On line Training

[vestan]

Hi guys.

I don't know if this is a suitable topic to post here, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. :)

I was wondering how many of you regulars on here have used online training courses to get qualifications in IT.

If you have, which training companies did you use, and how well do you believe the course was run (was it value for money, was it well supported in terms of problem solving etc.)

I am currently looking for a change of career, and was looking at web design and Linux as possible gateways into IT. I have no previous experience in IT, so any of you people who have started from scratch using online education courses as a means of getting into employment, and would like to give me a few pointers, I would be pleased to accept them.

Thanks.

[-pops-]

I don't have much personal experience of this but, my son owns a graphics design company and has quite a bit of knowledge not so much about on-line training but the sort of career that you want to embark on.

He has access to this forum though me so, I'll get him to come on and tell you something about his experience. I can tell you, though, it won't be good news.

It will most likely this evening.

[-pops-]

Hello Vestan

Before you embark on anything like this think very carefully about what you can eventually achieve and if it will be worth the outlay of money.

IT is a very over-popular and overpopulated profession. There are enormous numbers of people who think, like you, that that there are lots of good jobs available in IT. In reality, there are not. The colleges are churning out increasing numbers of IT "specialists" for a market that just doesn't exist. All the good jobs are taken up and for any that become vacant, there is a very long queue of hopefuls waiting such that the chance of getting into that work is very remote.

I get several people every week trying to get work either coming here in person, sending a CV through the post or by or email. Some of them seem quite desperate having obtained lots of qualifications but, not having any experience, find it impossible to get employed. So there is the vicious circle - you can't get a job because you don't have the experience and you can't get the experience because you don't have a job.

The situation with web design is somewhat different but, no more encouraging. Good web designers are in demand BUT good web designers are something of a rarity - as illustrated by some of the totally naff web sites that you might come across where you would expect something a lot better (there is a web site that illustrates this http://www.webpagesthatsuck.com/ ) Good web design relies on technical expertise, such as a thorough knowledge of HTML etc, a strong artistic aptitude and an ability to be able to interpret the ideas and wishes of the client into something which is not only acceptable but profitable.

Sorry to seem so negative but, you should be aware of the reality before you embark on a possibly fruitless exercise and outlay of a lot of money. If you do want to look further into this, enquire at a local school or college for information on courses there.

Good luck

Eric

[vestan]

Thanks pops. :)

I've been looking over courses and pricing, and found a few courses I wouldn't mind doing. Even if there is no job at the the end of it, I guess it's something that you can still put on your cv. What I really wanted to know was if anyone has done online courses, what they thought about the course as in value for money and if the training provider was any use.

As for college, I've already signed up for a software engineering course, but that's really all my local college has to offer at the mo'.

There are numerous online training course providers advertised online, but I'm stuck as to which one I should sign up with.

I guess I'll just have to take a punt at one. :)

Thanks for the info. and reply. :)

[-pops-]

Vestan, don't be put off too much by Eric's reply. He was lucky and got his business going before there was this huge increase in the number of IT experts.

My thoughts are that, as long as you're not relying on a course to provide you with a very high income (or any income) go ahead - provided you can afford to do it.

Good luck! :)

[wawa]

I would like to help you on this topic but i dont have experience in this domain..

[Web host guys]

I would like to help you on this topic but i dont have experience in this domain..

I've used online training for learning HTML, CSS, PHP, Dreamweaver, Photoshop cs3, Flash cs3 and actionscript.

HTML (W3schools.com)

CSS (W3schools.com)

PHP (vtc.com and lynda.com)

DreamWeaver CS3 (totaltraining.com, vtc.com and lynda.com)

Photoshop CS3(totaltraining.com, vtc.com, lynda.com)

Flash cs3 and actionscript courses (totaltraining.com, vtc.com)

W3schools is free and vtc.com offers first few parts of the courses for free. Lynda.com and vtc.com are both low cost subscription based and are well worth it to try.

totaltraining.com is by far the best quality but also much higher priced. I really enjoy the totaltraining.com video training and they've recently added the subscription based access as well. About a year ago they added that but before then you had to pay $200+ for any of their titles each.

Good luck,

[vestan]

Thanks for the info. guys. :)

Unbelievably, I've been met with a few 'hard line' sales calls from online trainers, which is something I didn't expect.

I've found alot of useful info. on the OU website, whose courses are designed with budgets in mind, unlike alot of others I've run across.

I'll check out those sites WHG, thanks.

[homecomputeraid]

I recommend looking for large, reputable companies that offer the training you're after for a reasonable fee. I've used Boson and SelfTest Software practice exams and training materials for Cisco and Microsoft professional exams. Both seemed reasonably priced and were professional.

http://www.boson.com/

http://www.selftestsoftware.com/

Beware of unsolicited high-pressure sales calls offering "package" deals for a thousand dollars (pounds?) or more. $50 to $250 seems reasonable depending on what you get for the money.

Practice exams only, which can be used in conjunction with study books from companies like Sybex, or Microsoft Press, or Cisco Press etc. should be between $50 and $100 in my opinion. Guides that also include tutorials and other material will be more expensive.

Good luck!