Does you company invest in training for you?

NightShade1

I was wondering how many of you got company that invest in training and labs and all that.... or if you have to see what you do for yourseft....

At least my company invest in training for us, online training, books, and tons of equipment for labs... we got many Servers with hyper V in all of them so we can virtualize many many seervers... Also like 4 Firewalls to test HAs and all that, 2 Wireless controlllers, 5 APs, L2 switches 2 and 4 more Layer 3 switches, we also got a Layer 3 switch BLADE but its discconected, we are not using it(its really noisy) but we can use it tho... and one PBX...., test domain also, Yeah with all the liceses to test everything. They pay my certifications, the only requirement is that it must be something we sell... of course for example they wont pay me a ccnp as we are not selling cisco...
And well yeah remote access to all this of course.

On my last job i dindt have like testing equipment, and they didnt pay me for any training NONE neither for certs
And on the job i had before that one i wasnt able to use that, as i was just a noc tech... the lab equipment was jsut for noc engineers... in this one they didnt pay me any training.... they make the engineers teach us but well it was okay tho... in this one also the certs were not paid... you could ask for it but it was really hard they paying you the exam....

Guess im lucky with the job i got now tho.

Anyways how is in your job?

EV42TMAN

my job reimburses me for certifications. We don't have a lab per say but if we need something we can barrow it from inventory. My employer is a Microsoft partner so we don't have to worry about the licensing issues.

N2IT

My current one does not, however the last couple I was apart of did.

NightShade1

EV42TMAN wrote: »

my job reimburses me for certifications. We don't have a lab per say but if we need something we can barrow it from inventory. My employer is a Microsoft partner so we don't have to worry about the licensing issues.

Yep mine is one as well so we dont have to worry about that either....

NinjaBoy

My full time job (IT Manager): Yes (they have part-funded my MCSE, my MCITP's, etc. Fully funded my threadhold to teach qualification, fibre termination, etc...).

My Part-time job (University Lecturer): Yes (currently they are paying for my post-grad studies).

While they will part fund/fully fund various CPD (including certain qualifications), it has to relate to my role or meet business needs. As it will not only benefit work, but us personally, we are expected to do X amount of studying outside work as well (which imo is fair enough).

Not only are both organisations that I work for Microsoft IT Academies, but the organisation that I work full time for is also a MS Partner.

NotHackingYou

EV42TMAN wrote: »

my job reimburses me for certifications. We don't have a lab per say but if we need something we can barrow it from inventory. My employer is a Microsoft partner so we don't have to worry about the licensing issues.

Same here

Devilry

My job will reimburse job related certifications and does tuition reimbursement. No lab though.

veritas_libertas

My employer will pay for tuition and certifications that are job related.

the_Grinch

We get $8000 a year for education. Developers get access to online training from Lynda, go to conferences, and are allowed to take courses geared towards their work. Being on the support side, we don't get anything other then the education. I've been told if I asked they would approve stuff, but my sneaking suspicion is it probably wouldn't be approved.

prtech

My employer will reimburse up to $1500 of tuition a year which ties me to them for one year after they reimburse me. I haven't and never will utilize that. We don't get any training or get reimbursed for certifications. That's why my supervisor lets me study during work hours when we don't have much work.

RomBUS

Not at all. I am probably the only one in the department with recent certifications

Though I have been part of companies that re-imbursed if I passed the exam (no pass = no re-imbursement). They also supplied books/practice tests but nothing like practice labs or test domains...I wish I had a sweet deal like that.

dave330i

I get ~$5k/year for any books, videos, training & certs (only the 1st attempt). Company also has some old CBT Nugget videos available for streaming. They won't pay for equipment, but we have enough excess hardware at work that I can lab during slow time.

GOZCU

Mine pays if i am willing to go for the Microsoft certificates. No limitation for those...

QHalo

the_Grinch wrote: »

We get $8000 a year for education. Developers get access to online training from Lynda, go to conferences, and are allowed to take courses geared towards their work. Being on the support side, we don't get anything other then the education. I've been told if I asked they would approve stuff, but my sneaking suspicion is it probably wouldn't be approved.

$8k is a ton of money. The last few places I was at either didn't pay or you had to beg them to pay. Basically all the certs that I've worked on I've paid for myself.

the_Grinch

It would be a ton of money if they allowed you to go anywhere, but since I'm stuck attending the University that would only get me three graduate courses a year. So I would be looking at five years to complete a Masters degree if I don't pay out of pocket.

htebazile

My company provides for tuition reimbursement for up to $5,200.00 per year for approved courses, which must be directly related to my current job or long-term career development. (They agreed to pay for WGU MS ISA first semester).

They will also reimburse for certifications - if you pass the exam - and study materials (so I should get some money back for my CISM if I it turns out I passed it).

I can get additional training by requesting that the government pay for it - I recently requested ISSEP training in October, and I think it will be approved, but it will probably be a month before I know for sure.

Hypntick

Where I am covers the cost of all MS study materials and the cert tests. They also cover Sonicwall training and certification, VCP for our senior engineers, and a few other cert reimbursements. Going to find out later this week how they feel about tuition reimbursement, there's no set policy and no discussion was had at the time of hire.

