In a quandary...

[ukdeejay]

I signed up to do a distance learning course in CIW over five years ago.

The company I chose was 'Top Choice Computer Careers' (no longer trading) which, like SkillsTrain on other forums on this site, found itself under investigation by BBC Watchdog after taking students money (in my case around £2k) then doing a 'moonlight-flit' & stealing all the money. The main reason I chose this particular company was that they had an office in my home town.

I have read various posts on forums within this site which say that you can buy books to do this course without signing upto any such training company, but surely if you do this you wont end up with the all-important 'bit of paper' that says you have achieved whichever qualification you have studied for?

As you can tell, I am somewhat hesitant to pay for this course a second time, but is there REALLY any alternative. The company I have been looking at, to study for the CIW qualification with, is NITLC but there seem to be a lot of dissatisfied students of that company on the various CF forums.

Any suggestions/opinions greatly received.

[craigie]

Welcome to Cert Forums!

You have had a bad experience with a Training Provider in the past, why not give self study a go.

On Amazon, they have a number of CIW books, including this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/CIW-Foundati...8811224&sr=8-3

Why not save yourself the £2K this time around and give the book a whirl

[wagnerk]

You can self study the course and then sit the exam at any Prometric or PearsonVue testing centre, see here (you will have to buy the exam voucher yourself).

The end qualification is not issued by the training companies, it is issued by the actual vendor - in your case it's CIW.

-Ken

[Trogdor]

The only differences between self-study and the training provider route are that with self-study you keep your hard earned cash and take the exam when YOU are ready to - not when the schedule of the training provider dictates. Instead of forking out two grand for a training provider to teach you the CIW you can spend about a few hundred pounds max to get the books, practice exams, etc. and book the test when you are confident with the material. NB: You still get the piece of paper when you pass the exam just as you would with the training providers - although many like CompTIA and Microsoft have moved to electronic certificates you can print or view online.

Just to be clear, it is the same certification just in your own time, you get the all-important bit o' paper and can spend your cash on beer and a holiday instead of throwing it at a training company. Hope this helps.

[dmarsh]

Certifications are awarded by the Certification provider / inventor, these include Microsoft, Sun, Oracle, IBM, Cisco, CompTia, ISC, Novell, Adobe, Apple, Checkpoint, VMWare and many more.

You normally acheive certified status by attending a test centre which is registered with a testing company, either Prometric or Pearson Vue.

At no point is a training company required in the process for most certifications, a few including Microsoft Master series, Oracle OCP and VMWare do require an approved course, however in these cases the courses often won't be provided by the more shady operators.

Always research topics thoroughly and take into account people's agendas.

http://www.ciwcertified.com/

Why not get it from the horses mouth ? Go to the source, why listen to a middle man like a training provider ?

Any company can go bankrupt, or deliver a bad service, signing binding contracts or handing over large amounts of money upfront is generally unwise.

[ukdeejay]

Thanx craigie/wagnerk...

That's just the info I was looking for - to be able to self-study & then sit a bonafide exam, resulting (hopefully!) in the requisite 'bit of paper'.

Thanks again. I'm sure I will be a regular visitor to this, & many other, forums on CF, no doubt with lots of 'dumba55' questions.

[onoski]

Hi Ukdeejay, sorry to hear about your dilema with a training provider as been said above I would look into self study. I believe as long as you're willing to work hard you can sit for the exams when you feel ready.

Best wishes

[ukdeejay]

Originally Posted by craigie

On Amazon, they have a number of CIW books, including this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/CIW-Foundati...8811224&sr=8-3

Why not save yourself the £2K this time around and give the book a whirl

Thanks to all who have contributed so far.

Regarding Craigie's recommended study materials, this book no longer seems to be available in the UK (at least, not new anyway) & I can't find a supplier in the US who will ship to the UK.

Any other ideas?

[UKDarkstar]

Originally Posted by ukdeejay

Thanks to all who have contributed so far.

Regarding Craigie's recommended study materials, this book no longer seems to be available in the UK (at least, not new anyway) & I can't find a supplier in the US who will ship to the UK.

Any other ideas?

Just put the title back into Amazon and you get :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss?...s+Study+Guide+

I'm not familiar enough to pick out one but you should be able to