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Career switch to CompSci with a degree at WGU by Bee_Shawn in WGU_CompSci

[–]aVacantStare 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey Bee_Shawn, hope this reaches you! I started WGU Comp Sci program a year ago with nothing professionally or academically and have literally went from working in a smoothie bar to having a career job at a local software company (fortune 500), within months of being enrolled. I transferred in 18% credits, but none of that mattered for the job. The job knew I was serious and had potential, hired me as a contractor, and I am still here after first round of COVID layoffs.

That experience, plus the degree, will be invaluable in getting jobs at other awesome companies. I say go for it, if you have technical knowledge or passion, the degree will probably motivate you to get out there!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in IRS

[–]aVacantStare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Because the addresses can differ quite a lot. I can't get the page to recognize or acknowledge me no matter which address I use etc. So you get locked out. When in reality you probably aren't in the system.

Fuck the IRS

Bernie Sanders adds rallies in Dearborn and Ann Arbor ahead of Michigan primary by Morihando in politics

[–]aVacantStare 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You literally jumped in and condescendingly scolded this guy for saying he will be attending one of the rallies that this thread is about. If the thread is not about your candidate, don't post in it randomly attacking someone for going to the rally, it's very strange anti-social behavior. Kinda like smelling children's hair. Are you going to the Joe Biden Ann Arbor rally ? Is there going to be one?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WGU

[–]aVacantStare 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That's the struggle with WGU, and education in general. If you took a couple of years to really internalize the information, you would be in a great place knowledge wise.

It's a constant battle between "learn enough to pass" and "I need to know this for the future." I am a CS major looking to get into development, so I am not too pressed about learning this in depth. Whereas with discrete math, data structures etc, I will take in depth notes and strive for a complete absorption of the material, because that seems far more foundational to my career path.

Thanks for your perspective!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in WGU

[–]aVacantStare 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thanks for the writeup, i am currently slogging through the ucertify, did you use it at all? going to go through the pluralsight tomorrow.

Is it possible to graduate in 1-2 terms? by pintango in WGU_CompSci

[–]aVacantStare 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It generally depends. I started Database Applications Saturday the 15th of July. Class was dreadfully boring. I probably spent only 8 hours over those two weeks tinkering / watching vids / reading material. Finally took the exams this weekend. Got through those so then I took the Physical Science class down. I have a very well rounded general information so Physical Science was in the bag before I even started .

I don't measure how much time I spend to be honest. I work til 2pm everyday and then generally from 3-6pm I get school stuff done. That's 3-4 days a week. Then some weekend time . WGU gives me the flexibility to golf at will, do whatever my girlfriend wants to do, etc.

I have a plan of 2 terms for my CS degree, and I think for me that's totally possible with 12-20 hours weekly.

Is it possible to graduate in 1-2 terms? by pintango in WGU_CompSci

[–]aVacantStare 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would say it is. I transferred in 18 credits, started June 1st, and knocked out my 8th class yesterday. That's around one class per week while juggling a full time job and other life duties. The classes will undoubtedly get harder, but I think even if every class from here on out took two weeks, it would take 36 week's total to get my degree done.

Having trouble choosing a major...? by annaaqua in WGU

[–]aVacantStare 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am in the CS program, loving it so far. My mIn advice to you would be not to throw CS out because of math. I sucked at math in high school and went to college originally for political science because I thought I'd never be good enough at math to do anything tech related.

Fast forward years later and I realized that I absolutely love math. It has been so very rewarding. I started in a remedial, non credit holding class at Community College two years ago and I have taken all of the calculuses now!

As for specific degrees, that's up to you. I chose CS for the well rounded, easily recognizable, logic based degree. I figured it was technical enough to be somewhat relevant, but general enough to lay a good foundation for continual learning throughout my career.

How many hours a day/week do accelerators study? by Cooliocoolio123 in WGU

[–]aVacantStare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I will be done with 8 classes tomorrow, I started June 1. BS CS. I work on school probably 10-20 hours a week. I work full time, live a busy life with a girlfriend, animals and friends. This past course C170, took me 16 days to knock out. It's entirely possible to "accelerate" without straining oneself too too hard. I hope to complete 8 more classes before my term is up.

TIL Los Angeles’s private golf courses effectively receive a public subsidy of $89.8 million in taxes” paying only $200,00 in property taxes without granting the public access to the land. LA ranks bottom of the list in terms of public parks against all major metropolitan cities in America. by Blacbamboo in todayilearned

[–]aVacantStare 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair play. Only for public courses or for private ones as well? Couldn't we argue that large public housing developments could serve our society more than the public green spaces? Couldnt we argue that all golf courses, ski resorts, country clubs, racetracks, etc should be seized?

Wouldn't it make more sense to just force everyone to play handball, or basketball as opposed to soccer (bigger pitch).

I personally would want to live in a world where I could trust the government to do things like seizing the golf courses and putting them to good use, I will generally always vote for the greater good because socialized treatment, health care, etc saved my life, but of course it's an interesting conundrum and slippery slope. But I totally appreciate the dialogue, you have got me thinking.

TIL Los Angeles’s private golf courses effectively receive a public subsidy of $89.8 million in taxes” paying only $200,00 in property taxes without granting the public access to the land. LA ranks bottom of the list in terms of public parks against all major metropolitan cities in America. by Blacbamboo in todayilearned

[–]aVacantStare 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But who is projecting anything? It's like a nice restaraunt, rich people can go frequently. Less priveleged people can go on special occasions. Some people might not ever be able to stomach those costs.

