Training Provider Vs Self Study

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This Poll has been created for positve and negative feed back on learning certs through Training Provider's or using the Self Study route.

Also feedback on if you obtained employment (such as full time, part time or even voluntary) though a Training Provider or obtain it after gaining a cert from self study.

The poll will be setup with multiple choice, because we all know at some point in life everyone has used Training providers and the self study route to learn their cert's!

 

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Ok - I know it's a lot of questions to answer but this is such a big area!

Anyway..You don't have to explain every question you selected on this poll. we just want to get some feedback!

I got my A+ through Self study, using Certforums (which to me it like a Training Provider) and though my experiences/knowledge and using CF also got my job!

 

I have gained my A+,N+,MCSA & MCSE through NITLC and they helped me gain employment.

Good experience.

 

I should say my "bad experience" was because the TP went bust and I lost my money. The trainer was ok though.

Work thing didn't really apply to me as I had my own business so was employing myself anyway

 

Cheers Mr Machfisto

Oh ..nuts! I just seen one of the questions I left off the poll and that was:-

Q) How long did it take you to get your cert/employment through a training provider?

After all that's the most popular question asked here - i blame it on the crispy bacon sandwhich i am just making! hhmmmmmm Bacon!

 

Why not add them to your profile via the CP ?

 

I suppose we can add it into the thread.

It took my 9 months to get into my first entry level job through NITLC from starting the course

 

Thanks UKDarkstar

The certs you obtain now? Were they achieved through self study or did you go with another training provider?

 

Blimey 9 months! did they get you the employment while still studying with them or did you do all the certs in 9 months? (seems a lot to revise in 9 months)

 

Blimey no

I achieved my A+ & N+ within the 9 months (with help of the workshops) and their recruitment girl helped me with my cv and put me in touch with local companies.

 

Pretty useless comments from me though
Self-studied, A+, MCDST and hopefully tomorrow successfully ITIL Foundation.
Found my jobs on my own also.

Considered TPs in the beginning until I spoke to a rep and found it was a sales pitch rather than anything else!

 

I would say that derkit! Thanks for your feed back.
After all this poll is not intended to slate Training Providers or even to flame anyone who has use them. There are 2 sides of the story and I think people should hear both sides before having an opinion on them!

Thanks for your input - I'm suprise GBL hasn't reply??

 

I voted that I did self study and that TPs are a waste of time, they may be fine if you have money to chuck around but most of us don't thats why self study is the way for me.

We have had 3 bad threads about peoples experience with advent this week, where people have been given inadequate material and so on.

This also another reason why self study is good, you can buy the latest materials and know that what you have is correct.

 

Oh good you are awake I was about to poke you with a stick to see if you were alive

Do you think all Tp's are a waste of time or just certain ones? (like the ones' you see on TV adverts)

:hhhmmm not sure about the last bit, unless you do research or ask a question here on CF how do you know if the latest books will help you to obtain the certs? I mean some books explain the course well others are hard to read and still can be the latest ones!

Also something everyone forgets (including me) is you still have to learn how to study, revise and take exams. I can't vouch for training providers, but I do know with self study, you have learn this long before you get your cert and buy books on how to study. i think that's what make self study so hard!!

Also there's the motivation factor how many threads have we had on here about that?

 

Another way of interpretting a Training Provider are the places that offer 3/5 day courses in ITIL/Prince/Microsoft/Cisco certs - a colleague of mine went on a Microsoft one (70-270) paid via work and he found it was more aimed at those who knew the subject and they wanted to swat up for the exam as it was really quickly ran through to make sure all the material was covered in 5 days, which by all description sounds similar to the way TPs do their classes.

Hearing information about the "other" TPs - it doesn't sound like these sorts of companies that are sold as one course for £x00 are that much different than those we slate so often here!

Assuming they are the same type of delivery, material etc. it may be financially worthwhile for people to instead hand £4k over at the start and watch the company bust/fail to deliver etc, they should pay £500/£1000 (or whatever it is) and do the courses one at a time at their own pace - 7 courses, maybe £7k, but at least in your own time, at your own pace with no-one behind you pushing just to pass the exam.

