Crap IT trainers

mattrgee

So me and a colleague are on training this week and we have the worse trainer possible. The guys keeps banging on about the 'good old NT days' and can't understand why Microsoft had to 'change everything'. Its killing me.

Some on the mistakes are embarrassing, he drew the TCP/IP model today as Application, Transport, Internet and Physical. Hmmmmm, Physical??? Ignoring our arm waving and protests the fun continued and became particularly interesting when he tried to assign Network Access Layer protocols to his lovely diagram. If you didn't know, ARP is a Layer 3/Internet Layer protocol apparently, along with Frame Relay and IP. My mind was screaming.

Other gems of information included:

"For some reason Microsoft haven't included Broadcasts in their version of IPv6, but everyone else has."

"IPv4 address are 64 bits"

and

"Hashing is just a type of encryption."

Only 3 more days to go.

arwes

Complain to the company he works for? I'm sure someone's paying for this and there's no way I'd pay for incompetent training.

kalebksp

Wow... What's the training for?

mattrgee

Windows Server 2008, an official MS course and an official Microsoft trainer. Its terrible and Server 2008 isn't exactly inspiring.

I will make sure the relevant people are aware at how bad it was.

undomiel

That's too bad. I'm loving Server 2008. I think it is a great product.

Core and RODC are my favourite features.

mattrgee

It's ok, Core is a bit odd though. Core is supposed to be more secure yet you can jump into Reg Edit whenever you fancy and do what you like, sounds dodgy to me. Another half baked Microsoft 'feature'.

jmanrta

[qoute]"For some reason Microsoft haven't included Broadcasts in their version of IPv6, but everyone else has."

"IPv4 address are 64 bits" [/quote]

wtf?!? Where did they find this joker?

mikej412

mattrgee wrote: »

an official MS course and an official Microsoft trainer.

He might be an official MS trainer (for maybe Microsoft Word) but is he certified in the subject and authorized to teach it?

I wouldn't even wait until the end of the course survey to complain. If your company is paying for this crap, let your boss know now.

kalebksp

I wouldn't continue on with the course. How will you know whether the material that is new to you is correct or not?

stupidboy

You have got to raise this with your booking agent, this is just shocking.

I have had some bad trainers but at least they actually knew what they were talking about (or more reading from the manual ) but never anything that bad.

Raise this with the training companies booking team. I am aware they are usually quick to refund or hush unhappy customers (freebies). I know this is not normally a consolation but the best you can hope for.

eMeS

I agree with the advice you've received. Complain immediately and stop this class dead in its tracks.

Guys like that trainer are willing to work for such low rates that they make it impossible for good trainers to make a living...

MS

undomiel

mattrgee wrote: »

It's ok, Core is a bit odd though. Core is supposed to be more secure yet you can jump into Reg Edit whenever you fancy and do what you like, sounds dodgy to me. Another half baked Microsoft 'feature'.

Core has a reduced attack surface over the full installation. It's also lighter weight. I don't see an issue with being able to run regedit. It's necessary for configuring a few features even.

Kaminsky

Nothing makes a point better than standing up and walking out way before the course is over ... The longer you stay, the longer he can argue he was doing fine until you had a sudden bad day. ( he'll argue you started getting out of your depth if you leave it too long )

You'll be the focus of attention from both the training organisation and your own company... Upshot, the guy gets sorted and you get another week of training with a decent trainer for free.

I did this once when the guy, sussing I knew a bit of this ol'e computer milarky, asked me in whispers what a qwerty keyboard was and does it work the same way as a normal keyboard.. [ as a finale to many more grevous errors ] ( quite an experience when someone else's stupidity can stop you completely in your tracks and render you completely stunned in astonishment ) .. didn't say a word.. got up, (despite his protests ... he knew he was in sh.t) walked out and refused to go back and demanded my company's money back and immediately phoned the boss.

skrpune

oh. my. goodness. I'm no expert, but apparently, in comparison to this guy, I am. Wow. Trainers get paid pretty well, and it sounds like this guy is getting way overpaid for the "training" he's providing. Time to cancel his services IMMMEDIATELY. Continuing to let him "train" you is just going to make it worse, and if you let him keep going then the company who sent him is going to (rightfully) ask you why you didn't say something right away if he didn't have a clue what he was talking about...contact whomever you got this guy from and either demand your money back or have them send you someone who actually knows the material.

eMeS

skrpune wrote: »

Trainers get paid pretty well, and it sounds like this guy is getting way overpaid for the "training" he's providing.

