FOUNDATIONS v5 - Woo-hoo!

Discussion in 'CIW Certifications' started by dee1810, Mar 20, 2007.

  1. stuPeas

    stuPeas Megabyte Poster

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    Each exam should be self contained. However, the way they do it has its good, and bad points. The good point (of finishing all modules and then taking the exams), is that the later modules DO give you a better understanding of the earlier stuff, so when you come to take the earlier exams you should, in theory, have a better understanding of a concept than if you had only studied it once, in a previous module.

    The BAD point (and it has the possibility of being VERY BAD), is that the exam may be updated. This results in you having to go back and do a full module from scratch.

    A few of us have been unlucky enough for this to happen to us.
    When I started the CIW Website Design Manager with SkillsTrain, the foundations exam was Version 4. Now, If i could have taken the exam when i finished the foundations module, there would have been no problem. But, of course, they would not allow this. Subsequently, half way through section 2, I was informed that the foundations exam had changed, and that i would have to repeat the new foundations V5 modules (including ALL the Assignments). You can imagine how i felt!!!, Three big manuals would have to be done all-over-again.

    Some people may view my comments as "crying", however these are the OBJECTIVE FACTS of the matter.

    For the record, here are some more facts.

    • Skills Train ARE NOT "Self Study": Self Study is exactly what it says on the tin, study done on your own and not with a provider.

    • The answers to questions I have submitted through their webmail service have been worst than useless (its better to admit that you don't know something than to give an incorrect answer).

    • Phoning the tutors gives a reasonable answer to questions (the calls, however ARE NOT free).

    • Some of the tutors are WAY, WAY better than others (look on the website for the "tutor of the month" for an accurate guide), so don't be afraid to ask for a specific individual.

    • Using a forum (especially this one) will answer your questions both faster, and more accurately than using the tutors (try it if you don't believe me: ask the tutors for an explanation of something, then ask on the forum, and see which one helps you understand the best).

    • If you want to UNDERSTAND the material, and NOT JUST PASS THE EXAM, then the course "could" take quite allot longer than they say (of course, this will depend on; your previous experience, the rate that you are able to learn, and the amount of time you put in each day).

    • When the "Sales man" calls (trust me, this is what he really is, although they go under various names), they will assess your "suitability" for the course. Show them the money, and i bet you "become suitable" in under a second.

    This information is not just based on my experience, it is based on the posts of many, who all have the same story to tell.

    To sum-up, If you are lucky enough to find these forums BEFORE you sign anything, then way up your options CAREFULLY. Will you go on your own (self study) with the help of forums, books, and the MASSES of tutorials on the web?? (trust me here, there are more than you could ever need), or will you spend money on a training provider??

    At the end of the day, your choice MUST be based on your own research.

    Hope this helps someone.
    Stuart. :cry:
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronic, CIW Associate (v5).
    WIP: CIW (Website Design Manager)
  2. dee1810

    dee1810 Byte Poster

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    Of course, you are absolutely right, StuPeas.

    Personally, I wasn't 100% sure about the path that I was supposed to be on with Web Design/IT, but I had just had some really good training on Microsoft Office at the local Further Education college. I had gained level 2 City & Guilds Diplomas in Access/Word/Excel.

    I was "chuffed" with myself, as I hadn't got the confidence in 2000 to move the mouse on the mat, When friends with Internet experience were in the same room. :oops:
    What if I did it wrong!!! (Blimey, is that stupid, or what?)

    I felt that I needed a training provider. I wasn't sure which subjects I was supposed to study.. I just knew that I wanted to Learn. I also needed someone else there (tutors), it had to be "at my own pace", as I had a newborn baby. In other words, I needed support.
    It was expensive, yes, but I had help from my family.

    This is the reason I went with SkillsTrain (Scheidegger).
     
    Certifications: Foundations, Site Designer & JavaScript
    WIP: Server Admin, and Perl
  3. thecatsmother

    thecatsmother Byte Poster

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    Coming from someone who is further along on the course, and has seen this in action (though of course you haven't seen the exams) I appreciate your perspective on this stuPeas. I had already noticed that some topics are introduced and then picked up and expanded later, even within the same section of the course, so yes I see how that works. I can understand why doing them all at the end might be "recommended", but they seem to actually stop you from doing them until you've finished. That's the one part of all this I find unacceptable. Also, as someone who has some clients already (though mostly pro-bono), and who hopes to be completely self-employed by the time I finish, I'm a bit miffed that I don't get any of the other levels of certification as staging posts along the way. By the end, assuming successfully passing the exams, we will be entitled to CIW Associate, CIW Professional, and CIW Master status. I realise that my portfolio will be the major factor in attracting work, but still it would be nice to demonstrate that level of progress rather than suddenly qualifying for all 3. Of course, the order they do the sections precludes you from being a CIW Professional until you are also a CIW Master anyway, so I guess that's more of a niggle than outright unacceptable to me.
    If this sounds dead moany, it's not meant to be. I'm getting what I signed up for, apart from being told I would be sitting each exam at the end of each section, and I'm prepared to put the work in. So, I'll get there in the end. It was just a bit of a shock to discover I can't do the exams as I go along. One of the reasons I'm doing home study is having an illness which means I have to pace myself very carefully, so I'm not looking forward at all to having to prepare for 4 or 5 exams all at one time (depending on whether I sit the Foundations immediately I finish that Section, which I intend to do). Oh, well... back to the books!
     