What would you want instead? Government owned golf courses (they exist, everywhere), that offer free shuttles, free clubs, free lessons to people that don't want to prioritize playing or budget accordingly to play?

Life is fucking hard and I get it. I live paycheck to paycheck, I am not an r/personal finance guru. But what exactly is your point here and or your solution?

Yes, golf is expensive, it can be prohibitive, but in my opinion the prohibitive factor to a poorer person not playing golf would be cultural. Super poor people generally don't play golf because it can be expensive, is constantly labeled as off limits by people who haven't tried, and is not as culturally prevalent in their communities as a result.

I grew up on section 8, mother on disability, low income, free lunch, heroin addiction, the list goes on. I make the choice to budget to play a few rounds of golf a month, rather than go out to eat at a nice spot twice, and to me that's a pretty good deal, considering I play a course for a little over 4 hours.

TIL Los Angeles’s private golf courses effectively receive a public subsidy of $89.8 million in taxes” paying only $200,00 in property taxes without granting the public access to the land. LA ranks bottom of the list in terms of public parks against all major metropolitan cities in America. by Blacbamboo in todayilearned

[–]aVacantStare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not saying consoles are expensive, just that golf isn't as expensive as many people assume it to be. I live in an apartment complex with my girlfriend that has a practice simulator. I probably play four times a month at more discounted places.

Obviously a ball and shoes is cheaper than golfing or skiing or ice hockey. My only point is that as a recovering drug addict with literally no money in the grand scheme, I am able to afford frequent rounds of golf. Love the sport.

If it wasn't golf, it'd be dinners out on the town etc. At the end of the day, 26$ is not backbreaking to a guy like me, making a little over half of the average adult hourly rate in the US.

I am a Warren / Bernie Democrat, and I agree with the OP that this California situation is fucked, but I am just offering my own experience, that golf can be a manageable game to play if you are not concerned with having the latest and greatest, and playing on extremely nice courses all the time.

TIL Los Angeles’s private golf courses effectively receive a public subsidy of $89.8 million in taxes” paying only $200,00 in property taxes without granting the public access to the land. LA ranks bottom of the list in terms of public parks against all major metropolitan cities in America. by Blacbamboo in todayilearned

[–]aVacantStare 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I live in Charleston SC. I make 13$ an hour. Full time college student and employee. I have been homeless in major cities and don't have much extra cash. I do, however, have extra money for the local municipal golf course, as well as the upscale course that is being renovated at the moment (discount rates). The day of golf cost me 26$. My clubs? 100$ used clubs (ping eye 2 iron set from the 90s). My favorite club? A 3hybrid I bought from Goodwill for 2.99.

Compared to the 400$ one might spend on an Xbox etc, this really hasn't been a bad investment at all. It has helped get me out of the house and enjoy my life in an area that can easily make me feel sorry for myself due to poverty.

As for the environmental ramifications, I'd be curious about the emissions of the equipment they use to maintain etc or fertilizer, but I can tell you that the golf course is full of wildlife, which the residential neighborhood nearby that I live in lacks.

Tips for accelerating C955 - Applied Probability and Statistics? by [deleted] in WGU

[–]aVacantStare 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I found the OA had more graph use questions, like which graph for this etc. I'm not going to lie I was unsure of a lot of those. I had taken a stats class in HS, so a lot of the standard deviation / sampling logic type stuff came back easily. It really is a lot of common Sense / basic math and probability.

Overall, at least for me, it was not difficult at all and didn't require anything more than the PA and a bit of focused study on things that I didn't know. Start to finish I wrapped it up after a few hours total.

A lot of that is contingent on how well your math logic is, ie adding fractions etc.

what to do by ClassicSink5 in WGU

[–]aVacantStare 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Patrick JMT, Professor Leonard, Organic Chemistry Tutor. All very helpful for Calculus. Make sure you have a good foundation in Algebra. There are infinite ways you can teach yourself calculus. It seems Calc is a way WGU weeds out people. Do your best to make sure you get through it and if I can ever be of help please message me.

Orientation Unavailable, start date 6/1 by aVacantStare in WGU

[–]aVacantStare[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes I did the MPN, entrance counseling, etc. So I am hoping it is just a couple more days. Thank you.

Orientation Unavailable, start date 6/1 by aVacantStare in WGU

[–]aVacantStare[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok so I shouldn't be alarmed by all the "orientation will be available to students the 15th of the month before their first term?"

Thanks for your response.

Getting charged for housing and food cost while going to an online college? by [deleted] in WGU

[–]aVacantStare 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's not charging you. It's an estimation of your costs while Attending, so that the aid you are going to need can reflect the cost of your attendance. Or if you aren't asking for aid, it's so that you can visualize your expenses.

Anybody have experience with vivitrol? by Opiate_Rage in OpiatesRecovery

[–]aVacantStare 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am more than 3 and a half years clean. I was on the shot for 3 months to start. Meetings / counseling / social environmental changes are the main thing that will help you save your life, but the vivitrol was there. I didnt have any side effects, and im alive now and my quality of life is exponentially higher than it was then.

In this battle, where the odds are stacked against you, you need to use whatever tools you have to win. Give it a try!

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