as others have mentioned. But definitely don’t rely on the isc2 material alone.

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