DB Cooper

My tribe lets me pick my own training and reimburses on any certs. After two years, I haven't had a request rejected. We don't have any testing equipment, but I have my own lab sitting on my desk. They are cool with me working on labs and studying during down times. We have 3 techs in our IS department, and I'm the only one actively working on certs. The rest are pretty content with their positions and don't have any desire to leave.

MAC_Addy

My company pays for tuition. Though, this has to be approved by my boss. They also reimburse for certifications gained. They have also bought a couple of training books on a couple of occasions. I prefer to buy my own books, though. There's something about a full bookshelf that pleases me.

FloOz

ive been reimburesed for my A+ and i know they do send people out for week long training sessions

blargoe

If there is a knowledge gap, my company will pay for training. Other than that, SOME training is available but not as much as what I had at my last job. Certs are viewed as a waste of time and a worthless piece of paper, and I have not been successful getting an exam fee reimbursed. I don't think anyone in my group has recent certs except for our SQL DBA, who used to work directly for Microsoft before he came here.

neathneathneath

My employer - a high school, has paid for some of my exam certs along the way, as part of training / personal development.

NightShade1

blargoe wrote: »

If there is a knowledge gap, my company will pay for training. Other than that, SOME training is available but not as much as what I had at my last job. Certs are viewed as a waste of time and a worthless piece of paper, and I have not been successful getting an exam fee reimbursed. I don't think anyone in my group has recent certs except for our SQL DBA, who used to work directly for Microsoft before he came here.

Definitely not a waste of time.... Lucky for the ones that got paid trainnig and paid certs...
When i was on the other jobs that didnt gave me anything of that i had to pay for my own trainnig and all that and well i eventually got a better job

dave330i

blargoe wrote: »

If there is a knowledge gap, my company will pay for training. Other than that, SOME training is available but not as much as what I had at my last job. Certs are viewed as a waste of time and a worthless piece of paper, and I have not been successful getting an exam fee reimbursed. I don't think anyone in my group has recent certs except for our SQL DBA, who used to work directly for Microsoft before he came here.

How do you work in such an environment? Granted you seem well established in your career.

NOC-Ninja

Mine is sending me to an IPV6 seminar at Maryland. I heard that a CCIE will be training us. Paid seminar, hotel expenses, car, airplane ticket and extra money for food everyday.

Other than that, they didnt pay for my CCIE bootcamp at narbik's class and my CCIE lab test.

SouthSeaPirate

Reimburse for certs and partialy for classes.

NightShade1

NOC-Ninja wrote: »

Mine is sending me to an IPV6 seminar at Maryland. I heard that a CCIE will be training us. Paid seminar, hotel expenses, car, airplane ticket and extra money for food everyday.

Other than that, they didnt pay for my CCIE bootcamp at narbik's class and my CCIE lab test.

Wow they didnt?
Im wondering what they will think when you get you CCIE? i mean with a CCIE you go be gone to another company for more money easy i guess hehe

Ill try getting my ACMX, i hope my boss pay me the bootcamp for that and the lab exam on las vegas hehe

kriscamaro68

My company has paid for my safaribooks subscription, technet subscription, reimburses for passed exams related to my job, and sent me all expenses paid to MMS in Vegas. As for labs I can use what we have here at work laying around but I already have a bunch of quad core desktops at home for my lab so I use those. Next year I am planning on going to TechEd if everything pans out.

networkjutsu

Previous employer

When I was still at the NOC, I was able to go to one Global Knowledge per year except 2008 (nobody did).
They paid for certification if you pass the exam.
When I transferred to the Engineering group, I was asked to go to Cisco Live but never did go since I gave them my two weeks notice a week before the conference. They asked me to give it up.
No tuition reimbursement.
They didn't pay my INE CCIE R&S 4.0 Training Program.

Current employer

So far, they've been pretty generous. Went to Aruba training class, INE's All Access Pass (2 years), and Cisco Live (with 8 hour and 4 hour sessions). May go for another training this year but not sure yet. I was approved to go but not sure if I am going to take it or not.
They pay for books that are related to the job.
They pay for the certification exams that are related to the job. I was told to just pay for it with my credit card when I schedule for it.
$4,500 for tuition reimbursement after 1 year with the company. If you leave before 12 months of taking the money then you have to pay it back.

eansdad

We get reimbursed for up to 12 college credits per year (6 per semester). Whoever says civil service employees get everything needs to take a better look. Sad thing is I work for a school district and they frown on any of us getting any education or certs....go figure. I am working on trying to get us something along the lines of 1 cert camp per year at either one of the local colleges or Global Knowledge. Allowing each person or couple people to take something that is on level instead of Net+ training again.

blargoe

dave330i wrote: »

How do you work in such an environment? Granted you seem well established in your career.

To be honest, I don't think any past employer of mine has put much value on certifications, other than screening potential candidates for an open position as a way to benchmark what we feel like their understanding and talent level should be, though all but one have reimbursed me for certs anyway. My recruiter told me that my certifications were viewed by my team as a positive, and even more so that I had the knowledge/experience to back it up. But they do not seem interested in paying for people to get certified... just training, if it is needed, and additional training on request if there is budget for it.

I took this job because I was bored at my last job and liked the idea of joining a company I knew would be growing for the forseeable future, and the large bump in pay was nice too . The idiot factor is much higher though.