Problems with IT Skills Wales

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Me again,

Still looking at training companies, has anyone come accross 'IT Skills' in wales?

My uncle is one their courses and he is having problems with the support tutors. I was thinking of using them, but he says they don't answer the phone most of the time?

Anyone else having the same problem..or is my uncle on his last pint.

poopy

 

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Hi,
I had a narrow escape from IT Skills South West. The IT Skills Group is split into areas of the UK, but all part of the same group. I was going to do my MCSE with them. I did some research after the bloke came round. (That's how I found Certforums) IT Skills were only offering the 2000 track MCSE. After two minutes at the Microsoft website I discovered that the 2003 was the latest MCSE route. The IT industry moves so fast I didn't want to commit to a course that would be well out of date by the time I finished it. The other thing that worried me a bit about them was the fact that I could not find them or their parent company in the list of Microsoft Partners at Microsoft.com. I went for a different training provider in the end, and am happy I did. This is just my personal opinion, but you can get more for your money from some other training providers and more up to date courses.

 

Greetings Earthlings.

Yea, they are in different parts of the country. I steer clear of anyone I can't find information on.

I do know that the support is poor through locees on past forums. I think a few people said they could't get a reply when they phoned in.

Santa is in da house!

Rapiod

 

Yes I'm doing the 2 2003 upgrade exams once i've nailed my 2000 MCSE!!!

 

Unless you are a an experienced engineer then without doubt the best track for the MCSE is the 2000 route. The problem with the 2003 route is it assumes that you have certain knowledge already. Also most of industry are using 2000 and i cannot see them upgrading to 2003 when longhorn is just round the corner.
You can always upgrade your 2000 course with the upgrade exams

 

err thats absolute nonsense
the 2003 track expects you to have no more a previous grounding than the 2000 track
and the ammount of basic stuff i have had to go over again for the 2003 exams confirms this

also all but the largest of enterprises have the ability to move, and have started, smaller ones are already there, Longhorn server is a good few years off, and alot of people want the added security and stability of 2k3 server, as for the larger ones, most of them havnt even moved from NT4/Netware yet, its just too vast a project to concieve (this is at the server side not the client side)


remember, a 2k3 engineer can generally administrate a 2000 domain, the same is not always the case visa versa

you can indeed take the upgrade exams, but i'd advise anyone just 'starting' out to take up the current technology not the 5 year old technology, good luck to all

 

Ok if we really want to get down to it there are modules in the 2003 course which take for granted that you have knowledge of the active directory in 2000.

Also alot of the 2003 course is to do with upgrading 2000. Its all very well learning the updates but only with good knowledge of what your updating.

If you only do the 2003 track you will have gaps in your knowledge

I also know on good authority that Longhorn is only approx i year away

 

Your thinking of longhorn the client
not the formally codenamed blackcomb server (renamed longhorn server)

I'd say that the 2k3 exams want you to understand NT4 more than 2k, being that MS designed them to be specifically upgradable from NT4, as they are trying to get rid of alot of NT4 installations, this coupled with the fact that NT4 no longer has support has caused alot of companies to get a move on, most of them moving straight to 2k3 now rather than 2k

Whilst the exams may well cover a bit about 2k domains, and thier primary differences with 2k3 domains, its hardly a requirement to have a 2k MCSE/MCP to get through it, and any 2k knowledge required is clearly pointed out in the appropriate books

Obviously the best advice to anyone is to have a lap setup with multiple operating systems to really get a grasp of things, learn inter version domain trusts, etc etc, and a good student will no this

just saying its not really best to advise people to take up a 2k mcse when its not the current trend
also, bearing in mind the timescale it takes to achieve one of these, microsoft may well have discontinued the 2k mcse before many finish if starting out now

 

Yeah, and thats why there is an exhaustive intro to active directory in the MCP Server OS books???

So i wonder how I got through my 2000 MCPs and my post MCP working life without knowing diddly squat about NT4??? Hmm

Yeah I did the 2000 MCP track, I've got huge gaps in my knowledge with regards to NT4...but hey I have common sense, is that the gap in your knowledge by any chance???

Is that the same good authority you used for your "rumours" on various traing companies?? I suspect it is the Google search engine! 1 year to M$ is not strictly 1 year to us mere mortals!

 

I take it by the way that you try to pull anyone down who disagree's with your opinion that you already have a really well paid job working in IT.

most of the jobs are in 2000, who would you employ a person on the 2000 track who will then upgrade. or a person on the 2003 track.

Remember this forum is to give advice and guidence, not to pull each other to pieces.

Also I have not attacked any training organisations, i am simply trying to point out the kind of questions that you should ask of any organisation before you sign on the dotted line

 

You all might want to keep this in mind:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1788840,00.asp

 

The grammer of the above statement is poor and doesn't make any sense?

MCSEs in 2000 and 2003 aren't just about M$ products, they also cover the nutruel aspects of networking, such as DHCP, DNS, PKI, TCP/IP, WINS, various RFCs, Security, LDAP based directory services etc etc...

