Anyone w/ Microsnap Feedback (no Microsnap employees please) 1

[MadJac]

Old man looking to get edumacated. Have read pros and cons re: Microsnap. HOWEVER, everything I have read is old news. Any recent experience out there.

In house training is upwards of 10K.

Boot camps seem like pump and dump.

I have learned a great deal in the past from CBTs. There are just so many to choose from, and this seemed the most comprehensive.

TIA.

David

 

[CharlieJax]

Education is never a waste of time, but unless someone else is paying I wouldn't take a $10K class or go to a boot camp.

You are right, there are a lot of CBTs out there, but you said you have used some in the past, if you liked those, contact that company and score yourself some MCSE ones... if not, just check the websites and review them... I have test out CBTs... I would't recommend them. CJ

Don't drink and post, save that for driving home!

 

[algernonsidney]

Education is never a waste of time, true. But the quality of instruction is often very poor. Teaching is a skill that most techies simply don't have. Good teachers in any area are rare.

Chris

 

[xmuaddib]

We used them for MCSE training and they were helpful. We have three techs working on one MCSE program. Cost effective in the respect.

Phil
CA

 

[SemperFiDownUnda]

If you have the resources I'd but are slim on cash i'd suggest many of the MCSE book sets out there and just hammer at a few computers learning the concepts. Play Play Play. Goto some of the brain dump sites to get an idea of some of the questions and play with those.

The day of study this book and you'll pass the test are gone. I found that both SQL Programming and SQL Admin tests where more on past experience with the product then they where with what is in the MOC.

As an former MCT I agree trainers vary greatly. Most know the material they are teaching but what really, in my books, makes a good instructor is a few things
1) Ability to adapt to the different students learning styles
2) along with that Communication skills, they are really the same thing to me
3) Enthusiasm
4) Experience

Having taught courses on short notice before emphisises #4 with me. Even though I might know everything in the MOC by heart it does NOT mean I really new the course enough to pass the exam. Differenese is that I knew where to point people to the answers that I didn't know off the top of my head.

When selecting a course or set or courses I strongly suggest asking to talk with the instructors that are going to teach the coarse before you commit. You can get a feel for them as a person. You really don't want to go into a course with a instructor that is lacking in areas 1-3. If you are fairly knowledgable in the topic then you'll want an instructor with a lot of experience in the area so you can probe them for things not directly in the course.

As a standard practice I gave out business cards to students with my email and told them if they have a problem in feel free to drop me an email and I'd get back to them usually in a day with some responce even if it was "Sorry I don't know but you may want to look here".

We also did sandpit often. A good resource on a weekend where you had access to a bunch of computers, the software and an instructor to help with things if needed. It was good for those that might not had a few machines at home to try certian things out. That begining said I'd look into buying some lower spec 2nd hand machines and building your own network. You get a feel for things in the real world. Often you can get test network for far less then 2 classes. You don't need a monitor for every computer just share the one and manually plug it between them if you do need to directly access them.

Thats enough tidbits for now.

 

[gr8scotto]

Hope this info isn't to late for MadJac to use:

I have first-hand experience with the MicroSnap products. I don't like to be so negative about a product in a public forum, but all I can say is spend your money elsewhere!!!! This product is cr*p!!!!! My manager bought the entire MCSE Certification product late last year (November 2002). He bought the CBT, not the bootcamp, which came with 7 books and 7 sets of CD-Based video.

All of the books are the New Riders MCSE Series (however the set we recieved was already out-of-print and at least one new version has been released). I must say that, having used the Sybex materials prior to these, the New-Riders materials are EXCELLENT in comparison (I'm not a New Riders employee either).

To cut to the chase: My manager paid thousands of dollars for this package. All of the New Riders books combined cost $350.00 if bought individually. The videos that came with the Microsnap product STUNK. At one point I was so frustrated I counted and the trainer said "um...." 14 times in 2 minutes. Many of the visual aids/slides were incorrect (for example, when discussing an upgrade, the slides were labeled as "From WIndows 3.1 to W2K Pro" when in fact they were discussing upgrading from Windows NT 3.1!!!!

Save yourself some money and do NOT go with these products. There are much better materials out there. I am not endorsing any particular product either, you will have to find what works for you from the other advice you find in these forums and/or on the web. I am MCP having passed the W2K Professional test, and can tell you that the Microsnap products will probably not prepare you adequately for these tests.

Just my 2 cents worth.....good luck to you!