Ive been thinking about this for sometime now. I would like to know what you people think about this situation.
About a little over a year ago I took classes for Microsoft Certification ,dropped a good amount of dough to take these classes for networking ,windows 2000 and the like. But in my opinion the instructors sucked(for the most part, there were one or two that really knew there stuff).

Basically they followed the manuals word form word.But didnt know how to explain the whole process any other way. It reminded me of past college and high school teachers who didnt know how to teach,just follow instructions from a book on material they were given to teach.If you didnt understand the way the book explained it,they couldnt explain it any other way,you were screwed!

I really didnt learn all that much and feel a bit pissed off that I even wasted my time with. I think I have decent computer skills but wanted to take alot farther.This whole situation makes me feel..stuck.
Any advice on what to do or where to go from here would be much appreciated!

Thanks for listening.
MM :(

Sounds suspiciously like my last 2 years...

Frankly said, I really don´t know what to think of these Microsoft Certifications.
On the one side, it´s always good to pile up on every certification you can get, on the other hand, I can´t really see the use in these special ones unless you want to move to Seattle now. ;)

It´s bad that so many things are going wrong in adult education...I´ve spent the last 21 months on a job training to become a media designer, and a few months after classes started the feelings condensed that I won´t get the optimal training. An example - we spent almost 3 months in the basics of the PC usage, since some of the folks in our class had never worked with a computer before. That wouldn´t have been bad, but with all the stuff which was laying before us, they should have been more selective on the choice. It ended up that after we returned from the 6-month practical course, the really important stuff was crammed into the last 4 months before the exams which were pretty tough by the way. I´ve lived the last 4 weeks before the final exams only on cigarettes and energy drinks, slept maybe 2-3 hours per night...and luckily, I´ve passed.

Since you haven´t mentioned your desired job career, it´s a bit difficult to say how to continue. If you can allow, you may try out a half-time job and keep on your studies at another school, or go for college - there are many paths to follow.
I´m sure that the fellow xchangers here have better tips for you, I guess that they will kick in with better advices soon.

Yeah! I've been down that road also. The company I work for pays for me to take those classes. Some of them have been great. Others (like the ones you mentioned) were mostly worthless. I could have gotten as much out of the class just by reading the books myself.

Wave's idea is a good one. Try looking into course's being taught at local colleges or tech schools. I have taken a lot of classes, but most of what I know I learned by just reading books. Go to your local library and read anything you can get your hands on.

I personally think right now is a bad time to be getting Microsoft Certified. A year and a half ago, I was taking classes in Windows NT. That is now phased out and worthless. It's all Windows 2000 certification. With the advent of XP now, I can't help but wonder when they will phase out W2K?

Some of the best things you can learn (IMO) are SQL, VMS and Unix. These are going to be the standards used in manufacturing computing environments for a while coming yet. Plus, they pay really well. :D

Shakey.
Thanks for replying.
Are there any books you could recommend?
I know of Unix and SQL but have never heard of VMS.
Im just looking for some direction.Since I got burned by this last session ,Im hesitant on taking classes especially after what Ive already been through.
I hate this, Im just not sure what to do about this anymore and feel that I made a mistake by trying to do this in the first place.

Sorry.
MM :confused:

VMS (http://www.montagar.com/dfwlug/openvms-faq.html) is an OS that actually pre-dates DOS. It is mainly used in manufacturing environments. It is super-stable and has NEVER been hacked.

As far as what to read? I have no specific titles in mind.

What is it exactly that you are looking to do?

Good discussion. Like the others said MM, try and decide exactly where it is you want to get to. If you are interested in databases then go SQL or Oracle. If you are interested in ISP networks and the other sectors Shakey mentioned, consider Unix. If you are still interested in administering corporate networks then W2K certification might still be the way to go. XP may well replace W2K in terms of the desktop. But many corporations are still in the development stage of going to full W2K Active Directory networks. They will be around for a while.

