Hywel - @dvent training

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Hello. I'm new to these forums and I have been looking for advice lately to a self study course known as the MCSA. I am choosing to do this with @dvent training and I have found that it costs 4000 pounds. Before I go further into it I'll give a backstory on my situation.

I have recently turned 18 and finished a one year diploma on introductory to IT @ work from my previous college. Since then I have been searching for employment with no luck whatsoever but I don't give up otherwise I would get nowhere in life. After searching for something that would allow me to show my potential, I came accross @dvent training.

Now I have phoned them and have gotten an advisor from them known as "Lindsey" and she told me about it in further detail.

After a quick weekend I had gotten a letter that said I have been accepted, but have 14 days to get back to them.

So here I am now, using the valuable time to do more research on them and get opinions from experienced people . I have a list of questions lined up for when I phone my advisor again. These are:

1. How many workshops will there be and how regular will they be, for example will there be one a month or more spread out ? (I will mention that I would be travelling from South Wales so would Advent contribute to any travel costs?)

2. Which employers within South Wales do Advent use. Also would they look to place me with an employer before I have passed all four exams or do you only try and place me once you have passed all the exams.

3. I have done some research on the web and I have a concern that even when I have passed the exams I may not be placed in a suitable job as I will not have any experience in that line of work.

4. Some of the web sites I have read suggest you would need to know A+ /Network+Certification as you will find it difficult to do the MCSA without this knowledge. Will you be covering this first before tackling the exams.

5. How much deposit do you need and when must all the fee (£4,000) be paid by.

This leads me to where I am now. I am still doing research and still looking for a job in IT whilst considering this. Any advice left would be a great help and I would appreciate it a lot. Thanks.

 

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Hi

I am doing the MCSE course with advent and i may be able to answer your questions.

1. There is roughly a two day work shop for every unit you do in their MSCA track there is 7 seperate 2 day workshop. I haven't been to any of them as i find it too far to travel for me. As far as i know they provide you with some food (not all i think i.e lunch) and i am sure they give you a room.

2. not sure who they work with, However they try to get you a job after your first qualification. Point to note i had to find my own job.

3. I also have the experience problem. The best thing to do is try to get into a first line support role. I work on an IT helpdesk. It's a good place to start as you deal with users and you start to get the feel of IT rather than get chucked in the deep end as it were.

4. CompTIA A+ is actually part of the MCSA course that advent provides. Like you i pretty much started from scratch. The trick i have found is to setup test systems at home to practise what your learning.

5. Advent also do different payment options. One of which is interest free. You don't have to put a deposit down as far as i can remember.

I do not want to sway you either way. However if i could turn back time i would have probably went for self study. It would work out cheaper and you wouldn't have that big debt if you did each course one bit at a time. On the other hand the support you get and the structure of the course is quite good in keeping you going.

If you think you have the discipline to self study i would go for that option. You always have this site for FREE advise.

I hope this advise is useful to you. Below is the course layout for MCSA with advent.

Ian

http://www.adventtraining.co.uk/it-courses/microsoft-certified-systems-administrator-(mcsa)/

 

My first question here is, have you considered a course of self-study? You would have to pay for your own books and probably some additional hardware and software (VMware, for instance, and the licenses for the relevant operating systems), but it would be a lot cheaper than what you are considering. There's plenty of knowledgeable people here to help if you have specific questions. Just a thought.

 

On looking back at what i said and reading what tripwire45 said. I would just like to change what i said here.

As if you were to go with Advent or go solo you would be self studying either way and would still need the discipline either way.

I would like to change this part to "If you think you can do it solo with the advise from websites like this (on what courses to do, help on how to study, help if you get stuck and anything else you get stuck with i.e taking exams) then you are better doing it yourself.

For me all that advent has provided me with is guidance on what exams to do, help when i got stuck and material for passing the exam, However as i have previously said you can get all this help for FREE here on this site and because no one will try to sell you anything on here they will give you their genuine opinion on whatever your asking about

If you struggle with self study. You maybe better doing a course which is instructor led. There is plenty about, But you would have to shop around see which one is good.

Ian

 

You should have gone to university, in my opinion a more constructive use of your time. + You gain a certificate for life which maybe more useful than the qualifications you will gain in Advent training. I also mention university due to alot now offering Internship Years/Years out in industry (sandwich degree). This gives you the foot in the door you need + money and a year of experience before you go back to finish you final year.

Alot of people then go on to base their dissertations on something in their year out and go on to work for the company they worked for when graduating. Alot of my mates worked for bluechip companies as well such as Oracle, Microsoft, Intel, J.P. Morgan, google which all look spot on, on your CV.

Anyway all the best!

-Always self study, unless somebody else is paying for your course!!