MCSE Providers

Bob63

Azlan are a great company to do business with. I have used their training several times both for standard and customied courses and can highly recommend them. http://www.azlantraining.com/uk/

I would however add my voice to those who question the need for MCSE. It is only of use as a certification if it is backed up by experience. The rather cutting "minesweeper consultant, solitaire expert" has some truth in it as many companies wouldn't give the time of day to a newly qualified MCSE with no real experience.

It may be worth looking at alternative certifications which may have more relevance in the marketplace, for which there is a healthy demand, and which may ultimately command much higher salaries. Examples would be Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) and Cisco Qualified Specialist (CQS). Another would be Red Hat Certified Technician (RHCT) or Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) or Novell's various Linux certifications.

Just my US$0.02

Mike

Murtle

Whilst I do agree that the qualification is just that, it's a great way to see what areas are of interest to you. I hated the networks area, for a career enjoyed it for the bit of learning but not continuous. Some recuiters do use them as a way of showing enthusiasm though, and although I no longer work in IT I often have people look at my CV and want to give me jobs because I have the qualifications! They aren't a guarantee for a job, and part of the problem came when the industry was flooded with maybe not so well taught/learnt qualifications.

x x

Katie_Bell

NastyMatt wrote:

I would speak to companies/recruitment companies and see if MCSE is worth it. Might be worth getting into a small IT company and getting a years experience under his belt before getting the qualification.

I have worked in IT for 17 years. I have interviewed and employed in the past and in all honesty I never looked at qualifications. I'll look at the last two years experience and achievements.

Some one with no experience but has the qualifications is only ever seen as having a "paper qualification". Add to that the MCSE qualification is purely theory and rarely equates to real life scenarios it is not that highly regarded.

If he is aiming for a pure techie role he'll be given a technical grilling at the interview anyways!

Sorry to be doom and gloom but you'd be better saving your money (and use it in a years time for the qualification) and try and get interviews based on his enthusiasm and willing to learn, impressing the bosses once in the role.

Good luck.

Matt

Thanks. I work for a small recruitment agency and work with a lot of firms. They seem more interested in people with these qualifications or commercial experience, which unfortunately he doesn't have. I guess they might not approach us with these positions as they don't want to pay a fee for recruiting a trainee.

My boss is going to speak to a few clients about work experience. See if he can do a weeks free trial to get his foot in the door and prove himself.

nickmack

Katie_Bell wrote:

Thanks. I work for a small recruitment agency and work with a lot of firms. They seem more interested in people with these qualifications or commercial experience, which unfortunately he doesn't have. I guess they might not approach us with these positions as they don't want to pay a fee for recruiting a trainee.

My boss is going to speak to a few clients about work experience. See if he can do a weeks free trial to get his foot in the door and prove himself.

Sounds like a good plan. MCSE's are usually best done when your company pays for them. Unfortunately in your OH's case, he's not in the industry yet.

I agree with NastyMatt about the relevance of some qualifications in certain roles.

No offence intended to you Katie and not necessarily a reflection on you or your company, but I have found alot of IT recruitment consultants to be a rather useless bunch. The problem seems to be that some have little knowledge of technical IT roles and they work to strict targets and under instructions they cannot interpret in their own way. I still get calls and emails from IT recruitment agencies offering me to apply for jobs that are either totally different from my skillset and/or paying less money than I'm on now in a location hundreds of miles away!

garichd

I did my MCSE by self study while working in the IT field and I feel thats the best way as when you self learn the things you never forget them

However if you are looking for instructer led trainign than i can suggest this

http://www.koenig-solutions.com/training/boot_camp_uk.asp?currid=7

They are in India..

will cost GBP 2050 , for MCSE 2003 and includes everything
Prices includes:
Course Fee.
Exam Fee (one attempt for each exam as per the certification).
Cost of course books.
Single occupancy room and all meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner )
Guidance and support to make your stay in Delhi / Shimla / Goa
comfortable and safe.
Pickup and drop facility at the airport.
Guidance for moving around in Delhi / Shimla / Goa.
Many other minor but important services.


Price doesn't include AIR Ticket.

A friend of mine used them in the past and was well pleased.

gari..

amosworks

Why not do an RHCE and make some real money?

Murtle

Just a thought, but has your partner thought of doing some of the other courses for other products ie SAP or Oracle, whilst they are expensive there is demand for these products and they don't look like they'll be going anywhere!! They pay well too.....

What does he do now, can he use that experience to move across into IT? I had experience of a rarely known system from using it and basic support in a previous job which opened up doors for me to move into IT support as certain places where desperate for the skills!!

x x

Katie_Bell

nickmack wrote:

Sounds like a good plan. MCSE's are usually best done when your company pays for them. Unfortunately in your OH's case, he's not in the industry yet.

I agree with NastyMatt about the relevance of some qualifications in certain roles.

No offence intended to you Katie and not necessarily a reflection on you or your company, but I have found alot of IT recruitment consultants to be a rather useless bunch. The problem seems to be that some have little knowledge of technical IT roles and they work to strict targets and under instructions they cannot interpret in their own way. I still get calls and emails from IT recruitment agencies offering me to apply for jobs that are either totally different from my skillset and/or paying less money than I'm on now in a location hundreds of miles away!

I couldn't agree more with you. There are some well dodgy agencies at there, but we're not all the same. I specialise in software development, I don't have much of a clue outside of that, but I would never attempt to recruit for non-software positions. I know my strengths and my limitations. I have moved into a wider range of roles, but still within the software spectrum.

Katie_Bell

Murtle wrote:

Just a thought, but has your partner thought of doing some of the other courses for other products ie SAP or Oracle, whilst they are expensive there is demand for these products and they don't look like they'll be going anywhere!! They pay well too.....

What does he do now, can he use that experience to move across into IT? I had experience of a rarely known system from using it and basic support in a previous job which opened up doors for me to move into IT support as certain places where desperate for the skills!!

x x

Thanks for that, but he doesn't have any commercial IT experience. I'll mention learning SAP or oracle.

mini_mad_dad

i to have been looking at doing an it course.
other than the usual 4 grand plus do it at home with help from a company that i figure has extremly large overheads, i found these at a fraction of the cost... hope these help?

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/default.mspx


http://www.comptia.org/default.aspx