CIW Foundation - Some Questions from a newbie

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Hi,

I wondered if I could get some advice from you all.

I am thinking of doing a CIW Foundations course. I don't have any IT qualifications, but am reasonably computer literate. I have designed a couple of websites and things like that, but want to try and get some sort of recognised qualification.

Is the CIW foundation worth doing? And if so what is the best way? I have had a quote from the Home Learning College for £1200 for the course. Is this the going rate?

I have seen that on the CIWcertified web site you can buy a study pack that is $399 and includes an exam voucher. Does this contain everything you need to know in order to pass the exam? Is it a reasonable way to do things. The Home Learning College say that it's course is approx 140 hrs of study. They provide you with study notes and assignments to do. Does the self study CIWcert pack do a similar thing.

Also, can anyone reccommend a good training provider in the UK?

Many Thanks in advance.

Simon.

 

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I would only do it for your own personal gratification, its highly unlikely it will win you any work.

Certainly do not spend £1200 on it, that could get you a year at college part time.

Use the search feature to see what people have said about web development careers and CIW in the past.

Best of luck !

 

I'm somewhat in the same position at the moment, trying to decide whether or not to go down the CIW route. i'm still not entirely sure, but with what i read on this site, i would say its less likely now than last night.

i too looked at the CIW website, thinking, like you i could get the materials from there. It would seem that they don't post materials to the UK, but i could be wrong. I have found the foundation course for £500 including the exam at the distance learning centre. don't know anything more about the company than is on the website, so maybe someone on here could shed some light.

Still not really sure what to do myself, think i might do the Adobe Certified Expert in Dreamweaver and Flash first and see what happens then. If all else fails there is always the w3 schools. Free tutorials for everything you could think of.

hope that helps.

 

CIW was my first cert.
I would say that it's a decent start - it's not too difficult and will ease you into the whole study/exam thing if it's been a while since you were in education.
Unfortunately what it won't do is light up your CV like a billboard. Don't get me wrong, and further study you do will help, it shows a desire to improve and an aptitude for learning - but don't expect employers to be looking for someone with CIW. Or to know what it is.

Is that quote you got just for the foundation? Usually TPs sell one of the 'higher' certs such as Master Designer, which is 3 exams. Foundation is a single exam and I wouldn't expect it to be worth anyone's while to provide it.

You can do CIW self study. The difficult thing is that there aren't really any independant books that cover the entire syllabus. Having said that, if you read and digest a couple of 'for dummies' books, you probably know everything you need to pass the exam. Something like Web Design, Networking and E-Commerce should do it.

Official material does cover the syllabus but it won't knock your socks off. You can usually only get it from CIW partners, who you can track down from the CIWcertified site. It might be worth keeping an eye on Ebay for used copies. At one time there were a couple of 'CIW' books on Amazon (as with MS, try searching for the exam title or number) but CIW don't like sharing their stuff and I haven't seen anything recently.

 

As with all certs, decide on what you want to do or what you already can do - then pick a cert that validates your skills.

Don't make the mistake of picking a cert because you think that just the fact that you've got it will make you more employable or increase your salary.

And don't go stabbing around in the dark picking certs for the sake of it, or seeing what you can get on the cheap. Try and do a bit of research about what's in demand in your preferred industry. If you can't find anyone who's heard of CIW in the web design industry, maybe think twice about doing it. If you want to be a Flash/Actionscript guy, go for the Adobe track.

Having said that, you also need to think about what skills you gain while studying for a cert like CIW. If you get blank looks from employers when you say 'I've got CIW' then try another tack. Tell them that you're certified in EDI technologies and the web development process etc. Looking through the exam objectives should help you there.

 

Thanks for that, useful stuff. Who would have thought a simple idea for a change of career would be so confusing. I think for the time being i'll do the Adobe Dreamweaver course, at least then i'll know how to use it properly for the sites i already look after, and with a bit of luck, improve them. Still got over three years to crunch day

 

hi guys
just read these posts and thought id give my opinion on the course and how i found it..

I decided to start the CIW foundations and site designer courses to improve my knowledge of everything from networking to web design and also to gain an industry recognised qualification. I completed the exam for the CIW Foundations course 2 days ago.. Passed with 91%. I would say it has taken me about 4 months to complete. I work 5 days a week, so i have time to study a little after work and some weekends.

I have just started looking at the site designer course now.. will make a start soon.

A few reasons why i chose the Home Learning College..

1. Had heard from others that the support is very good, and i have to agree. Tutors are always on hand to help when you need it.

2. Can study at my own time and complete parts of the course as and when i want. No strict deadlines, and it means i can work aswell.. and yes most of it goes on bills!

3. Great study guides with clear and easy to understand information. All CDs are provided too with the labs and content required to complete assignments.

4. Trusted company that are well known and are reputable.

Ive learnt so much more about networking, site development and the internet in general and im so glad i started the course. Really looking forward to starting my site designer course now..

When i started the course i brought two packages (CIW Foundations and Site Designer) as it worked out to be a great saving compared to buying them seperate. I received all my course materials in the post via courier within about 5 days.. If your thinking about starting the course id say go for it if you can budget for it but at the end of the day its definatly worth investing in.

Hope that helps, and if you want to ask anything else, just give me a shout.. will try my best to help ya!

 

Can I ask how much this cost as I am thinking of enrolling for the two courses. Can you also advise on pc spec required as I may need to upgrade?

Thanks in advance