MCSE Qualification

[Kiriyama]

Hi All,

 

Im looking to go back into education to get fully qualified in IT, ive been into computers since i was young however upon leaving college i found myself in a pickle as no one wanted someone without any work experience so i took up an office job and have been there for a good few years.

 

ive been looking around the net for advice on courses / relevant paths to take in order get as much knowledge and as many qualifications as possible within the IT sector.

 

My main goal is to become a fully certified IT Technician; Building computers and network systems, repairing, diagnostics - basically what the MCSE course has to offer!

 

I have been looking around the internet and this site seems to crop up every now and again so i thought i was see if anyone could advise me.

 

The the moment finances are not a problem, I live in Lancashire and am willing to travel within the county to any training centres or colleges.

 

my questions are:

 

1. Blackburn college is currently doing a Comptia course which is apparently a good start in the direction i want to head in, should i do this as my first step or would it be a waste of money? i think the current price for the course is £450.
   
2. Is there anywhere around the Blackburn area that does MCSE? Id prefer to actually attend a class / lecture as opposed to sit in my room reading pages upon pages of information off the net
   
3. Should i consider university degrees as part of my education?
   
4. Im lead to believe that some companies offer an MCSE crash course (similar to the driving tests) where you can complete the course in several days as opposed to several months, are these worth considering? i personally cant imagine anyone being able to absorb all that information in a matter of days surely in that time you could only learn the bare minimum to get the qualification and wouldn't a potential employer see it this way also? From an employer's point of view i'd rather hire someone who'd sat down studied hard over many months and become qualified that someone who crunched it in a few days as again, what could you learn in a few days besides the minimum to pass the test?
   

 

Any advice anyone could offer would be much appreciated, I aim to begin my journey into the world of IT as soon as possible.

 

 

Thank you,

Edited February 15, 2010 by Kiriyama

[m25man]

With the number of boot camp MCP's that have come up through the ranks over the years from both home and abroad, I personally feel the qualification is now as valued as the Venezuelan bolívar.

 

6 Cores and 1 elective in 14 days, "Guaranteed Pass" I saw in one ad recently "No Previous Experience Needed"

Can you Imagine what would happen if we put our new squaddies through a 14 day course in Catterick and then dumped them into Helmand!

 

Gaining experience is the hardest part of any career path, but without it all the paper qualifications are just that, paper!

 

There are a lot of guys here on Edugeek that have never stepped into a Prometrics test centre that would run rings around many that have!

 

In recent years many good Techs have come from Uni with a 2:1 and a years placement in school IT depts.

 

I would stop worrying too much about courses and try and find some way to gain some relevant work experience.

[Ben-BSH]

I am an apprentice, and am taking my final Exam this Friday to hopefully become MCSA, and i can vouch for everything m25man has said, the qualifications are great, but overall, i am after the experience, that's what will carry me further in IT (I'm only 20).

 

So, if i was you, i would be looking for experience over paper, there's things a MCSA/MCSE/MCSanything will never teach you, and only being there, and getting your hands dirty will

[Kiriyama]

With the number of boot camp MCP's that have come up through the ranks over the years from both home and abroad, I personally feel the qualification is now as valued as the Venezuelan bolívar.

 

6 Cores and 1 elective in 14 days, "Guaranteed Pass" I saw in one ad recently "No Previous Experience Needed"

Can you Imagine what would happen if we put our new squaddies through a 14 day course in Catterick and then dumped them into Helmand!

 

Gaining experience is the hardest part of any career path, but without it all the paper qualifications are just that, paper!

 

There are a lot of guys here on Edugeek that have never stepped into a Prometrics test centre that would run rings around many that have!

 

In recent years many good Techs have come from Uni with a 2:1 and a years placement in school IT depts.

 

I would stop worrying too much about courses and try and find some way to gain some relevant work experience.

 

 

 

Thank you for the reply.

 

The main problem i have is that when i left college (obtained a double AVCE ICT award) i went looking for IT jobs, however even with selling myself to be the best of my ability the same line came everytime:

 

"As good as you sound, without any prior experience in the relevant work place we can't take a risk on you" or words to that effect.

 

I then tried to get on an apprenticeship in the IT industry and was rejected by many companies claiming to have too many people applying to them so they couldn't take me on.

 

As previously mentioned, I know im more than competent with a computer i even put myself through college by doing the odd jobs here and there starting out with friends and family and eventually leading to friends of friends and family etc.

 

The problem is, even though i can get in the door and sell myself its the experience that counts in many employers eyes and i just don't have it in the relevant industry and I thought that if i could put in some hard work to get some meaningful qualifications it could reflect my eagerness and ability to do something i am passionate about and love doing for a change (haha)