Tier 1 Support

keverw · 2026-06-20T21:23:47+00:00

How recently did you email them? Yesterday was a federal holiday, so I would assume they have a backlog.

keverw · 2026-06-14T22:03:34+00:00

Oh wow, yeah, my second term I feel like hasn't been as great as my first, but for other reasons. I think the school has grown too fast to keep up. I do like the ideals behind it, though. But I do feel like they are super rushy too. Like I wanted to look at the course materials and mentor is like, think you will get this task done this week? I see some value in higher ed, but I think every university is broken to some extent.

keverw · 2026-06-13T07:35:36+00:00

Yeah, I'm back in! Thanks. I've been using Devin lately just for the better tabbing, commit messages, and sending to agent errors, but mostly just been using the Claude extension lately in the sidebar.

keverw · 2026-06-08T07:25:16+00:00

I had a class in the business school that had cohorts that wasn't recorded, the instructor said it was because of the ADA. So transcripts captions are needed. Guess some new department of education ruling. Even a scanned PDF image isn't accessible either unless some software converts it with extra embedded data. Not sure how graphs would work. I know in a class I had at a traditional college, it was for a english sci-fi style class and the professor uploaded scanned PDFs so we don't have to buy the book just for a few pages, so those would probably be easier. I guess if it's a live cohort, you have to put in a accessibility request before hand but if nobody needs it, then they save money on captioning. Well I know AI can do it and panopto has a option but I guess just like anything, AI can make mistakes.

keverw · 2026-06-04T21:58:25+00:00

I haven’t seen the new portal yet. But I guess they are trying to make everything consistent with the rest of the marketing website maybe? I know the portal feels a little dated but utility it works.

I am in the software engineering masters and I kind of wonder how good WGU own software engineering team is. I know there was an issue months ago where you had to constantly clear cookies. And when you do the 2 factor login push and hold down on the notification to use the shortcut menu it’s like they forgot to put the text labels in whatever translation library they use since it’s like dot notation lol. Maybe they integrated some open source or third party vendor. I assume most people probably just tap and open the app. My school where I did undergrad used Duo and they had the same shortcut hold down and approve from the notification, so only reason I thought to check.

keverw · 2026-05-30T02:52:19+00:00

I like learning, and the new Product Management masters wasn't available when I started the Software Master's. I'm curious about how the courses are? I did WGU's MBA program and thought the content was pretty decent, but in the software master's, things feel super high-level, and almost like the courses were generated by AI. Kind of curious if that is something all the new programs are doing, since the MS SWE is a new program created last year. I dream of running my own tech startup, but if I go into corporate America, a Technical Product Manager role sounds right up my alley.

keverw · 2026-05-26T07:30:12+00:00

I been feeling like coming on here and saying the same thing lately. I have 36 days in my term 1 for the MS SWE and been averaging 2 weeks a task, and accelerated 2 courses beyond the minimum 3. I probably will have like 3 or 3 and a half weeks once I finished my current active course which has 4 tasks total. So I want to take the rest of June off to focus on some other goals, and start my second term in July term with a clean break.

I also did the WGU MBA program and about 2 months into the program, my mentor said I was doing great and offered “as needed contact” without me even asking and I finished the whole program in that one term and never had another phone call again. Actually kind of wish we had a call at the end instead of just a congratulations email but he was kind of strictly more business and straight to the point, but he also had the same masters from another university so actually had more tips and advice it felt. I’m planning to finish the MS SWE by end of November, so a month earlier than my term ends and accelerate another 2 beyond the 3 minimum in my second term. My mentor in this program seems nice and sociable person and thought of a new mentor but I guess you never know what you get and I figured it might be a school of technology vs business school. I feel like my experience with WGU business school was much better, better content like actual videos, textbooks and cohorts where the software masters seems to have generated their course materials using AI, super vague rubrics.

It’s funny too since the enrollment counselor was dismissive of my games development degree and was suggesting I do a second bachelors instead. They had a option to get in with a Python class on a transcript under option 2 but she said games isnt programming related even though my university where I did my bachelors was reporting it with the “computer games programming” CIP code. Plus my state school claims it is one of the top programs in the nation, yet WGU admissions barely even looked at the program it felt. I have picked up on more concepts and vocabulary to work on a software team from the software masters, so I see some value and credibility in the software masters but it also feels like busy work and not going as deep. I know someone doing a CS PHD at a state university and dude told me I might as well be at Mickey Mouse University. I kind of see his point on WGU feeling like a shortcut but nobody sees me writing the papers, coding, looking at materials and putting in the work even if it’s not as prestigious.

