Is this prgram worth it?

driz86

Ok I've been considering actually going to get some certs under my belt before I start school. There is a local training center in my town called career quest which offers training and certification testing for A+, practical, MCDST etc. The tuition for the 9 month program is 15,000. My pell grant will cover a third of that leaving me with a 10k dollar balance. My question is, considering the other routes I could take (ie buying the books and studying on my own and paying for the tests), does paying the 10k for the schooling sound like a reasonable thing to do? And are there any advantages I don't know about for either that I should take into account?

cyberguypr

Welcome to the forum. Is this in Michigan? My Google-fu tells me this may be it:

Career Quest Learning Centers -Information Technology (I.T.) Professional Career Focused Training Program ? 9 Month Program

The I.T. Professional Program helps students achieve the skills necessary for a career in the high demand Information Technology (I.T.) field. The program prepares students for entry-level employment in end-user computer support occupations. Career advancement in a variety of I.T. career fields, including computer hardware and software troubleshooting in local area networks are opportunities as well. Graduates will be qualified for positions such as help desk support specialist, PC technician and computer repair technician.

Upon completion of the I.T. Professional Program, students will be qualified to sit for the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+ Essentials, A+ Practical and Network+ Certification examinations, as well as the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) examinations.

Graduates of the I.T. Professional Program will:

Work with Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
Develop skills in computer hardware and software technical support and troubleshooting
Develop skills in networking technologies for local area and wide area networks
Learn to support and troubleshoot the Windows XP operating system and computer applications running in Windows XP

networker050184

Sounds like a major rip off to me. You could probably go to a local community college for much less. If you want to go the cheap route then just by some books and start reading.

driz86

cyberguypr wrote: »

Welcome to the forum. Is this in Michigan? My Google-fu tells me this may be it:

Career Quest Learning Centers -Information Technology (I.T.) Professional Career Focused Training Program ? 9 Month Program

The I.T. Professional Program helps students achieve the skills necessary for a career in the high demand Information Technology (I.T.) field
......................Develop skills in computer hardware and software technical support and troubleshooting
Develop skills in networking technologies for local area and wide area networks
Learn to support and troubleshoot the Windows XP operating system and computer applications running in Windows XP

Yes, in Lansing, MI

cyberguypr

Well, networker050184 is right. Price is ridiculous. Years ago I achieved Network+ and MCDST with a total investment of no more than $300. If you have discipline and self study, you will save thousands of dollars. I rather spend the money on books, CBTs or gear for my lab. Those are entry level certs than will definitely help you but I don't think you'll see any ROI.

colemic

cyberguypr wrote: »

Welcome to the forum. Is this in Michigan? My Google-fu tells me this may be it:

Career Quest Learning Centers -Information Technology (I.T.) Professional Career Focused Training Program ? 9 Month Program

The I.T. Professional Program helps students achieve the skills necessary for a career in the high demand Information Technology (I.T.) field. The program prepares students for entry-level employment in end-user computer support occupations. Career advancement in a variety of I.T. career fields, including computer hardware and software troubleshooting in local area networks are opportunities as well. Graduates will be qualified for positions such as help desk support specialist, PC technician and computer repair technician.

Upon completion of the I.T. Professional Program, students will be qualified to sit for the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) A+ Essentials, A+ Practical and Network+ Certification examinations, as well as the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) examinations.

Claiming that you will be eligible to sit for a MS or Comptia exam after completion of the course is total rubbish. Any 8 year kid is eligible to sit for a MS exam. There are no qualifications to meet to take entry-level cert exams.

I would be wary, if they are that misleading with their literature.

Just out of curiosity, is it 8 hours a day training or 2-3 hours a week for nine months?

I would recommend looking at another avenue for training, than this program.

Webmaster

driz86 wrote:

Is this prgram worth it?

No.

driz86 wrote:

does paying the 10k for the schooling sound like a reasonable thing to do?

No.

For that amount of money, and 9 months, you can end up with additional/other more valuable certifications, and still go on a trip around the world - probably first class

driz86 wrote:

And are there any advantages I don't know about for either that I should take into account?

Well, maybe they offer hands-on practice with various equipment and software you might not have access too, but that surely doesn't make it worth that extremely high price.

driz86

thanks for all your input. So far everything confirms my suspicions. I'll keep you posted.

MrRyte

driz86 wrote: »

....The tuition for the 9 month program is 15,000....

$15k for a 9-month program????????? WTH?!?
So what happens after you complete the course and fail the cert exams? Do you get a voucher; a refund or what...?

instant000

driz86 wrote: »

Ok I've been considering actually going to get some certs under my belt before I start school. There is a local training center in my town called career quest which offers training and certification testing for A+, practical, MCDST etc. The tuition for the 9 month program is 15,000. My pell grant will cover a third of that leaving me with a 10k dollar balance. My question is, considering the other routes I could take (ie buying the books and studying on my own and paying for the tests), does paying the 10k for the schooling sound like a reasonable thing to do?

No, not reasonable at all.

And are there any advantages I don't know about for either that I should take into account?

The advantage of self-study is that A+ and MCDST can be achieved with self-study.

There are forums on this site, designed to help you achieve IT certifications.

If you're trying to spend money and go to school, try WGU, you can go to school, and get certifications WHILE YOU ATTEND THE SCHOOL, and you'd have a degree and certs for the same cost as just getting some certs.

WGU Online University | Online Degree Programs, Accredited Bachelor's and Master's

Feel free to send me a few grand for this great advice, and still save 10K.

Devilsbane

networker050184 wrote: »

Sounds like a major rip off to me. You could probably go to a local community college for much less. If you want to go the cheap route then just by some books and start reading.

Agreed. I spent about $1500 on MCSA and another $1500 to continue that onto MCSE. A+ is no more than $500.

School is expensive (still cheaper than that if you are picking some local 2 year schools) and you can walk away with a degree plus whatever certifications you picked up along the way.