It Has Arrived.....

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The first set of study materials for my TSE course with NITLC arrived yesterday. I have been looking forward to it !! I spent a bit of time looking through the manuals etc. They look very professional. I read the introduction manual, now I am about to start reading the 'Introduction to Personal Computers' Manual. This is a kind of foundation block, to ensure all students have the basics down before progression on to the first certification, the A+. Stuff I received in my first study pack include, Microsoft Press Computer Dictionary, Manual Stand, Student Data CD, Introduction Manual, 5 Manuals covering Introduction to PC's, Windows XP, Introduction to the Internet etc. The only minor niggle I have so far is the introduction manual covers using WinZip to compress projects or whatever to submit to NITLC. They include WinZip on the student CD, but it is version 7.0. WinZip is currently on version 9.0. The NITLC website had version 8.0, so I downloaded it and installed it. Turns out its only a trial. A full copy would have been nice, but like I say, only a minor niggle, It certainly wont stop me from getting into reading all the stuff they sent. I tend to prefer the 7-Zip file manager anyway, its free and has a useful 'Extract Here' option on the right click menu. The manuals look really professional, I will let you know how they are after I read a couple of them. So all in all, so far I am pleased with my choice of learning provider. I am going to get stuck-in to some study. This is all pretty new to me, study.... I hope I am always this enthusiastic about it !

 

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Great news, NightWalker - I remember that day well when the first pack arrived. I found it kinda daunting, but once I got started, it was plain sailing. Shame I never went all the way with it ....

Good luck, and keep us posted on your progress

 

Rock on, Nightwalker! New stuff is great. I'm always thrilled when I begin a new project. Everything seems like an adventure. Then two weeks later, I'm bogged down in the details and wondering how I ever got myself into such a mess.

jk

Like Gav said, keep us posted as to your progress.

 

Sounds like a great course, but I read on another forum that apparantly no one has ever completed the course since they have been running it

 

hey kes123, great post and also saying the same thing in your other 4. Are you trying to tell us something

 

SOUNDS like you're one of them!

 

I sincerely hope that this is NOT the case !

 

What's up Kes123, post a link to this other forum, lets see the context that comment was made in. I am going to go out on a limb a bit here, because to me it sounds like you have had a bad experience with NITLC. Were you a student with them, Were you not happy with your course materials, did you not get the support you were expecting. If it is a problem you have with NITLC, why not tell us what's eating you. Folk here are more than happy to offer advice or assistance. Your posts are all based on what you heard, or what you read, no real facts. I have had no problem with NITLC or their course materials so far. I have just received my stage two course materials. Two more of NITLC's manuals and a whopping great hard back Meyers A+ book. Your comment about nobody actually finishing the course, well, I don't believe you. Taken one step at a time, reading all the supplied books and manuals, sitting all the assessments and exams, using the support tutors when necessary, there is absolutely no reason why one would fail to complete the course and gain all the certifications they studied for. If your posts are a cryptic way of asking for help, swallow your pride and ask. If not, and you are just trying to stir some up, you may as well move along to some place else.

 

Nightwalker - I don't think there's a single Member, including staff, that could have made that point more eloquently. Thank you for doing so, well done, and I'm glad we have you among our numbers.

 

Well said Nightwalker!

But being the cynic that I am (Gav can concur), I reckon that Kes123 is that over-enthusiastic employee from a certain training company that begins with "S". You know the one? The writing style is so similar! lol! But it's good to see that this is the only attack on NITLC...

Of course this is just MY opinion...

Sacha

 

Couldn't possibly comment, D_d, but I'm glad to know that we have an educated Membership that wouldn't stoop to the same tricks

 

Well said NightWalker, I agree with Gav on that one, written like a true pro.

Buy that man a beer.

*VB toss* comin at ya!!

 

I couldn't agree more with you Jak. Nightwalker, how well can you write in legal jargon?

I wouldn't quite say that, more like a healthy balanced viewpoint of life's realities.

