"cram" schools

Post #68,466 by lincoln 12/12/02 5:44:49 PM Reply	"cram" schools As I call them. They're the places that advertise one week of 8 - 10 hour days, or a full Saturday for 2 months, or 1 - 2 nights a week for a few months, and you'll be guaranteed to pass the test(s) and be certified in whatever the subject was, like getting an MSCE or whatever. Has anybody ever been through one, or know of a coworker who has? I'd like to hear the pros and cons of such places - I'm considering going to one. Of course, the subject matter is open for discussion also, since I don't know what I should "learn" to help get my foot into the door of my next employer. Opinions please. lincoln "Four score and seven years ago, I had a better sig"
Post #68,492 by broomberg 12/12/02 9:14:30 PM Reply	Rarely worth it as a start If you have some experience with something, and find yourself competing with others, then it gives you an edge. But if you have no experience, and are using it as a starting point, it shows. You will get killed on a interview for anything other than entry level.
Post #68,796 by JayMehaffey 12/13/02 8:36:16 PM Reply	Don't bother for MSCE For the MSCE tests you can get everything from the internet. [link\|http://www.braindumpcommunity.com/\|Brain dumps] has links that can get you the questions and answers to the Microsoft tests. You can't trust what is there 100% but most of what I have seen is pretty good. Jay
Post #68,986 by inthane-chan 12/15/02 12:39:47 PM Reply	Don't underestimate the MCSE tests, though. A certain unnamed sellout here (not me, btw) actually failed one of them recently. They've gotten a lot tougher. "...the middle of fighting a war against religious extremism is not the time to do something offensive to God." - Some idiot.
Post #68,996 by pwhysall 12/15/02 2:50:01 PM Reply	It was me :-) The core MCSE exams would test anyone, I wot. The electives are just nutty. I passed 70-219 on Thursday and it was a beast. 4 scenarios, 4 hours. An awful lot of information to absorb and analyse, and I found myself doing a fair bit of business analysis along the way. Peter [link\|http://www.debian.org\|Shill For Hire] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Blog]
Post #69,035 by JayMehaffey 12/15/02 7:47:02 PM Reply	I know My company is forcing many of the employees, including me, to get some certs, I suspect because the programmers where showing some spirit and forcing people to do work on their own time is a good way to crush it quickly. The tests require a decent correct percent (I think it's 85%) and are loaded down with fairly difficult questions. The answers are not as easy as the older MSCE tests where there where multiple questions in this form: A customer needs to setup a network server that is both low cost and powerful, what do you suggest to the customer? 1. Netware 2. Microsoft NT 3. Unix 4. Vines The test I'm working on Developing and Implementing Windows-based Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET is loaded with stupid, wrong headed, and/or spurious questions. This makes the test even harder then it would be otherwise. Jay

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