Anyone done 5 day courses

[HMCTech]

From places such as courses: evening classes part time courses: undergraduate postgraduate courses, Introduction to Information Technology Training Courses | GBdirect Training UK Where you go to a place in a city for 5 days and go through a lesson structure. Has it been worth the money (around 1k -2k) and learnt a lot?

[gl3nnym]

About 3 years ago I did a 5 day VMware VIC3 course at Old Street in London. It cost around £2k and it was a massive help. Learnt loads and glad I did it!

[pagelad]

I did my MCSA (18 Days) for £1500 and am working on my MCITP now (18 Days) for £1500 as well

 

I tried to read the books and watch the videos but they are nowhere near as good as actually being in a class. Lots of things they cover aren't in the book and the trainers give you useful tips on problems they have encountered and best practice (not just MS best practice)

[Iain.Faulkner]

I did my MCSA (18 Days) for £1500 and am working on my MCITP now (18 Days) for £1500 as well

 

I tried to read the books and watch the videos but they are nowhere near as good as actually being in a class. Lots of things they cover aren't in the book and the trainers give you useful tips on problems they have encountered and best practice (not just MS best practice)

 

Can I ask who your training provider is? £1500 sounds very cheap for MCITP level training, particularly 18 days of it.

[pagelad]

MTC in Sunderland (MTC Training : Homepage)

 

Its a partnership with Sunderland Uni, they get some of the course funding from somewhere else to go with it.

 

For the MCSA they enrolled you into the university and had to take 3 Uni exams in addition to the MS ones but then only had to pay £1500 out of the £5000 it should cost.

 

The MCITP is done a similar way but you don't have to take the extra exams.

 

The training overall has been pretty good, all official MS course material and MS trainers. Cant fault them for the price at all really!

[jamesb]

I've had mixed experience of these, some good and some bad, and it seems to often be down to the provider.

 

I've had some very good 5-14 day courses with Firebrand, although they are intense. I've had some very poor experiences with another provider (don't want to name them on the forum, but happy to discuss them in PM), though that may have been because in comparison to an intense residential course the pace is a little slow.

[GrumbleDook]

I found it fantastic for PRINCE2 and enjoyed going to Sheffield for MS course (2000 server stuff). The secret is to do any pre-reading you need to do and not try to wing it.

[Ignatius]

I've done a few of these (self-funded) so I wanted to get as much out of them as possible. I read a fair amount in advance of the courses so hit the ground running and found them very useful for getting me to an exam-ready state. Unfortunately, on one of them, there were a couple of delegates who were way behind everyone else on the course. They held everyone else back because several of the discussions were at a more basic level than the other delegates wanted.

[plexer]

I'm doing MCITP Server Admin in 7 days this April with Firebrand this will be the first time I've done an intensive residential course like this.

 

Unfortunately the week before I start is particularly packed with visits and trips for me as well.

 

Ben

[jamesb]

I'm doing MCITP Server Admin in 7 days this April with Firebrand this will be the first time I've done an intensive residential course like this.

 

Unfortunately the week before I start is particularly packed with visits and trips for me as well.

 

Ben

 

Enjoy the food, it's fantastic. Don't drink too much coffee, but do drink plenty of water and juice. Above all, take at least a half hour or so of downtime each evening where you're doing something other than studying.

[bodminman]

I know someone who used these people. Koenig Solutions - India

 

Got a cracking deal and a few weeks in Goa too! I think the overall costs including flights was still less than he would have spend going to a UK training centre!

 

I think he done about 3 - 4 courses.

[RabbieBurns]

without looking at your links, im assuming MS exams from the follow up posts..

 

most of our traning courses we go on are 5 days.

 

I went on a 3 day course recently, and they skipped a load of chapters, and rushed right through it.. to do the exam, im gonna need to do a load of self labs.

 

But regarding the food.. the place I was at the cantine (which was all free) was amazing. I made it my mission to have one of every single ice lolly in the fridge. I succeeded.