 

Thanks guys.
After reading some more of Kes123's posts today it seems he is still on a path to try and wind up people here. The story about Longhorn being just a year away and the 'fact' that a 2003 MCSE leaves great gaps in your knowledge blah blah blah. Sounds very much like a story I heard from a rep from one of the other training providers I looked at before making my final decision. If someone started a 2000 track MCSE now, in two years when the course was completed the software would be 7 years old. That would be like finishing a Windows 98 course about now. In a fast moving industry like the IT industry, constantly updating your knowledge is part of the territory. To get a head start I think it would be advisable to go for the most recent courses available when you sign up. Kes123, you say you are going to buy the books and self study. According to you 90% of distance learners never finish their course. How many self study attempts go unfinished ? I would be willing to bet its higher than the figure for distance learning. It can be done, but without proper structure to the course and the added benefits that a training provider can give, it would require as much knowledge of teaching as it would IT. I'm not a plumber, I could probably fix a leaky pipe, but it wont be as good a job as a skilled tradesman. If you are not a teacher, you can self study, but to do the job right a course structure designed by teachers would be far better. By not knowing what direction and in which order to study materials, I think there is a very real potential for gaps in your knowledge. A qualification doesn't make an expert, a sound and rounded knowledge of the subject makes an expert.

 

Nightwalker...your just too good! Great motivational post mate!

Nugget, cynic_dude...lol! I like!!!

Cheers

Sacha

 

I feel a comment from Kes123 coming...wait for it

 

Hi all. Ok first of all let me make it known that i do not work for a training organisation and I am not calling any individual company, but the fact remains how many of you guys who are studying the TSE course with NITLC asked them how many students had actually finnished that course since it was first introduced. the fact also remains that the first part of the course is photocopied manuals. the A+ is the myers manual, just like the network +. the MCSE is just the Microsoft press books. the Cisco course is just the press book. its all only books that you can buy froma book shop. what are you actually paying for. obviously the support which if you look aroun you can get for nothing. these companies can show you as many testomomials as they like but the fact remains through the years they have had many students, but not that many go onto get jobs.
Also as you probably all know the exams for the 2003 track have changed to practical exams since march. lets see how your books work.
when you pay for these courses have you noticed how you pay for all the exams upfront. that is because most people never get to sit them and so that is extra profit for the company.
Find a local college, its much cheaper or try it on your own before you end up with a CDL debt that you will regret

 

LOL...

Kes123, you seem to have quite an intimate knowledge of the course materials provided on a NITLC TSE course. If you are not a student of theirs, or haven't ever worked for them, how do you know exactly what is and is not provided ?

How do you know how many people go on to get jobs ? The 'fact' is, that regardless of who you study with, a college, distance training provider or self study, you have the same chances of getting a job in IT. Once you attain your certification a prospective employer is not going to be to bothered how you got it, he will be more interested in you, will you fit into his company, do you have the relevant skills and experience etc. When I signed up for my course I was told that the recruitment section will help me find a job. The main word here is 'help'. No one is going to get a job handed to them. It is still up to the individual to sell himself and attain the job in the same way you would attain any job. The recruitment section help the student prepare a decent CV, practice interview techniques etc to give you the best possible chance at getting that all important first job. After you finish a self study course you will be in exactly the same position with regards to looking for your first IT job, you just wont have the assistance and experience of a dedicated recruitment advisor to help point you in the right direction. What you are buying from a training provider is far more than some books and manuals. I think you are just seeing the cost of the course as the face value of the money. Maybe you are the sort of person that would rather buy a £150 tv set from Argos rather than a £1000 Sony bad boy widescreen, after all, they do the same job. There is more to life than just money, there is more to a course than just how much it costs. The physical books are what you can see and touch, the real value comes from the things you cant touch, but help in so many ways to make the experience of learning, getting qualified and obtaining a job so much more enjoyable.

It is a requirement of an NITLC TSE course to have two computers networked together. After reading the relevant Server 2003 manuals and gaining a good sound knowledge of the background principles, the actual software and networking, a simple download of a trial copy of the 2003 software from Microsoft and hey presto you have a fully functional server and client network in order to gain the all important hands on experience. So the books will work just fine, and the well thought out course and its requirements will also work just fine to provide all the skills needed, not just to pass the exam, but to succeed in an IT job and not end up like one of the 'experts' drum_dude has had the displeasure of working with.