Some do, some don't...it usually depends on the scarcity of the topic/skillset.

The problem with Microsoft CPLS's is that they're all selling basically the same training product, which means that there are really only two ways they can compete:

1) Add customization to the Microsoft Official Courseware, or create their own custom courseware. (this option prices the run of the mill CPLS out of that market)

2) Drive down expenses for each class, the biggest of which is the instructor fee.

Most of these places really only care about creating value in terms of their profit margin, rather than value in terms of knowledge transfer to the students. Many of them are very accustomed to having to refund money regularly when they don't meet customer needs.

I would be very surprised if this specific trainer is making more than $250 per day, which is on the very low end of the trainer world. Good trainers that know their material will never work for that rate, and as a result train primarily in areas where skills are more scarce and/or there is a higher barrier to entry.

I do agree with your 2nd point. Whatever he is making is too much!

I became an MCT about a year ago because I thought it would be a good way for my company to expand into a market outside of our primary area. My intent was to gear my company up to be a CPLS. This is probably one of the worst business decisions I've ever made, because we're not prepared to compete on cost. Thankfully, this bad decision only cost $400 to be an MCT for a year, and I get 50% off most MS cert exams.

FWIW, I do not offer training for Server 2008, and I have yet to deliver any class (either prime or on contract) that required me to be an MCT. The closest that I got was a series of SQL Server 2005 classes last year that used custom courseware that we built. The majority of my time is spent focused on ITIL, SOA, and WebSphere training/consulting, which are all rare and command higher margins.

MS

tornado42

I too have had a bad experience. I wont name the college on here but if you want to know you can message me and i will give you the name... its in North carolina. anyways, the teacher was ok.... a little hard to understand because his english was a little rough. the program offered a free laptop upon completion of the MCSA track. Then it changed to a crappy netbook computer or $400... i have yet to see either. the start dates were always changing and a lot of times classes would get cancelled because of personal issues with the instructor OR not enough people showing up to class. Very disorganized. The instructor would seemingly ALWAYS compare 2003 to NT4. THAT was annoying too. NT4 is pretty much gone so get over it! oh and by the way... i have taken 70-290 twice and both times failed it. The courses were not very good.

LBC90805

Just like Jeremy Piven's Character in the Movie PCU said "You can major in Gameboy if you know how to B.S.". Apparently your instructor requires more study in the field of Gameboy!

unsupported

mattrgee wrote: »

...The guys keeps banging on about the 'good old NT days' and can't understand why Microsoft had to 'change everything'....

I remember the good old NT days. How I long for NT 3.51. Then they had to go and ruin things by adding a start button! HOW DARE THEY?!

bertieb

mattrgee wrote: »

So me and a colleague are on training this week and we have the worse trainer possible.

I've recently completed a couple weeks worth of 2008 training at a firm in Manchester and have to say that the two trainers involved were excellent. Are you training in Manchester?

ccnpninja

mattrgee wrote: »

Other gems of information included:

"For some reason Microsoft haven't included Broadcasts in their version of IPv6, but everyone else has."

"IPv4 address are 64 bits"

and

"Hashing is just a type of encryption."

Only 3 more days to go.

tell them they'll make a better career as onstage comedians

ilcram19-2

i think he might be right about the tcp/ip model is not the same a the OSI model i remember reading something like that on one of the books for the N+

ilcram19-2

"IPv4 address are 64 bits"

and

"Hashing is just a type of encryption."

Only 3 more days to go.

---

really mmm how exciting lol we got it all wrong may be we got the wrong meaning of encryption and hashing, lol thats why i self study thank god i never had to hear s**t like that i'll shoot my self