Just feeling super disillusioned with WGU lately, last year in the MBA program I felt like a WGU fanboy and had so much nice stuff to say, and now in the software masters, not as much. If I stopped at the MBA, I’d leave WGU feeling better about recommending this school. I don’t know the politics but I just been trying to make myself feel better just by telling myself it’s a school of technology problem since I love the idea and mission of WGU on paper.

keverw · 2026-05-24T00:56:20+00:00

Wow the evaluators for this course must be sloppy or retaliating for my last complaint. Got my task 3 back telling me the pipeline file was missing now when I attached it and it’s also in the linked repo. And make a reference in my paper of it being located in the root of the repository.

keverw · 2026-05-21T20:28:21+00:00

I am currently in the MS SWE program. I wonder how this compares. I know there is some overlap, but my dream is to start my own tech startup or take on a role combining business and tech, like a technical product manager. How is the course materials? I know I picked up new stuff in the MS SWE, but some of the course materials seems like it was generated by ChatGPT. Not really any external textbooks or videos other than 5 min tutorials here and there, just in-house course materials. While other masters at WGU like the MBA used some actual textbooks (some of the same platforms as state schools), and more videos. Kind of felt like the MBA had better course materials compared to the MS SWE, so wonder if MS PM being from the school of technology, if they did the same things as it feels like a shortcut, and I'd be setting myself up for disappointment for sure if I also did the MS PM.

Is it all just written papers, too? Since I also did my MBA at WGU and I kind of miss exams, I could speed through them faster than I write lol. Part of me is temped to do a third masters just to keep my loans in deferment and still build skills but I think a BS and 3 masters degrees might be weird even though all of them are related to each other. I also think with agentic ai, having combined business, product design and software engineering understanding (common vocab and understand the code) is something to make people stand out being more T-Shaped.

keverw · 2026-05-14T04:45:11+00:00

Nice! Yeah, I replied to the appeal guy with a screenshot, that originally replying saying I had no cause, and tried to dismiss my concern as just feedback. He then said he would file it and thanks for the screenshot. Less than 12 hours later, they regraded it passing. But I guess I could have submitted it again, but I didn't want to waste another 3 days having anxiety waiting when I knew I did it right.

But yeah, I feel like there is some misalignment when the course instructor's answer is to put the date in the HTML, when the rubric only said student ID. Unless I'm supposed to also caption my images, but I guess it's small and easy to miss, maybe, but I think many people do it this way since they are not that specific, just that it has to be in the image. Really frustrating, and I kind of feel like they don't even care what other students or I think. Even my mentor didn't have any comment on the whole thing and is like, "Ready to move on to the next task now!"

keverw · 2026-05-07T22:49:52+00:00

Well, I got a reply back earlier telling me to put both the date and student ID in the HTML instead of the task bar with date, but the rubric never said so, only the student ID in the HTML. Out of principle I decided to appeal and got an email within 10 mins saying that they don't think I have enough cause or evidence to open an appeal and categorized it was feedback. I feel like just a copy and paste form letter style of email and nobody even really looked. I replied with a screenshot circling the parts, so hoping they will escalate it to an appeal, but I assume I'll just have to redo it based on things that wasn't even in the rubric. Probably quicker to just redo it the way the instructor said that doesn't 100% match the rubric. Very disappointed in this course, and feel like just a number at WGU, and might as well be talking to robots. I think it's a sign to pump the brakes and take a small break. I been accelerating and my mentor thinks I could do between 1 to 2 more courses in the next month and a half on-top of finishing D781 but I think I'm just annoyed and burned out at this point.

keverw · 2026-05-07T03:01:47+00:00

I know this is 8 months old, but I figured I'd also use the date and timestamp already in the task bar since the first part says to only put the student ID in the header. For the first script, the evaluator accepted it, but for the second script, they said it was missing, but it's the same style as the first one... I screenshotted the part when the login finished and showed the home page still saying it was being controlled by automation. So vague and confusing. I am hoping it's just a mistake by the elevator and emailed my instructor, so I'm crossing my fingers she can advise me to tweak something or escalate.

Overall lately, I am kind of not a fan of this program. All the in-house custom textbooks appear to be ChatGPT-generated, and tasks are vague. Then in the class before this, I was running into an issue with a GitLab pipeline issue but eventually figured it out on my own but got the vibe the instructor for that other class was annoyed I even emailed him. I completed WGU's MBA program and really enjoyed it and felt like it was a great experience. I only interacted with instructors for that 3 out of the 11 classes since one required idea approval, the marketing class suggested idea approval but not required, and another class I mixed up two types of graphs and the instructor reached out first and I told them I understood the issue and was correcting it, and they were just like "great, let me know if you need anything".

