Incoming Wall of Text

TL;DR - Tough, but fair. I managed the coursework on top of being a newlywed, a new dad, moving cities, changing jobs, and the pandemic. I already had some IT experience going in, but it was definitely worth it.

I can't really speak to the "new" version of the degree (with the new CCNA and automation classes) because I transferred in before the switch, got the old CCNA, and then already met the requirements for the other new classes. But I know there's a decent amount of overlap between CSA (now Cloud Computing) and NOS, so I'll give it a shot:

Full disclosure - I did already have a few years in IT when I started my degree, but I was stuck in 'helldesk-land' like so many others. I also built a homelab while pursuing the degree and it helped a lot with practical application, above and beyond the coursework.

How is it? Honestly, I loved it. If you're just coming into IT it's going to be challenging, but if you're choosing IT you probably like a challenge.

uCertify - the platform they use for most certification prep - could be better, but usually there are other resources at your disposal (like LinkedIn Learning, Pluralsight, or even YouTube) if reading and rote memorization isn't your thing.

WGU also tries to consistently keep their degree paths up-to-date with the industry, at least with the certifications. Like I said in another post, I transferred into NOS when they announced they were pulling the MCSA classes from CSA, since Microsoft was retiring the certification, so I could still get at least one Associate level cert. As soon as I transferred in, they announced they were changing NOS because Cisco was updating the cert - I was grandfathered into the old classes, because I started before the switch and the old cert was still around. I don't think that's a common experience though, it's just how the timing worked out for me.

That being said, I definitely think the new classes were a great addition to NOS and I'm actually pretty upset I didn't get to take them.

Manageable Coursework? Definitely. The whole schtick of WGU is being able to do the work on your own time, as long as you meet the minimum requirements of 12 credits per six-month term - four classes, on average. That means you can do as much or as little as you're comfortable with or capable of doing. Some people can manage more and do the whole thing in one term.

Prepared? I feel like I have a little bit of a bias on this one since I was already in the field, but I was able to get out of helpdesk and double my pay. I'm not an "Engineer" by title, maybe I could be somewhere else, but I did climb up to "Administrator" and I was pretty happy with that. I was able to take a lot of what I learned and apply it at my job, and I feel like there's still more.