The Guide to Self-Study

[zimbo]

I have been inspired to write about a method of studying called self-studying, the reason being is we have new members asking us quite frequently:

I want to do the MCSE course. I looked at company A and they offering the cd's,books and material for x thousands of pounds. Oh there is tutor support too and some workshops.

I want to do a certification course. No classroom based study, i just get all my material at home and take my time. If i need help i can email the tutor. Practical experience is up to me. Price 4000-5000 pounds.

Then these poor souls go take loans out for these very large amounts and are stuck with large debts and very often poor results. BUT Im not here to write about training companies nor am i saying they are all bad. Im expressing my desire to show you another method.If you feel that no i still cant self-study then by all means i dont mind you going to training companies as alot of people have positive results.

The number one thing people say when they hear self-study is 'i cant do that'. Why not? Thats what you are going to be doing with certain companies. On your own with the material they sent you. Yes you can! I am living proof. September 2005 i unemployed and with just an in-house A+ certification now i got a job and working towards 2 Microsoft certification and learning Linux - all by myself, with no classroom attendence.. Im not a geek or freak just a normal guy who wants to make it in the tough world of IT the best way i can.

So you asking yourself now - ok great you learning with books you bought and doing all the hands on, BUT what if you get stuck, or confused or dont understand something? Well thats were *my tutors* come in. Yes i said tutors - not just one i have many maybe hundreds. From Australia to South Africa to the US to the UK -what am i talking about? Forums just like this one, we have been gifted with these and you should use them. If i need help I use them and i use them alot. Now that i have been helped i feel its my IT duty to help you guys out. Finding forums is easy, just use a search engine like www.google.com and type the technology associated with the word forum and you will see plenty of results! Talking of google thats another fantastic resource. Type your problem into google and you *will* find a solution! So can you can see you too can use these tutors and with time differences you will post and quite often get an answer with a short time! Did i mention they free????

Another question you are asking is where do you buy your books from, well have a look at this thread

Because this guide is more likely to be read by people starting out with IT certifications i will stick to the more common *entry-level* certifications and tell you what resources and material you will require and how to attain your certification.

Comptia A+ Certification

This seems to be the first certification people do or are recommended to do. From Comptia's website:

CompTIA A+ certification is an international industry credential that validates the knowledge of computer service technicians with the equivalent of 500 hours of hands-on experience. Major hardware and software vendors, distributors and resellers accept CompTIA A+ as the standard in foundation-level, vendor-neutral certification for service technicians. The exams cover a broad range of hardware and software technologies, but are not bound to any vendor-specific products.

The books that are recommended for this exam are:

A+ Certification All-in-one Exam Guide - £23.09
CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide, Deluxe Edition - £32.50

These seem to be the two main books used with the first being the most favoured. Its worth noting that the above books are for the A+ Objectives that came out in 2006/2007 and not for the 2003 objectives.

You might then want to get a book to revise from once you ready for the exam - just to solidfy information:

A+ Certification Exam Cram - £17.78 - It due out June 2007

Another book that will be very useful and is well worth getting is PC Technician Street Smarts: A Real World Guide to CompTIA A+ Skills - £13.19. Oh and this book is actually written by a member here on Certforums (Tripwire)

You might want to get a PC you can take to parts then put together and then use it for you OS exam. This can be picked up from computer fairs or from ebay for less than 100 pounds as you dont need anything fantastic.

Exam Fees - with Prometric:

£105.00 for the Core and £105 for the OS. This can be reduced if you can find exam vouchers from places like http://www.getcertify4less.com/ -buy finding bargin exam vouchers.

GRAND TOTAL FOR A+: ~£410 (exams included!)

Comptia Network+ Certification

The CompTIA Network+ certification is an international industry credential that validates the knowledge of networking professionals with at least nine months of experience in network support or administration or adequate academic training. A typical candidate would have CompTIA A+ certification or equivalent knowledge, but this is not a prerequisite.

Books:
Mike Meyers Network+ Certification All-in-one Exam Guide - £23.75

Network+ Study Guide - £21.11

Mike Meyers Network+ Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting Networks Lab Manual - £14.51

Total for Books: ~£38

I am afraid that due to my lack of knowledge about this certification I cant tell you exactly what you will need to do hands-on labs for it. But ill assume you will need £120 and im sorry if this is too little or too much!

Exam: This is very expensive infact the most expensive part, again from Prometric: £154

GRAND TOTAL: ~£312

Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician

Books:

70-271: Self-paced Training Kit: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Windows XP Operating System - £27.05

70-272: Self Paced Training Kit: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on Windows - £27.05

Total for Books: ~£55

You could well do with 2 PC's that can run Windows XP so about
~£200 for them - maybe less.

Exams: Will be £88 each so thats £176 - again from Prometric

TOTAL: ~£430 (will be alot less if you can find bargin PCs)

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

Books:
There seem to be many many books for the MCSE but i will show you the Microsoft Press ones as i feel the best books are often the ones from the exam publisher.

70-270: Installing,Configuring,& Administering Windows XP Professional - £27.05

70-290,70-291,70-293 and 70-294:MCSE Self Paced Training Kit: Windows Server 2003 Core Requirements - £81.51
A 2nd edition is out in June.