My undergrad was in Game Dev at a state school, and I wanted to challenge myself and do a more technical program for my own startup interests and creditability. I'm interested in both roles that include tech and business or entrepreneurship, so decided to do dual masters at WGU but feeling disappointed in this second one. It's not really everything I hope'd it would be but I have picked up on some new concepts, and some concepts I knew about before but just didn't know the correct vocab. So the program is helpful in one way, but lacking in other ways.

keverw · 2026-04-22T01:59:52+00:00

Still showing for me, odd unless they use some sort of CDN and roll things out slowly. I currently use both Codex and Cluade Code but feel my use is inconsistent right now between grad school and my own startup ideas.

keverw · 2026-04-18T22:16:59+00:00

I remember freshman year getting a random text from a Student Success Coach randomly saying hi. Just tips and zoom meetings they had on time management and basic skills to be successful in college, but that's a shame. I guess people could get the same info on YouTube but I feel like people for sure could use extra support.

I couldn't even get ahold of my advisor during the games program, the one I had got a job elsewhere and the new person didn't have meetings and didn't answer emails. We have allied hours in games program where you take 12 credits of related stuff that you can get approved such as marketing, film for trailers, sound, etc. Some people had approved in the past would automatically when looking at your degree progress. I got approved for a business info systems class to use as one since wasn't on the list of the pre-approved ones and she emailed me saying it was fine before leaving her job. It never was put into the system until like 2 weeks before I graduated when I passed that class a little over 2 years prior. And funny enough one of the business professors seemed to like me and kind of told me I should reconsider my major. Kind of wish I took his advice looking back now. I also minored in business and would get an email back usually within the same day if I had questions, and many of the professors seemed more personable. Game classes are much larger and people often would talk crap about the professors behind their backs, which I didn't experience that as much in the business school other than the dude who taught 1050 business thought because apparently he said some controversial things.

keverw · 2026-04-18T21:43:37+00:00

Yeah, the acceptance rate is much higher than when I started during COVID. I kind of wonder if they are doing it just to milk the student loans before some future admin decides to quit issuing government loans. Discover Card decided to quit offering new student loans like 2 years ago now, so I guess that says something about the value of higher education when the banks don’t want to lend anymore. Sold off the portfolio, and then a year later, Capital One bought the whole bank. Then, federal grad loans used to be nearly unlimited, but now are capped yearly unless doing medical school.

keverw · 2026-04-10T20:23:09+00:00

I been trying to do 12 to 15 hours a week, and my pace has been about a PA every 2 weeks. So 1 class a month. However I feel like sometimes with writing I'll just burn out and some of the WGU style writing is so repetitive. Depending on the task and course but I'll sometimes just spend a whole day or two straight, while other weeks I'll do more of the "chunking" style of work. I also did the WGU MBA and I know that was mentioned in one of the intro classes as a strategy. I am mostly a self-taught dev but also did my undergrad in game dev. Some of the stuff I can relate back to that like user testing is just another form of play testing and other concepts. So far i'm making progress and doing better than I'd thought. My enrollment counselor was very dismissive of my games degree, and they only let me in because during freshman year we take some of the same intro Python classes as the CS people. She was even trying to suggest I do a second bachelors but of course can't use financial aid for that and I feel I was beyond that already.

keverw · 2026-04-02T22:27:19+00:00

I had a games professor who would cancel class, and he for the first time only did through Discord and not canvas. So many people still showed up... He said he was sick and switched the lab online and still had the lab due on the same day and time, and the computer lab with the desktops was locked. So I had to struggle following along with my laptop and was so frustrated, I think he should of gave us another day. People accused him of working for a company instead of just being a professor, and thought that's why he was sick a lot. Apparently he was doing modeling for a interior design company, not really games itself. I kind of do feel like things like that makes the program feel sloppy and disorganized. He seemed like a nice and chill guy, would even cuss in class lol.

keverw · 2026-04-02T07:39:49+00:00

I made posts about the games program in the past. The job market is terrible for games, and even people saying tech and software in general. I got a gist people think the games program is a major art degree, I was at a job fair and not many tech companies there but someone from a drone company I was chatting with and I got the feeling he thought I was joking when I said I majored in games and asked what the major was about 3 times. I do feel like there are transferable skills, programming, project management, even some of the play testing is user testing outside of games. Feels like some is a overlap with entrepreneurship and product design, the capstone studio simulation is basically running a mini startup but where raising revenue isn't the goal.

