boot camps

what the general feeling on boot camps for certifications?
ive been in the IT world for quite some time now and no one ever really speaks about them much. I was just wondering what every one else thought about them.
ive been in the IT world for quite some time now and no one ever really speaks about them much. I was just wondering what every one else thought about them.
wgu undergrad: done ... woot!!
WGU MS IT Management: done ... double woot :cheers:
WGU MS IT Management: done ... double woot :cheers:
Comments
I would recommend against doing a boot camp if you don't have prior experience and knowledge and are just doing it to cram for exams and get a cert. It is really hard to retain the information in that situation, so even if you pass the exams you probably won't learn much. If you don't have experience to back up a cert, and don't even learn anything in the process of obtaining it, it is a waste of time and money. Without experience a cert won't be very helpful at getting you interviews, and even if you get an interview you won't be hired if you can't show you are knowledgeable.
MCSA 2003, LFCS, LFCE (expired), VCP6-DCV
Next week I have some training through work where they have someone coming in for 4 days of 5 hour classes to teach about Windows 7 and Office 2010 because the company will be deploying them. Not sure on the cost because it is free to me
I'll also reiterate on the point that menthol made about the experience. For example, if we through somebody like my mom into this windows 7/ office 2010 thing next week she would be lost after 5 minutes on the first day and would probably never catch up so it would be a large waste of money. But since I've been a user of windows 7 for a year now and have lots of training with XP, things should click into place better and I expect to walk out of there more knowledgable.
i didnt know some of them offered **** which im totally not going todo.
WGU MS IT Management: done ... double woot :cheers:
being that if you have already been studying for the cert for a while or using the technologies prior to attending.
I learned this the hard way when i first got into IT was "training" at one of these companies back prior to 00. since then i have attened 3 most which have led up to getting certified (excect CCIE which is the current goal). I will be reattending that bootcamp to clear up any remaining gaps.
WGU MS IT Management: done ... double woot :cheers:
Anyway if your mind is set, try to find a reputable boot camp. You're the customer so you can call and ask if they offer practice questions and if so, who is the provider of the test questions. Or, just flat out ask them if they offer brain ****. You can post the boot camps you are considering and ask if anyone has experience with them.
MCSA 2003, LFCS, LFCE (expired), VCP6-DCV
I agree with this. I would never pay a boot camp out of my pocket. So far I've also done everything through self-study. I may be attending an Exchange 2010 boot camp in the next couple of months only because my employer is paying for it and I don't really need a training that starts from the basics. The only thing I have in mind that I would pay for is the course required for the VCP.
Having said that, it's all about what you feel more comfortable with. Some people do not have the desire, discipline, motivation or whatever you wanna call it to grab a book or CBT and actually learn from it and retain knowledge. Same with online classes. Some people just prefer B&M.
Life is a matter of choice not chance. The path to your destiny will be paved by the decisions that you make every day.
i use to study when the kids went to sleep, thats just not happening anymore because i end up escorting back to bed every 30 min, laundry, ect ect
it worked ok for comptia and others but i have a feeling that with microsoft stopping for 15 min every 30 min wont work out at all.
and i would need a new system for labbing and thats another cost.
WGU MS IT Management: done ... double woot :cheers:
What would be wrong with taking a week off of work and to just self study? I took a day off a couple weeks ago and studied from like 10am to nearly midnight (with breaks for meals and a couple naps of course). You could have your own little boot camp
MCSA 2003, LFCS, LFCE (expired), VCP6-DCV
I suggest setting aside a few days a week where you go to an area (Man Cave, Lab, Library, work, etc) and pound out a few hours of studying. Everyday might not be feasible for you, but maybe 2-3x's a week of solid study days could be.
Its not easy to study and lab while you are juggling other "life" tasks like you mentioned, so I would start to consider this type of study time as part of your job and get it done.
Good Luck!
P.S. I don't have kids so maybe I don't understand the challenges you face lol
Next Up: Linux+/RHCSA, GCIA
that my major problem i know when i get home nothing is going to get done ... i think ill talk to my boss and see if i can get a labbing computer and a kvm switch
WGU MS IT Management: done ... double woot :cheers:
At any rate, I would agree with the comments above, in that bootcamps themselves are not all bad, but there are definitely pit falls to watch out for. After reading a bit about your situation in depth, it sounds like you might really benefit from a setup like ours, so I thought I would tell you a bit about it. If you are interested, check us out at http://www.techmyway.com, and give us a call or shoot us an email if you want to discuss some options!
Good luck in your pursuits!
Josh