School Progress: Term 2 2025
Term 2 Recap
On my first term, I completed 11 courses which accumulate to 32 credits. I did not think that I was going to be able to do that again in term 2, but I actually went way beyond what I thought. Nearing the end of my term 2, I have completed a total of 15 courses so far with one more course left before my last 30 days of the term. Once I finish this last course that I am on and the term ends, I will have completed 51 credits which puts me now at about 73-74% done with my program.
How did I do this?
I’m not going to lie. It has not been easy. I put a lot of late hours into this term. Studying non-stop in my afternoons and evenings, and sometimes studying till 2–3 AM (I don’t recommend doing this on back-to-back days). Every lunch break that I got or every time I hit the gym in-between sets, I would pick up my phone and study.
Now, that does not mean that some courses weren’t easier than others. There were definitely some that I completed rather quickly. The reason why some courses were easier than others is because I have been studying some of the material for years before I even started working as a software engineer. Not to mention the constant exposure and experience I got from working as a software engineer for the last couple of years. It’s not like I’m a super genius or anything like that, but it’s because I have put in the work previously before. I say all of this to set proper expectations for those who want to take on this program at WGU. I don’t want anyone thinking that, without any prior experience, you can accelerate like I and others have. It does take a lot of work and dedication.
Encouragement
Nevertheless, I want to offer some encouragement even if you don’t have prior experience. If you really push yourself, work hard at learning the material, and put in the hours to properly understand and retain the information, then you’ll likely be able to excel quicker than you expect. I pushed myself hard studying till late because of my current life situation. I work a full-time job, I have a part-time gig, I have a family with three kids — youngest one being only 9 months at the time of publishing this and my oldest child being on the spectrum and having special needs.
If I can do it, then anyone can. Don’t sell yourself short. Keep asking yourself how badly you want to achieve your degree and keep at it while minding your mental and physical health, of course. You also don’t want to go too overboard with trying to acquire your degree, but of course “going overboard” looks different for everybody. So, just listen to your body and brain as they’ll be able to tell you when it’s time to just chill out and rest.
Recap
Okay, so now let’s get into which courses I completed this time around:
Introduction to Computer Science - D684
Started on 2/2 - Completed on 2/7
This course is a simple introduction to CS. You are taught to understand basic programming constructs like variables, data types, functions, etc. You also need to know how to apply computer science principles to real-world situations using scientific inquiry and critical thinking. You’ll learn how to use pseudocode, apply some simple algorithms, and identify operating system and computer architecture components.
I completed this course in just five days. Again, I have prior experience and knowledge in this area, so the majority of the content was very easy for me to parse through. I did have to refresh my brain on a lot of technical jargon, but as you can see, it wasn’t too hard to do that. Fairly easy course for those who are experienced, in my opinion.
Scripting and Programming - Applications – C867
Started on 2/8 - Completed on 2/12
In this course, you’ll be learning about the unfortunately dreaded C++ programming language. You’ll need to examine its syntax, development environment, and tools to solve some real-world problems. I love C++, and I’ve been trying to study and use the language more and more lately. I had already read a few books on C++ prior to taking this course, so I already had some conceptual and basic experience with it. Another five-day course for me.
Computer Architecture – C952
Started on 2/12 - Completed on 2/23
This course is an absolute beast. I had read and studied a bit of computer architecture before, so some of the concepts on processors, performance, memory, etc., were not foreign to me. Nonetheless, there was quite a bit of content and information that I had to put in a lot of hours to study and understand. This one took me 11 days to get through.
Introduction to Systems Thinking and Applications – D459
Started on 2/23 - Completed on 3/3
This was an enjoyable course for me. The course material helps you understand how to think and handle problems in a system-based way. I found it very useful and practical. There were a good number of assignments to complete as well.
Discrete Mathematics I – C959
Started on 2/26 - Completed on 3/15
There are a decent number of courses at WGU that make you ponder your life choices. This was definitely one of them. Don’t get me wrong though—I love mathematics and I’m fairly decent at it. However, this course was a beast. I tried starting it concurrently with my D459 course to get some of the material read and studied while I waited for my assignments to be graded. What gave me a nice head start was my prior knowledge of logic and proofs that I studied back when I was 18, after reading a college-level textbook on an introduction to philosophy. After that, though, I really had to put on my work-hard pants to get through the rest of the course—with a lot of whiteboard problem-solving.
Linux Foundations – D281
Started on 3/16 - Completed on 3/26
Finished with a score of 800/800. I already knew some Linux beforehand.
Introduction to Communication: Connecting with Others – D268
Started on 5/1 - Completed on 5/6
Simple communication class. I had read some books on communication in the past and have always been able to communicate just fine, so I went straight into the assignments. My PowerPoint presentation was apparently so good that the team that organizes the course is going to use it as a reference for future presentations!
Introduction to AI for Computer Scientists – D429
Started on 4/27 - Completed on 5/8
A light introduction, but also a very intriguing course. The material covered different types of AI, the various data sources used for training, and how to distinguish between reasoning and knowledge. It gets a bit philosophical at times.
Java Fundamentals – D286
Started on 5/9 - Completed on 5/12
I studied both Python and Java extensively a few years ago, so I felt confident enough to just skim through the course material and go right into testing. I did spend an hour or so just to freshen up on the syntax, but it didn’t take long, given how similar Java is to C#.
Java Frameworks – D287
Started on 5/13 - Completed on 5/18
This course is an introduction to using Maven and Spring Boot, which I was already familiar with from my first job as an associate software engineer. I went straight into the assignments, which took a little time to complete but weren’t insanely complicated.
Back-End Programming – D288
Started on 5/16 - Completed on 5/19
This course covers more OOP principles and design patterns. Again, this is material I had already studied and implemented in the past, so I skipped most of the content and went straight into the assignments.
Operating Systems for Computer Scientists – D686
Started on 5/19 - Completed on 5/27
Yes, I did complete this course in a little over a week, but it’s no pushover. I had studied operating systems before, so I was familiar with a lot of the content, but I still had to read and study quite a bit of the technical jargon for the tests.
Data Structures and Algorithms I – C949
Started on 5/28 - Completed on 6/11
Similar to some past courses like Operating Systems and Computer Architecture, this is a beast of a course if you don’t have prior experience. I had to refresh my knowledge on several topics—especially tree data structures. Overall, a great course!
Advanced Java – D387
Started on 6/11 - Completed on 6/15
This final Java course covers multithreading and concurrent programming, as well as an overview of deploying and hosting containerized applications in the cloud. I already had experience and knowledge in all of those areas, so this was a fairly easy one to complete.
Ethics in Technology – D333
Started on 6/16 - Completed on 6/21
As the name implies, this course covers a lot of ethical principles and philosophies involving technology. Being a self-taught philosophy nerd, some of the material was a breeze. It was lovely to read about Kant’s deontology again and other ethical frameworks.
Software Design and Quality Assurance – D480
Started on 6/19 - Still working on it
I think this will be my last course of the term. There’s a lot of content on proper software design and QA. Having had exposure to the QA and automation world, this class has been okay—not too difficult at all. I’m currently working on my last assignment, and then I’ll be all done with this course.
Summary
This has been a great opportunity to refresh my knowledge of concepts I learned in the past. It’s also helped ease some of the imposter syndrome I’ve felt from not having graduated yet. I can’t wait to walk the stage, grab that diploma, and move on to pursue my Master’s!