A lot of jobs are in netware too, I know a few people with MCSE's in 2000 that work in Netware enviroments! I'm doing an MCSE to prove that I understand networking concepts, just like the way someone does a University degree to prove that they can think academically! I don't and never have hoped to have a M$ 2000 only job. By the way, I work with NT4, Netware, 2000 and 2003!!!

You are foolish to make generalisations on what employers want! One person cannot possibly sum up the job market!

Are you on drugs? I don't think you are in any position to tell me what this forum is for! Take a look through your past posts and people's responses to them!

You appeared on these forums spouting unsubstantiated garbage about well known training organisations, that is what you call a verbal attack!

Whilst appreciated, they're better ways of pointing out "the kind of questions people should ask". You waded in in a very "matter of fact" and confrontational manner. A manner that I find offensive! I can only assume that my forum collegues would feel the same too!

 

You assume correctly d_d, I also find Kes123's posts to be quite annoying.

 

You guys may find kes post annoying. However we are all adults here that can debate a subject without attacking each other. Professionals prove their points with intelligant conversations. I Know you guys are pro's so why don't you attack the subjects instead of each other?Hummm?

 

You are so right Mitzs, but the essence of debate stems around proving your point with substantiated facts, and no small amount of courtesy.

The Members of CF have always abided by this philosphy - that of fairness, spirited discussion and community sharing, and I can imagine that we're not alone in that.

 

Once again I am attacked by certain members this time on my grammar. i am really sorry but i did not realise that i had jopined a forum to discuss English. Sometimes when we type we hit the wrong key. so sorry to offend and annoy certain people.

I have found in life that we can really only offend certain types of people.
people who we know are really right but we dont want to agree with.
And people who maybe have unbiased opinions for some reason or another.
The fact still remains that there are more jobs in the industry in 2000 than there are in 2003.
So why not be qualified in both as to be qualified in just one.

its not rocket science, and yes it is only my opinion, but the whole point of a debate is to back up your opinions by true facts.

You seem to totally disagree with me, so you must be saying that you have this fantastic high payed job in IT through doing a 2003 MCSE, and if you were an employee running a 2000 system that you would opt for a person with a 2003 MCSE and not the person with the 2000 one.

I am really sorry to answer back in this way but by the way that you seem to trying to pull me down all the time that you maybe should be looking at going back to school and learning some kind of manners instead of doing an MCSE.

Or could it just be the case that you work for one of the training organisations and that is why you stick up for them all.

 

Sorry that should have read people who have biased opinions for some reason or other, before you pull me up again on my grammar

 

I do agree with what your saying Mitzs, however, too many people are putting us cert chasers down!

Ever since I started the MCSE all I've heard from certain types is "it's worth nothing", "it won't get you anywhere", "anyone can do it, "what a waste of money", "even a toilet cleaner can do it", "MCSEs get minimum wage"...oh my god the comments are endless!! When I hear this bull I fight it, cos in my opinion it's worth a lot! Anyone who attacks it in the manner that we have all witnessed will get zero tolerence from me!

The most important thing this MCSE course has given me is the ability to spot a bullsh*tter and believe me there is plenty of them in IT! I really do chuckle to myself when I hear "experts" with "years" of "experience" talk complete crap about why certain things happen! I have worked with "experts" that will argue till they're blue in the face that Active Directory can run with WINS only e.g. "We don't need to rename our domain, the 8 letter netbios name will be fine. DNS is for the Internet, we'll just upgrade an NT BDC to a 2000 BDC and see what happens"...I mean wtf??? And these are experts? However, when the sh*t hits the fan they normally vanish with "stress" related illness while the overpaid consultants pick up the pieces!

So whats my point? Well I don't really have one! I just have to make a stand for the majority of us that have invested in our futures. For 4 grand my future looks bright, i'm glad I chose NITLC as my provider because without them i'd still be on my A+, it was the right choice and I wasn't "mad" as Kes said to pay that money...I can be adult about things but it was Kes that set the tone!

Babbling over...thanks for reading!

 

Me and a good fried of mine recentlly had problems with it skills skills south east. The problem isn't with what they gave us (coursework and support was 90%) . the problem lay with the the new managemet that was put i place while we were doing the 2000 mcse course. Some 60 YEAR OLD misarable git who knew about as much as my dead goldfish had been put i charge. We had no problem talking to people before he was involved,but after no chance , he should have just told us to go \&*&& ourslevelses, which i think he did twice. Anyway I know i soud bias as we had probs, but if they don't employ him any more then go for it .A good company,but a bad employee.

 

Drum, first I just want to say that you rock in my book! I understand your exasperation and where you are coming from. I was not chosen any sides. My point was that I know you guys are professional enough to put someone in their place while proving your point without sinking to their level. There more than 1 way to skin a cat my new friend. I hope you understand what I was saying now and meant no hard feelings toward anyone. I hope now if this is straighten up that you guys will allow me to stay and play.