Note: This list is largely links to external content, with some WGU-hosted stuff sprinkled in. I respect WGU’s request to not upload any course content, test answers, etc.

WGU Online Communities

A word of warning here: you will absolutely find bad information on WGU-related social media, so be smart and ask your enrollment counselor or program mentor before panicking.

  • Unofficial WGU Discord - This is the biggest Discord server for WGU, and it caters to all majors. The CS room is very active, and some helpful alumni hang around.

  • WGU CS and SWE Discord - Also unofficial, but I’ve been on this Discord since February 2023, and now I help moderate! As of October 2024, we have over 3,500 members, and we have spots for every class to coordinate and ask for help from other students.

  • r/WGU & r/WGU_CompSci - Both Reddit communities are decent and active, and have enough history to make them the most searchable resources for specific courses. The best replies will usually be found by searching by course number (eg. D281 for a Linux Foundations question.)

  • WGU Accelerators Facebook Group - Very few CS majors on this group, and sometimes the info is awful. But you will see people posting their graduation photos, and I find those posts motivational. And honestly, it helps to have a reminder of your schoolwork when you’re procrastinating.

WGU Tools

  • WGU Partners page - Likely the first response to your transfer questions. If you want to transfer credits via Sophia and Study.com, this is where you would match up credits. If you have other college credit to bring in, be sure to apply and get your initial transfer evaluation, then figure out what you can take.

  • System hardware check - Nice to double-check before exams.

Learning Resources

  • WGU Udemy Access - WGU covers a huge Udemy subscription for current students. You may be able to access this at least a couple weeks before your first term, once you have your WGU email. I believe that Angela Yu’s courses come highly recommended. NOTE: This was previously available for alumni, but has now been limited to current students.

  • WGU Library - A nice collection of other subscriptions you can access during and after WGU.

    • Pluralsight is similar to Udemy and provides different courses with sandboxes for following along.
    • The “WGU Library” opens up access to Percipio and ProQuest, which are massive eBook databases. You get access to titles from Apress, O’Reilly, No Starch Press, and countless other big publishers. Not to be hyperbolic, but the value of the eBook access almost feels like it pays for the tuition! You also get access to EBSCO articles here, which is worth checking out.
    • LinkedIn Learning is okay, and I have taken courses on their platform, but haven’t found anything substantial compared to Udemy and Pluralsight. Perhaps the only slight advantage is that completed courses can show up on your LinkedIn profile.
    • Handshake access can also be found here, where some people have had some success in finding internships.

Useful Student Freebies

Non-affiliate links, and I’m avoiding commonly-mentioned ones

  • WGU Azure for Education Access - Free Windows 10 & 11, Visual Studio Enterprise, server and database software. Also has a bunch of Azure stuff, and student trials. This is also accessible once you get your WGU email. Note: this isn’t where you download MS Office apps. Those can be found by logging into your email, clicking your profile in the upper-right-hand corner and selecting “view account”. Scroll down and select “Office Apps” to download desktop versions.

  • Flux.ai - Student plan. PCB “generating” via AI, although I’m not sure if it’s effective at doing so.

  • Scrimba - This is a nice set of coding tutorials that integrates the coding environment into the video tutorials. I haven’t worked with it beyond a few basic examples, but I believe they offer a free month with a .edu email.

Youtube channels

  • Josh Madakor - Many WGU students got their initial “kick” to take things seriously by watching Josh Madakor’s videos, and it feels right to mention his YT channel. His CS stuff is a little outdated due to the curriculum change. But, if you’re wondering if a different WGU degree would work better for you, he does have some comparison videos. I do lean away from most channels that advertise “how fast” you get your degree, but he does a decent job of setting your expectations…especially compared to many other WGU youtubers.

Career Resources

  • WellFound - Job-searching website that also appears to cater toward internship-seekers. I found out about this one in late July 2023, I will update here if I have any positive experiences with the site. I did see another WGU student who was successful in getting an internship through WellFound.