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Hey folks,

Iv stumbled across this forum and thought id say hello as iv got some interesting information from it.

Im looking to train in an MCSE and having been approuched by a training company that got hold of my CV and needed an answer by tomorow (1day basically to decide? hmm abit iffy) i decided to do some research and thats landed me here.

The company in question is computrain-uk.com

Funny thing is and this has lead me to a strange revelation - About a month ago i had ITfuturesonline.com contact me and wanting to put money down which i almost did but they wanted one lump sum for the course and that was too much for me and i needed flexibility so i declined.
Now this Computrain-uk.com has contacted me offering an MCSE and actually offers flexibility in payment which i find abit of a coincidence? Maybe a scam run by one and the same group?

I went along with it at the time and agreed to decide by tomorow but having come across here its all clicked in my head that its abit of a coincidence....

Anyone here ever trained with either of these two? a quick search reveals very little apart from a few approuches people have had by them but no responces since....

Also has anyone got any advice on which training providers are actually credible? Also how anyone thats trained themselves went about it ? any advice would be great as i do want to look into an MCSE.

Thanks for your time,

-Q-ball

 

Hi Welcome to CF

That does look dodgy.

Microsoft recommend that you have one years REAL WORK EXPERIENCE in adminstering desktop and networked operating systems before attempting the MCSE but companies like the ones you have mentioned wont tell you that, all they want is your cash.

If you have a search on CF you find a few threads were people have gotten MCSE but do not have the experience so employers do not consider them for jobs.

If you are a newbie to IT or have no real world experience you should look at compTIA A+ for your first certification.

 

Hey there sparky,

Apart from doing IT at GCSE (grade B) I never went down that path, i studied business studies but thats boring.
Im fairly computer literate, i build computers as a hobby (built my current one and my brothers) but thats just a hobby and one of the main reasons i want to go into it.

They said they were rounding up all their candidates for next years program and they are closing for christmas so wont be able to accept any more after tomorow. I was very tempted but there was this nagging in my head that made me a cynic and thats lead me here.

The more i think about it, the more fishy it sounds to be honest?

Hindsight is always 20/20 i guess and it does seem abit off o_O

Q-ball

 

You should definetly not do MCSE then, even if you do build computers for a hobby the MCSE is for proffessional with experience.

Just to add you do not have to pay a company to get IT certs you can do these by self study

 

thanks for the advice guys, il follow my instincts and steer clear, il opt to do it by self-study. Question is, where do i start with CompTIA and A+?

Just a few questions about them:

What do they cover? Where can i get good materials to learn for them? Where can i signup for the Certified exams?

Sorry for being such a pest with these questions :S

-Qball

 

No need to apologise mate thats why we are here, to disscuss certs and help (thats why I'm here anyway)

compTIA A+ is a certification for people looking to get entry level employment heres a link to compTIA website http://certification.comptia.org/a/

The best books to get for the A+ are compTIA A+ all in one exam guide by Mike Meyers and PC Technician street smarts by Jame Pyles (Tripwire 45 on CF).

There are four exams you can take, one is mandatory which is 220-601 essentials and either 220-602, 220-603 or 220-604 most people do 220-602 IT technician exam after the 220-601.

When you are confident with the material in the two books (the Mike Meyers one comes with practice exams) you book with either prometric or pearson vue on their websites the two exams are 110 each and can be taken when ever you want.

In addition to the practice exams you get with the Mike Meyers book I would recommend getting some other practice exam software from preplogic or if Boson would hurry up and make one get theirs.

 

wow great advice! thanks guys! im actually quite glad i stumbled across this site, its proving to be a goldmine for info !

Iv been looking to break into IT for a while but had no idea where to start, Il start with those two then!

Il reject the companys offer tomorow and say its because i need the cash at the moment but maybe in a few months - il be keen to see if i get another offer from another so called company this way?

Hmm...

Anyways, thanks for the advice and a warm welcome

 

don't say you'll get back to them or they will badger you, just politley tell them to **** off

 

I'd agree with what GBL said. Telling one of these shady companies what you're going to tell them is a sure way to get constantly harassed by high pressure salesmen. But, if you get a kick out messing with them, I guess that's your prerogative. I simply wouldn't want the aggravation, but I do understand wanting to get a little revenge and messing with their minds....

 

Patience, Padawan... quality takes time to craft.

 

Welcome!

I agree with what's been said... they're telling you there's "one day left to decide" because they want to pressure you into signing on the dotted line so they are clear to move to the next "victim". If they were more focused on your career rather than trying to put their hands in your pockets, they'd tell you the truth: someone without experience shouldn't be pursuing the MCSE.

Start looking for entry-level IT jobs NOW while pursuing your A+ (I agree with the Meyers' and Pyles' book recommendations). If you get the A+ before you find a job, add it to your CV and keep looking. If you are interested, continue studying by pursuing the Network+ and/or MCDST certifications. At that point, you're well-certified for an entry-level job... anything past that would make you overcertified for your experience level.

Again, welcome! I'm glad you found us!

 

ha lol I expect good things

 

just thought id say ive recently been in the exact same position as the person who posted about computrain-uk i told them a few details and paid £10 to agree to sign up with them theyve sent me a contract to sign but it all sounds to pushy for my liking so i wont be going ahead, glad i found this website i too will be taking the self train steps instead of paying the £2750 they're asking.

 

I too have recently been approached by computrain to go on a training course.
The way they sold it to me was they had these clients with jobs to be filled
that had sat empty for the past 6months because they couldn't find people
with the right skill set. So the idea is, if you meet their criteria and accept
to go on this course, you've already got the job in the bag.....you don't know
who the job is with though...You pay £2750 for the course...then extra for the
actual exam..and only then will they tell you who the job is with, and this is all
for the confidentiality of the client.
So let me get this straight...you want me to pay out over 3 grand and spend 6months
on this correspondence course for the promise of a job and i don't even know who
its going to be with? I'm expect to pay this money purely on trust?
The answer:yup.
My answer:khhhhhh...you're braking up....kshhhhhhh....*click*

 

...meaning, you can pay £2750 for the course... heh!

 

See it's ridiculous how these training providers mislead people. I guess someone's got to make money even though it puts the consumer in debt and without a guarantee of a job.

 

Hi Q-Ball,

When I started out in IT about 14 years ago I was sent on a few courses at LearningTree and they were really good for this CompTIA and A+ type of courses.

There is another company which is highly reputable but it kept been taken over - at one stage it was LANDIS and then it got taken over by PowerED but now I think it's been taken over again.

Anyway, good luck on your Quest!

Nick