CEI: For MCSE A+

J

Jasonx82

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I plan on attending CEI for my A+ and MCSE, Anyone have any exp. from there? The course is $10,850.00 (7months 720hrs) Includes the fees for the A+ Exam, and MCSE Exam, Tools (Hardware, Tools, Books) they offer tutoring for free after classes.

This class is 5 hrs (4 hrs on site training and homework reading is done at home) a day 5 days a week for about 7 months. What do you guys think a good idea? Im really interested in the networking field and would like to get started.

Is this course to fast? Skipping major parts? Any recommendations and advice will be greatly appreciated.. Thanks again.!

Jason
 
well, the a+ takes about 2 days to learn if you have ever built your own computer. the exam costs about $250 - 300.

So unless the MCSE is worth over $10,000 and 7 months out of your life.. i would say you are getting ripped off.
 
I don't have direct experience with this, but I have been to a few training classes provided by my employer (they were all a few days at most). This thing is 7 months long, which tells me about the skill level of the people they expect to have in the class. This will be worth it if you have little to zero experience in the field. Otherwise, buy some books and a copy of server 2k3.
 
I'd also call that pretty damn steep.

Unless you've never popped the hood on a PC the A+ is easy, just get a couple of sample exams to get a vibe for the format and it basically does itself.

The full MCSE is a little trickier, I'd do the MCSA first, (which tha A+ counts for), as a checkpoint and to get a grip of the basics, the MCSE mostly just extends/elaborates the concepts covered by the MCSA (even then there's a lot of cross over between exams), so if you know that stuff backwards the rest is easy.

Get Eval copies of the software (or the full version if you have money burning a hole in your pocket), the Sybex books around the various topics, and the MS Press books to get microsofts take (the difficult bit of MSs exams is that they are very pedantic, even if there are a few viable ways of getting the same results, only one will be considered the "right" way.)
Expect to do most of your learning from Sybex/hands-on practice, the MSPress books don't cover as much of what comes up in the exam (!).

In my opinion taught classes are next to useless compared to sitting down and working through the stuff on your own (repeatedly), assuming you don't do it all day for a living anyway (in which case you may still fail because you don't do it "The Microsoft way").
 
I took my MCSE for 9 months it cost me 4.5k, It was long but it was very in depth. I had a great teacher luckly who didn't just stick with the books we would go over Exchange as well and citrix.

I'm sure you can find something cheaper at like a Community College or Local tech school. :)
 
I bought the Sybex A+ book for the new and updated test and it's great, I would of love to go and take a course and then take the test, but for something like the A+ just read the book. I work with someone that has his A+ and he says the same thing everyone here seems to say, if you've ever worked under the hood so to speak you'll probably pass the tests (two tests, hardware and software). I myself have to get this cert, I really should have it, but on the MS certs I think it's a better idea to start with the MCSA. Also maybe you can start with the MCDST (microsoft certified desktop technician) which is two classes/tests that you can put towards your electives to get the MCSA and so on and so forth. The price you show seems alittle high, but I have not looked for prices in a long time. I am a very lucky person where my company is going to and is willing to pay for 100% of my college and I am looking into either going to University of Phoenix or something along those lines to get a AA/BA degree in IT. If anyone knows anything about places like Devry or ITT please let me know if they are worth anything. Thanks!

-Rikus
 
RikuS said:
I am looking into either going to University of Phoenix or something along those lines to get a AA/BA degree in IT. If anyone knows anything about places like Devry or ITT please let me know if they are worth anything. Thanks!

-Rikus
Click to expand...
Don't go to Devry. Just don't. Get that word out of your mind, you will thank yourself later.
UOP is pretty good. When you talk to admissions counsoulers though remember this.
When I am on the floor I hear these guys call people and tell them "Hi, this is xxx and I am assistant to the dean.. and I want to talk to you about xxxx"

He is not assistant to the dean. He is just another guy in just another cubicle in just another office building. UOP employs at least 2,000+ admissions counsoulers/ career counsoulers, etc.

Don't let them pressure you, they tend to do that.
 
I would highly recommend ITT. You can really get a lot out of it. You just have to use the place for all its worth. I went to ITT and it wasn't that bad. The people around your are basically retards. With exceptions to a few. You'll quickly know who they are. But You basically learn a lot of networking and they make you somewhat work for it. I would be careful with UoP, strayer, Devery because they all seemed very easy to pass and money grubbing whores(bad experience with strayer and UoP). Don't get me wrong ITT is also basically the same way, where everyone passes. But as long as you really utilize the teachers, and hopefully they are good ones, you will learn alot of useful information. I had a few really good teachers. I can say this because i also went to a University and got a Computers Science degree. And afterward wanted a networking degree. But didn't want to get rapped in price and wanted it done quickly.

But this is one persons perspective i'm sure there are others out there who have different feelings about it. ehh.


I agree with the above poster
Strayer will try to pressure you into going as well. They were real dicks about it. ITT was a little more laid back.

Just remember they are business's not schools. Although you learn stuff there. They really want your $$$.
 
Thanks for the feedback, I am still weighing my options as to where I am going to settle on. Luckily I don't have to pay a dime for it, my company has a INCREDIBLE corporate reimbursement program. So until I decide, I think I'm going to go on my own to get my A+ really fast, my company will also reimburse me for any passed tests and at least one failed one!

-Rikus
 
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