Learning Help?

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hi all,

i want to start a career in IT but as far as i can tell all the big training companys cost a lot of ££££
i found a company called [i]link removed by admin[/i] and theyve offered me the MCDST course online for £199 and was just wondering if anyone has heard of this company? Any feedback would be a great help.
Thanks in advance

 

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One basic rule is 'You get what you pay for'.

If you truely want to save money why not go for self study?

Then you aren't paying anybody for 'training'.

Harry.

 

Hi Welcome

One rule I live by is 'if you self study, you can't get ripped off'

A lot of these training companies offer certifications that are far beyond peoples experience level, they also charge you lots of money and sometime give you inadequate material or material that allows you to cheat in the exams.

You should ask your self 'what is my experience level?', Do I have the correct amount of experience and knowledge to attempt this cert? and 'why should I pay someone money when I can get the reccomended reading material for 3 quarters of the price they are going to charge and study on my own'.

Good luck with what you decide.

 

While most people on this forum recommend self study, there are some people for whom instructor-led training works best. That being said, as the others have noted, you usually get what you pay for. This is your career you're talking about, so going with the cheapest provider may not be best, nor is going with the most expensive provider always the best solution. Since you are just starting out, what I would suggest is going after the A+ certification. Before paying for classes, I would recommend picking up the Mike Meyer's All in One book and seeing how you do on the practice questions included in the book. If self study doesn't work out for you, then maybe someone else on the forum can recommend a quality, reputable place. I don't live in the UK, so I don't have any recommendations for training providers over there.

 

Sorry Mike, but in this case, I'm going to "shoot first and ask questions later". I noticed that of the three posts of yours here at CF, two mention this training provider and one of them has already been removed from the public forums. Unfortunately, the sort of query you posted is often used as a ploy to spam forums such as ours with the URL of a training provider. If your question and the posting of the provider's URL was made in all innocence, I apologize, but this sort of thing happens quite often.

Please feel free to ask about my actions further either by responding in this thread or sending me a PM.

-Trip

 

hi, im sorry i had no idea i wont type any adresses in again i was just worried i might be part of a scam.
I think i could handle the MCDST quite easily as i have an excellent knowledge on computers and windows xp. I find it hard to concentrate when reading books thats why id prefer the online training. Sorry for any inconvienience.

 

If you can read books, your going to have a *hard* time in the world of IT. Perhaps look at the CBTNuggets or something, but even then, your going to have to use books at some point!

 

nX is right (except he likely meant "can't read books", considering your previous post). You won't have a training course laid out for you with everything you do in IT... and neither you nor future employers are going to want to pay hundreds for a video-based or classroom-based training course for every technology you need to study.

Best of luck to you!

 

What BM says is correct I have just applied for a job where the company says it will help employees gain certifications this means they may help towards exam costs or books but in the end it'll still be down to me to read those books and study.

I just hope I get it.

 

I think what mike2512 meant was reading isn't the best way to learn for him (her?).

The thing to know is the world of IT is constantly changing, meaning learning/studying must happen all the time - not just when you're on course. New technologies change the playing field and as an IT professional we need to know...

I read approximately 8-10 hardcopy IT publications per month (doesn’t include softcopy publications or general news). I'll read during my morning/evening commute, before bed, slow time at the office. etc... I might be an exception because I enjoy the tech world as well as the business world (as it applies to IT).

 

No worries. It's part of the nature of this form of communication. There are just too many spammers out there who want free advertising and have all kinds of ploys in their "bag of tricks".

I can't add much to what the others have said except that you'll probably need to have a variety of training methods at your disposal, including books. Just about every person in IT I know worth their salt has an extensive library of books they use as reference. In addition, they consult their co-workers about solving problems and use online resources (Google is your friend) when they get in a jam.

When I'm trying to learn from a book or other print matter, I usually have the info propped up next to the computer I'm working on since very often, I'm doing something "hands on", so it's not just a matter of sitting in your office or den and reading a book like a novel. Toggling back and forth between the resource and the task at hand tends to make things more interesting.

Good luck.

-Trip

 

Yes, but nX's point is still valid; if you don't learn well through reading, you'll likely have a tough time in IT, where classroom and video-based training courses aren't liberally handed out to employees.

I can't begin to count the number of things I've learned while reading and reading and READING (and reading) through endless pages of Google searches while trying to come up with the answer to a problem. This is learning through reading... and if that's difficult... well, then, that's potentially a career limiter.

Only advice I can give is... if you're not good at studying through reading... make an attempt to become good at it, because the material doesn't get any easier.

 

-Fully agreed…
That was the point I was trying to make with the publications thing. An IT professional can’t get away without reading (whether its IT news or training material). Maybe the example wasn’t very good or complete .

 

So do I mate, you deserve it!

- Alex

 

cheers

 

No worries! I'm sure you've already informed the forum of what type of role you've applied for etc. Sadly, due to my hectic schedule, I'm not often around to view fellow member's posts. Where's the job based and what would you be doing?

I really, really hope you get it mate. You often describe yourself as being a "newbie", in terms of official IT experience maybe you are, but you're far more "in the know" than several people I've met that have been working in the field for years!

- Alex

 

Thanks for those kind words, I haven't properly mentioned it on the board yet. I am waiting to see if I get a reply or interview.

Its based in Wakefiled near Leeds doing 1st line support the company wants someone who they can train up certwise and do external courses and eventually progress within the company. In return they want someone who will be commited so they can protect their investments in the training they are giving and it also pays very well.

I expect there will be a long line of candidates for a position like that so I can only hope, anyway must go to the curry shop for my tea will be back later

 

Good luck to you, gbl!

 

He learns quite well, doesn't he? Props, GBL.