I need to know if I'm being screwed

[ProudGerman]

Its been a long time....just kidding.

I'm taking some seriously expensive computer classes, trying to obtain MCSE and CCDA certifications. Seriously expensive comes to roughly 20 grand.

The question I'm asking, is there anything me and my classmates can do? There are several of us who are getting a little well, angry. During orientation, before we agreed to fork over that kind of green, we were sold a bill of goods that seems to be a whole lot different than what we are getting. Not all of us had the same person for the orientation, but we were told basically the same thing. The guys who did the orientation are MCT's (Microsoft Certified Trainers), but our actual instructor is someone different.

Basically, we were told that this company, that shall remain nameless here, has a 94% certification rate for its students. It's a decent sized company with several branches up the east coast. We were given a mountain of books as part of course, and were given access to there online study site. The site had homework, quizzes, and "exam preps". Exam preps are in italics because they've recently, and mysteriously changed to "study guides". This is what got me wondering.

We were all told that all we have to do is stick to the online study site, use it as often as we can. In the orientation, we were told the "exam preps" (of which there are 3 for each certification test) would be harder than the actual cert. test, so if we aced the three exam preps, the cert test would be a breeze. Those in the class who are already in the IT field gave those of us who were less knowledgeable a warning, for the first few tests the study site worked wonderfully. After that, the cert tests weren't anything like the "exam preps". Now that I've come along a bit in the class, I come across questions in the "exam preps" where I know the "correct answer" is wrong. And this week, two guys complained that the study site didn't prepare them at all for the cert test, they said the study site wasn't anywhere close to what was on the test. What really irks me is that these two guys, one a police officer and the other a mechanic, don't have jobs that offer tuition re-imbursement. The $125 cost to take a test that they were totally unprepared to take is a big burden for them. They basically pissed $125 away. BTW, these 2 guys got high 90's on the three "exam preps" for the cert test they failed, so they believed that they were ready for the test they were taking.

We were also told that they would monitor our progress on the study site, and give us extra help in areas where we were deficient. This has been completely non-existant. Those of us who do not have tuition re-imbursement, or already have jobs where we can piss away 20K, are beginning to wonder what exactly did we pay all that money for. The Microsoft and Cisco books that we got will probably get me through certification, they are good books, and they did come with software to help in studying. But if that is all I need, I could have gotten them for about a grand or a little more, and I wouldn't have the hassle of having to run home from work every Tues. and Thurs. to go to class or get up early every other Saturday.

So, are we getting shafted here? If so, what avenues do we have? There's quite a few of us who are counting on the better paying IT jobs to pay for the upcoming additional car payment that the loans amount to.

[jono]

1. Yes and no

I was working on my MCAD, until my company decided they'd rather have me continue with data analysis than expand on my application development. (Fits in the "big picture" better that way, I'm told.) All the courseware and exams are standard-issue stuff from MS, they're just proctored at different MS-approved sites. I've heard lots of complaints from other people about the tests (mostly the expense, and the fact that you don't get told which answers you got wrong, so it's hard to go study up if you fail once).

So it sounds to me like you're probably not getting screwed by this local outfit; you're just getting screwed to the same extent that all people seeking MS certification do.

[Runesong]

2. Buy some books,

and visit http://www.brainbuzz.com/ to check your progress.

With most of these certifications, you can show up out of the blue at any testing center, pay the fee and take the test. Brainbuzz has sample tests that are a bit harder than the real ones, so if you pass a few there, you will more than likely pass the real thing.

[Rick Myers]

3. I agree

You can get good courseware that included the book and CD, then just go take the tests. Unless an employer is paying to send you, $20k seems pretty high...

[ProudGerman]

4. 20K doesn't seem pretty high...

It fucking outrageous!

But then again, the 20K didn't seem so outrageous when we were told about one on one instructor time. Extra help on areas that were difficult for us, and a study site that was hyped beyond belief.

In actuality, the cost is only a little bit more than what other organizations in the area are charging for similiar stuff. I just figured the 20K would buy more than books, power point presentations, and labs where the handholding isn't so intense a chimp could breeze through them. I expected what I heard during the orientation.

Thanks for the link Runesong, I'll check it out. It's a sad thing when I have to buy more stuff after what I've already paid for this class.

[newyawker99]

7. Congrats ProudGerman!! 400 posts

:toast:

[TrogL]

5. You're being screwed

sorry to be so blunt, but MSCE's aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

All the IT jobs are being shipped to India.

[BlueJazz]

6. Boy...I feel that way sometimes

I'm a MCSE and lately the only real good I got out of it is the fact that my
small new business is going fairly well.(I repair, install home and workplace computers)

I got my whole certification by buying the Microsoft books (with the cd's)...it worked for me.
I bought 2 cheap computers to help me use the courses in the books (Networking)

Oh, one other thing..Get A+ certified. It's good for your future line of work and helps you understand the Beasts better!

Sorry to say this but $20,000 is WAY high.