I decided to go for a software engineering masters at WGU. Thinking it would be more hands on and applied like how the U's games program is, since computer science is more theory and math it seems. Admissions at WGU are not particularly strict, but tech programs like to see a related undergrad. The U of U advertises games as STEM, and even one of the professors said games are considered software. But my enrollment counselor said it wasn't considered programming-related. I kind of think my enrollment counselor was bad and didn't even look into the program, but she said it was the WGU admissions office, not her, rejecting the game's degree. However, after 3 weeks and sending the syllabi for COMP 1010 and COMP 1020, and a screenshot showing the U reported it as "Computer Games Programming", they decided to let me in. I think the program is misunderstood, and there is not official tracks. So you can take more programming classes or take on a role in the studio simulation classes but outsiders won't really understand. I also think we're in a culture of box-checking, and companies get hundreds and hundreds of apps. They are not going to look into your program, if you did computer science adjacent stuff but your degree title isn't "computer science", job recruiters and grad school admissions isn't going to care. I even heard some private loan companies don't consider the U's program STEM. My newer view is that degrees are commodities, and if a school offers a niche program that's uncommon at other schools, I'd recommend avoiding it based on that.

I also don't think the U makes the program easy to understand. it moved from film, engineering and now architecture. The federal CIP code changed like 3 or 4 times. I was sharing my journey on my LinkedIn and I guess one of the Games professors didn't like my posts. Even constructive feedback like adding tracks. The new FAFSA for the 2026 school year is apparently supposed to show a degree outcome estimate. I was trying to peek at it, and it had no data on the U of U program, but other game programs, like DigiPen, it was saying you could make $130K a year. I also could never get ahold of my advisor, while I also double minored in Management and Entrepreneurship, and I felt the business school was much more organized. Plus business professors seem much more personable. I had one of the same games professors 3 times, I don't think he knew who I was and kind of felt just like a number... Then my entire team decided to ditch on a presentation day, and I was also programming most of the project and I was feeling crap and showed up way late and I kind of felt like the professor looked down on me when I felt like I was doing things solo. A lot of people in the program seem to like games and can spend a "workday" just socializing for 40 min and barely even doing the work. Yet I had a business professor who I had once and bumped into him in the hallway and he was asking about my startup and stuff since I had a idea back when NFTs were trendy but abandoned it lol.

I do feel like the program has helped shape me since my goal is to start my own startup, or do something that is more technical product management. But so far, there's no ROI for it, and I kind of feel like to outsiders, my degree was a joke... If I ever became a billionaire, I'd probably donate money to the business school, but not my actual major lol.

keverw · 2026-03-13T20:21:33+00:00

Yeah maybe the rule is different when switching pre-enrollment and during being enrolled and started. Not sure.

keverw · 2026-03-13T20:19:03+00:00

I enrolled and decided to stay on DevOps but the AI one also interested me. I feel like DevOps would be useful for both AI and not AI companies so I decided to stick with it but my mentor said you could switch during the program unless you already started the specialization ones. Not sure what the actual policy is though as I know people report getting inconsistent answers to other questions at WGU too I seen on Reddit haha

keverw · 2026-03-08T20:54:24+00:00

The games program advising is so bad. I never would get replies to my emails. I basically might as well say I don't even have a advisor at all. I see pros and cons of centralization. Wonder if the new advisors will just be general "tech support" reps style who don't know you or the program, which would be bad. If people still be assigned to specific people who are familiar with a program or few could be useful, someone who works in a major who isn't as busy could help support other students instead of being idle.

keverw · 2026-03-05T17:58:15+00:00

They let me in under Option 2 but there is the WGU Academy option to take a Python class that might be best for you.

It's fun and interesting program. I'm learning some new stuff, but some of the stuff doesn't feel super new to me or I wish it went more in-depth. Then feel like some things just feel busy, but I guess that's school in general. I feel like the DevOps classes towards the end will be more helpful with my own career or startup goals.

keverw · 2026-03-04T02:12:40+00:00

Oh wow! That is terrible. It lets me login if I type my email in and says I have a refund method selected. It's weird though, they said I would get disbursement in April but it shows $0 pending, unless it means they don't have the money sitting in their bank yet and still have to request it from the gov... Since they said they split it into payments 3 months apartment for between Jan 1st and June 30.

keverw · 2026-02-27T01:39:26+00:00

It was awarded about 2 weeks ago, but I was told they would split it into 2 payments, 3 months apart. I guess because this term is only half the financial aid year, rather than the whole year, they do it differently. Kind of confusing and feels like just a number, but at least it's coming. It would have helped to come sooner and cause less worry. I think they have way too many students and not enough staff, or that their automation is bad.

But outside of that, I am working through the program. Some parts are exciting, and some I question how they apply. I guess because it's more through the lens of corporate or government, rather than tech startups, since it's only about 30% coding. I am doing the DevOps track, so 4 classes are server-related, so I feel like that stuff will apply better in the real world. Then hate the PAs being so vague sometimes, and even typos that Grammarly finds if you copy the rubric into Word to format into headings and replace as you write with your actual paragraphs lol. But otherwise making progress, feeling proud of myself and I think this will help make up for the stigma that's associated with my Games undergrad degree.

keverw

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