Now because of the different exams you can select ill choose these for you as an indication:

70-284: Implementing and Managing Exchange Server 2003 Training Kit - £27.05

70-298: Designing Security for a Windows Server 2003 Network: Training Kit - £26.59

Total for Books: ~£170

As for hands on you have 2 solutions:
Real PC's or Virtual Machines. For more information on virtual machines look at www.vmware.com
Now because of the hardware requirements of Server operating systems you will need some good PC's - atleast three real machines OR you could *beef up* or build another one PC for your virtual machines. Either way i think £500 should be fine.

Exams: Thats 7 exams at a cost of £88 each = £616 again with Prometric

GRAND TOTAL: ~£1500 and you will end up with a nice new PC!

Finally more and more people including myself are using Transcenders as a way of checking if you ready for the exam. They have practice questions and exams for nearly every certification. They are a little expensive but very worth it! These are extra and not needed if you cant afford them at the moment.

There we go. I have tried to break down the costs as best as i can. Prices will change so please take these as approximations. Exam prices are from the Prometric site for UK exams. Prices for the books from Amazon UK. As you can see you can get certified and learn for much cheaper. If i have left anything out please forgive me and i will try update them ASAP and in the future when i learn about other certification from others here add them too. I hope find this guide helpful and eye-opening and i wish you good luck in your quest for certification!

[Yorkie]

thanks alot great help

[nascimep]

Today I went to check on computing school where you can get all this exams A+(£590), N+(£900) and CNNA(£690) and He give me a discount, which I was to accept but I was think on do self-Study for the Microsoft exams and A+, so I refused it. Once more thanks for your tip, cause I really needed some type of incentive and this really help me to go for self study.
Thanks

[newbie23]

Thanks Zimbo!!
This has been great, a mate at work told me about this method and i thought it was ridiculous but i must say i'm converted thanks to your simple explanation!

I have been trawling the internet for a few weeks now thinking about doing a course in IT and after having a few sales people around from certain advertised companies i realised its what i really want to do although their courses sound like a con (as its alot of money to lay out at once) so what i'm going to is buy the first books you told us about and go from there! fingers crossed!

[bla]

I totally agree with u zimbo on the issue of self study coz some of the amounts being talked bout in the so-called schools are unrealistic.
I av bn trawling the net for some study materials and this TRANSCENDER idea caught my eye.
Would u recomend the transcender software as the main study material or its just good for revision only???

[Abs]

Thanks Zimbo

If it wasnt for people like you who post this info I would be in £8000 in debt doing mcsa, even though I have no experience. Thank god I had bad credit I they turned me down. I remember how sad I was that day.....thinking god why are you doing this to me. But after I found this forum I decided to go with the self study route and it's easier than I thought. You are saving desperate people like me a fortune........Thanks mate.

[tree]

Thanks for the info zimbo! I'd actually been thinking of studying for the A+ exams this year, but didn't have too much info about them so this was a great help. Think i'll go for the self study option as well. Thanks again!

[redredpoppy]

Thanks for that help Zimbo, it's much appreciated. I have been harrassed by Computeach that were asking around 1100 quids just for my first MCP. It's ok though, I can pay it back over a year, and it includes the exam!
Now I got the MS 70-270 book for 28 pounds, a bit cheaper!

[The One Free Man]

Zimbo,

thanks for the point in the right direction, I am going to self study, and I am going to pass, I will be using you zimbo for the cost effective way to do this course.

thanks

[ByeNari]

Thanks very much Zimbo - really useful...however...scenario...52 year old ...no certification but qualified to post-grad level (non-science)...teacher who is jacking it all in for...a new career in IT...entry level Comp A+...wants to self-study for it...but training Company offer recruitment as well as Training...can 52 year old self-study to A+ MCP MCTILLETERNITY and still secure employmet without help of recruitment consultant AND the essential Work Experience that precedesit. Would really appreciate advise as I'm banging my head...
Sent similar message to new members thread but as newbie myself - please excuse

[jimbo0282]

Cheers Zimbo!
Ive been looking for about a month now for the best affordable way to start and I.T. career. You have answered my prayers mate and i thank you for that. I didnt fancy spending thousands on a course for which i could do at my own pace for a mere fraction of the price, so cheers bud. Just got to find myself a cheap pc to work with.

[ppcsltd]

What a really well thought out and informative post. I work in the IT industry (also owned two computer shops at one point) for a local authority. And it is very difficult sometimes to get clear and precise information like this.

[Gediknight]

Great help this, I am only starting out in the IT ladder and at the moment have looked at various ways of doing the studying. At the moment the University of the West of Scotland are doing a deal for mature students, involving a 12 week MCDSL online study package, consisting of 2 exams. First exam is free and then you pay for the second at around £150.OO, don't know if you have to be registered as living in Scotland for this deal.

[Carty]

Great post and a very good help, thank you very much I'm half way through a Skills Train (Scheidegger) course so unfortunately its a bit late for me not to lose my money. £3500 i think iv paid, but atleast this post has shown me how to get into all other types of qualifications to improve my knowledge and CV

Thanks again (y)

[dotti]

Am just starting out and thankfully have found this forum before parting with some unecessary cash.....