First post , looking for some help :Security +

in Security+
Currently working on getting my Security + , but want well prepared and want to get some extra hands on experience..
I have the option of going to New Horizons tech training - $2000 , or transcender options ( was looking at the online course and labs ,pactice exams..$600..
My question to all of you is Which would be better, would like to get cert in 2-3 months or less , would like to make it as cheap as I can ,but the more I learn from it the better or is there a better route.
My background...
3+ years experience in tech support , 2 year it degree , currently working for a tech abuse desk..
I have the option of going to New Horizons tech training - $2000 , or transcender options ( was looking at the online course and labs ,pactice exams..$600..
My question to all of you is Which would be better, would like to get cert in 2-3 months or less , would like to make it as cheap as I can ,but the more I learn from it the better or is there a better route.
My background...
3+ years experience in tech support , 2 year it degree , currently working for a tech abuse desk..
Comments
http://cbtnuggets.com/webapp/product?id=59
http://www.syngress.com/catalog/?pid=4350
http://www.transcender.com/product.aspx?product_id=Cert-SY0-101&dept_id=110410
I did mine in a month of self-study with those and spent less than $400 (excluding exam fee).
Question is the CBT $199 12 video package worth it?
http://cbtnuggets.com/webapp/product?id=59
The Transcender virtual labs are not really worth it I take it?
You can "build" your own lab and do all the exercises you want with VMWare Server for free.
And honestly, everything they have listed here seems to be beyond the scope of the Security+. You don't need to know how to carry out those tasks for the exam.
That Syngress book I linked to has a number of exercises in it as well. Those will be more than enough to get you through the exam.
My experience:
3+ years Tech support
2 year degree
Currently working in a abuse desk setting.
Overall plan : Add on to my resume , gain some experience , look for a higher paying job ( dont we all want that)..
Looking to get into :
Net admin.
IT security
Next : What would be a good second cert?
I have found out recently that A+ is still highly recommended, at least where I live. Good luck on your Security+ exam. I am studying for mine and I am using the Security+ Fast Pass book by Sybex and one of my college classes was Network Security which has the CompTIA seal on the front. You can actually find both of them on Amazon. The book I used in class is Security+ Guide to Networking Security Fundamentals, Second Edition by Mark Ciampa and it has very good lab exercises.