    WIP: CIW Website Design Manager
  4. stuPeas

    stuPeas Megabyte Poster

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    Me to, although if I could have found a local college I would probably have given it a shot.

    And..No...your comments dont sound moaney, It has P..sed me off as well (the thought of having to revise sections that i completed 2yrs ago instead of taking the exam while it was still fresh in my mind).. It makes no sense!!!

    Unless its to drag out the time we are on the course, so they can justify the cost???
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronic, CIW Associate (v5).
    WIP: CIW (Website Design Manager)
  5. dee1810

    dee1810 Byte Poster

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    Just to Confirm..

    I finished the course last May (2006)..
     
    Certifications: Foundations, Site Designer & JavaScript
    WIP: Server Admin, and Perl
  6. stuPeas

    stuPeas Megabyte Poster

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    2006?... How come it takes so long before you can sit the exam??
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronic, CIW Associate (v5).
    WIP: CIW (Website Design Manager)
  7. dee1810

    dee1810 Byte Poster

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    This is exactly what I was told..and I'm urging you not to study like this....
    "Salesman" stated that this entire course (5 subjects) can be completed in nine months :ohmy
    This may be possible if you don't have any life at all. :dry
    I was told in 2003 that the National exams (this means the exams that Pearson Vue are currently running) who held "only" in October and February. (THIS ISN'T TRUE)
    The truth is that back in 2003, I wasn't really sure about who was running the exams; plus, it seemed so far away...
    Brief Timeline
    enrolled with Scheidegger in August 2003.
    Worked at my own pace - found the Web Languages to be very "hard".
    Got through all the TMAs, and then the CIW website stated Foundations and Site Designer are now "upgrading" to version 5.:(
    2005 - Did these sections again, and sent in my TMAs. After meeting some new friends on this site, the penny dropped that I could book a CIW exam, quite nearby.
    2006 - Finished all of the course, just as my baby started Nursery and I decided to return to work (part-time)
    2007 - I'm aimimg to get each of the exams, revised and passed before the end of this year
    2007 - I am now having to revise each book, again, and sit each exam individually, on the date that I choose, when I'm most comfortable.

    I have revised Foundations in 4 weeks, and passed with a high score.
    I'm now into Site Designer, and I'm planning to go for it at the end of May
    etc, etc

    Sorry for taking so long...
     
    Certifications: Foundations, Site Designer & JavaScript
    WIP: Server Admin, and Perl
  8. stuPeas

    stuPeas Megabyte Poster

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    So, let me get this straigh. Did you pick your exam dates, or did skillstrain tell you when and where the exams had to be taken.

    I think this information would be invaluable (especially to me).
    I would be very, very grateful if you could start a new thread on how it works.

    Are there ways you can book your own exams and still get skillstrain to pay??

    There is no way in hell that i will wait a year to take the exam after sudying for so long.

    Cheers Dee.....I had not given this stuff a second thought before now....You've opened my eyes, and with your help, maybe people could make a pre-emptive strike to avoid problems before they arrive.
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronic, CIW Associate (v5).
    WIP: CIW (Website Design Manager)
  9. dee1810

    dee1810 Byte Poster

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    I was wrongly told that the exams have to be sat bi-annually.. October and March.
    As time has moved on and my family-situations has changed - returned to work, moving house...boy at Nursery, I have "had" to put things on hold slightly.
    New plan:
    This Summer/Autumn is the time to get these exams sat and passed, hopefully.
    Foundation (last March)
    Site Designer (this June)
    JavaScript
    Perl
    Server Administrator

    are all planned before October this year.

    If I have to sit these exams "all together" like with hardly any time between them..I'm gonna fail...

    Bottom Line
    Go here:
    http://www.pearsonvue.co.uk/home/
    revise like mad and "go for it".

    Enrol with SkillsTrain, and have someone there to help if you get stuck...there to advise and mark the exams that happen in the course folders. These are just like tiny progress exams that give them an idea about what you are struggling with...
    I was worried that If I went to the local book shop, I would have the wrong course content.. don't forget about version 4 changing to version 5 (this happened to Foundations and Site Designer)

    Book the exams when you feel ready.
    SkillsTrain will and have paid for my exams, as it was included in the course fees.
    So easiest scenario: Buy the books on E-bay, and book the test and go for it.
     
    Certifications: Foundations, Site Designer & JavaScript
    WIP: Server Admin, and Perl
  10. stuPeas

    stuPeas Megabyte Poster

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    I,d put money on it that you pass!!
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronic, CIW Associate (v5).
    WIP: CIW (Website Design Manager)

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