|
Home > Archive > microsoft.public.cert.exam.mcsd > April 2003 > MS instructor-led courses worth it? (MOC)
You are viewing an archived Text-only version of the thread.
To view this thread in it's original format and/or if you want to reply to
this thread please [click here]
| Author |
MS instructor-led courses worth it? (MOC)
|
|
| Cesar 2003-04-16, 11:23 pm |
| Has anyone taken a MOC (Microsoft Official Curriculum)
instructor led class and also taken the associated
certification exam? And if so, how you rate the value
(completeness, level, etc.) of the class in preparation
for the exam (or the real world for that matter).
I suppose I'm most interrested in the VB.NET courses for
now, and so responses specifically would be nice, but any
others would might bring insight.
-thanks in advance.
| |
|
| "Cesar" <cvramirez@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:035701c30497$c00a2910$a60
1280a@phx.gbl...
> Has anyone taken a MOC (Microsoft Official Curriculum)
> instructor led class and also taken the associated
> certification exam? And if so, how you rate the value
> (completeness, level, etc.) of the class in preparation
> for the exam (or the real world for that matter).
One thing to keep in mind is that no MOC courses are intended specifically
for exam preparation. It would be easy to misunderstand this given that all
MOC marketing I've ever seen, from MS or 3rd party CTECs, makes very
specific reference to working toward a certification. That said, the MS
cross references between exams and MOC are not bs, most of the courses do
happen to cover skills that are tested on an exam or three. But the MS exams
are not 'course completion' measurements, so you should not expect to pass
simply by taking & absorbing a few classes.
I've seen courseware for many MOCs and most are pretty good. For an
instructor led class, I think the instructor will make a huge difference in
how much you get out of the class. A great instructor can make it very much
worth your time & money, and a bad one can make it a near total loss. And if
you're aiming toward exams, find out what the instructor thinks about that
too. Some seem to be offended by the thought of gearing any class time
toward exam preparation. While it's right to avoid discussions like "If they
ask you to choose between passport or windows security, always choose...", I
think it's fine to say "You'll probably get questions about security options
on the exam. Let's compare them..."
| |
|
| >
> I suppose I'm most interrested in the VB.NET courses for
> now, and so responses specifically would be nice, but any
> others would might bring insight.
>
Instructor lead overview/exam prep courses just are not worth the huge
amount of money most of these places charge - for me, a good study guide
book worked best. Also, the sample exam questions from places like
Transcender (http://troxy.com/transcender.php?s=20100106) are helpful for
some additional studying. Here are links to some of the popular study guides
out there:
Exam #70-305: Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft
Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio
Book: Visual Basic® .NET Windows® and Web Applications Study Guide
http://troxy.com/book.php?s=20100106&p=0782141617
Exam #70-306: Developing and Implementing Windows-based Applications with
Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET
Book: Visual Basic .NET Windows and Web Applications Study Guide
http://troxy.com/book.php?s=20100106&p=0782141617
Exam #70-310: Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with
Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework
Book: Visual Basic .NET XML Web Services and Server Component Study Guide
http://troxy.com/book.php?s=20100106&p=0782141935
This is a very popular Training Kit for MCSD (Official from Microsoft):
Exams # 70-305, 70-315, 70-306, 70-316, 70-310, 70-320, and 70-300
Training Kit: MCAD/MCSD Self-Paced Training Kit: Microsoft .NET Core
Requirements, Exams 70-305, 70-315, 70-306, 70-316, 70-310, 70-320, and
70-300
http://troxy.com/book.php?s=20100106&p=0735619255
| |
| Alex Cohen 2003-04-18, 4:23 pm |
| Cesar, most interesting to me has been the lack of perspective in the IT
industry over the last 5-6 years. And rightfully so. The dot com era brought
about so much opportunity that our eyes were full of too much to provide
clear vision or focus in any given matter. SO my response to your comment
both having taken MOC, taught it and taken exams is that if you really sit
back and think about it you will understand that there are different goals
for each. Confused yet? Ok, so think about it--if you go to take a class it
sounds to me like you are picking up a new skill or learning about a new
product. If you are going for an exam it sounds like to me that you are
looking to satisfy the requirements of certification designed to certify
what you *already* know or have experience with. Make sense yet?
The problem lies in what we were sold a year or two ago. What we were asked
to believe my the marketing gurus and CTECs. Most of us believed...others
pursued their own career path. The worst of the bunch were the newbies who
really had no idea what things were really like or like before the hype
started.
So in my opinion, I don't realistically expect a MOC to certify me or even
prepare me fully for an exam. I do think however, that it is a great
starting point.
My counsel: MOC, Web Sites --> Research (Books, White Papers, etc) -->
Experience it yourself (Work) --> Get certified!
Think about it. I would also appreciate your thoughts on this.
Alex
"Cesar" <cvramirez@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:035701c30497$c00a2910$a60
1280a@phx.gbl...
> Has anyone taken a MOC (Microsoft Official Curriculum)
> instructor led class and also taken the associated
> certification exam? And if so, how you rate the value
> (completeness, level, etc.) of the class in preparation
> for the exam (or the real world for that matter).
>
> I suppose I'm most interrested in the VB.NET courses for
> now, and so responses specifically would be nice, but any
> others would might bring insight.
>
> -thanks in advance.
>
|
|
|
|
|