The funny thing about Microsoft certification is that the exam questions often don't make a lot of sense and neither do the answers. It's more a question of wording things the "Microsoft way". In this respect, it can actually help you if your instructors simply read from the books. This is also part of the reason that experience counts for more than the certification in terms of actually being able to perform your duties. But certification certainly does not hurt.

Good luck and keep us posted. :)

Originally posted by Bogie:
<STRONG>XP may well replace W2K in terms of the desktop. But many corporations are still in the development stage of going to full W2K Active Directory networks.</STRONG>

That's true. We still have servers running NT (no mission crtitcal servers though). Oracle is also a good suggestion, Bogie. A very in demand skill.

Hi Shakey.
I know of Oracle but have never used it ,what exactly is it used for?

Thanks
MM

Hope you don't mind my replying MM. Shakey will give his opinions too when he hits the boards tonight, I'm sure. :)

Oracle is another database as is SQL Server. It's penetration is extensive as a backend to an awful lot of web applications. Reason being, to the best of my knowledge, is that it can run on Microsoft and Unix platforms whereas SQL is pretty much reserved for exclusively Microsoft platforms. Many e-commerce sites use Oracle as the backend.

Oracle database administrators and programmers are very well paid. :D

Originally posted by Bogie:
<STRONG>Shakey will give his opinions too when he hits the boards tonight, I'm sure. :)

Oracle database administrators and programmers are very well paid. :D</STRONG>

Couldn't have said it any better and YES they do get paid VERY well.

Since the majority who answered this posted are familiar tith this experience or are in the field. May I be so kind to ask what you do,if that is not so intrusive?

Thank You
MM

That´s no secret MM...it´s even in my profile. ;)

I have finished a business school this summer, now I can call myself Media Designer (full title: Media Designer for Digital and Print Media, specialized in Media Design).

Since this job requires working on PC and Mac machines, you also need to know how to handle them (especially when dealing with Windows :rolleyes: ).
I´m also keeping a close eye on the developments in the IT-sector as far as possible, since it´s also affecting my job. Currently, I´m thinking about a second trip to business school since the breakdown of the 'New Economy' had also an great effect on my business field. This time, I want to try it as a System Administrator, but it´s not in my hands (guess as soon as I would finish this, the job market will also fail...).
If this won´t work, I have also considered to visit the local University, studying Graphic Design.
But best would be if I can finally get a job...would be of some help to my bank account.

I've had a few jobs in the IT sector over the past 10 years. Probably my favourite thing to do is play with databases and administer networks. I'm just a megalomaniac I guess. LOL.

Currently, I'm a manager at Bell Canada - same as your SBC basically. My particular job is managing the internal data network (with a couple of hundred other people). Never thought infrastructure would be my kinda thing but it's working out great so far. :)

I'm a computer tutor myself.

I spent three years getting an IT degree and had a mix of tutors, some good, some bad. (And some followed manuals word for word
:rolleyes: ) Unfortunately tutors are often thrown in to courses they know little about (I've had similar experiences) and they are expected to get up to scratch on what they have to teach. Sometimes you can't answer a question and you have to bluff it a little. Perhaps your tutors weren't too good at that. :D

The thing with IT, is that as you are aware, you pretty much have to continue retraining. Technology changes so quickly. Where I work, we encourage students to do their own research, also to check out software and experiment with it. It's all about gaining skills that can enable them to be able to learn for themselves. (Learning to learn as they sometimes say).

Most of my software knowledge is self taught and I think you need to do quite a bit yourself. Getting a qualification is great and also necessary these days, but the best skills you can get are the ones you learn yourself. Don't rely on others to bring you up to standard. :)

Nicely put, Recker. Yes, I have taken a lot of courses and classes, but the majority of what I know I learned by just reading about it and then experimenting.

Mirrorball Man. As my profile shows, I work in IT. The corporation I work for has a rule about posting their name on the net, so I can't go into that. I work with VMS in a fabrication environment. My group maintains mission critical servers used by the people inside of the fab.