 

I have no doubt there will be some good training co's but if someone wanted to do a course I would tell them to look at their local college first as this is what I would do rather than go with a company who is more interested in taking you for as much as possible rather than helping you progress.

Obviously people need to learn to study or relearn how to as I did that is something a classroom has over self study. When you are at home studying there can be many distractions like your family the telephone but if you keep at the study then it is well worth it.

Classroom study keeps down the distractions as there are only other people to distract you.

Also with classes you can get bad teachers or you may not be intune with their particular teaching style so you may have a bad time learning and end up blaming the teacher when it is not his or her fault. With self study you can only blame yourself but an advantage of this is you have the chance to find your own learning pace and have all the time in the world. With a TP or college you do not.

 

Interesting point!

i found that on a boot camp, that it was an intense course that was really designed for people who already had the knowledge and experience but not the cert! That said I think some TP courses are over priced for the materails you get!

That last bit...no-one behind you push you?? That can be a downfall in self study. I find if you don't have this then you can't set yourself realistic targets and therefore forever putting off the exam!

 

Thanks GBL Good post - rep left

 

:hhhmmm some interesting votes

Somewhat curious about members who have had no experience with a training provider and yet voted Traing Providers are a waste of money?

How did you come to this conclusion?? By adding up how much the costs of the materials and exams were or form reading reviews?? Just curious, because the thread was created to covers all type of learning providers, besides the majority ones like Computeach or advent - which are considered long distance learning!

 

In a way i'm with GBL, i think TPs are a waste of time. I've looked at several over the years, from CERCo back in 93 to Advent recently. I also look at distant learning courses such as ICL (?). Some TPs send a sales rep and its all hard sell, telling you you can be a programmer with only 1 year on thier course and end up earning 40K but obly if you sign up to thier special offer now. Other make it look like its easy by making you sit a test a monkey can pass, that then encourages you to think, hey its not that difficult if i can pass that, without really knowing whats involved in teh subjects your lookin at studying.
Other still, use outdated material. And when i say outdated i mean by years. One lot i looked at, thier material was still covering Win2K and ME as the main OS! Nothing was more recent than about 5 years ago!

However, i'm not 100% for self study. It takes a lot to plan to study from books enough to pass an exam on your own. You need spare time, a good environment, as little to distract you as possible and above all, enough motivation to keep studying every night. And for soem, this just is not possible or there. Its easy to get distracted when you have wife and kids asking you to do things, or a Tv with that "realy important piece" you just got to watch. And self motivation can coem hard to many. (I'm one) its difficult to just sit down and say i'm going to read this chapter tonight, when its easier to just say, well i can do it tomorrow.

For me at least, the compromise is a classroom environment. I can study ina group. This measn i can ask questions if i dont understand something, bounce ideas and suggestions back and forth and have a dedicated time to study in. I also have targets that are clearly defined and deadlines that are set to achieve that i just cant put off. And yet if its part of a college course, i can also learn on my own, with homeowrk etc, knowing that if i'm wrong, i'll be corrected next tiem in class. But that all assumes you have access to a good college and that they do the courses you want. Most colleges will do the A+ N- and CISO CCNA but MS courses are rare (unless its office based) and the Web desgin courses tens to be basic (all this is based on part time courses). Of course soem colleges might do full time courses or day release, but its hard to do them if you work.

And the other factor between TPs, College and self study, is COST. While one is cheaper than the other, you may only get what you pay for, or in the worst cases get ripped off. Paying a few thousand to a TP is a big risk, if you dont reseach them first (lot of cons out there), while self study is cheap, but maybe not as effective. College courses fall inbetween. not as expensive as a Tp, not as cheap as self study. But at least you shouldnt be ripped off by the college, and youd have some support for study.

Well thats it for mr and i havent voted as i think you need an otion for college srudy not TPs. Apologies for the spelling, the g/fs in bed so im trying to type quietly and in teh dark (depite having a light up keyboard)