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What do you do to make sure your students are getting the most for their money?

I was on MCPmag the other day. There was a listing in the IT Forums that I could not resist looking it. It was entitled: Newbie in IT. Here is the original post from Adrian.

I've started my computer experience at the firm that I work and immediately realized that IT was for me. My question is, what exams or certification path should I be looking for? There are a number of CompTIA and Microsoft certfication exam but where should I start? Please help

Here is one of the ways that I make sure my students get the most of there future IT training. My response is below.

Adrian, First off, welcome to the club. IT can be a very interesting trip. With the economy the way it is, you are making yourself very portable should the need to move on arise. When I teach Microsoft classes, I make a point to show my students how to make sure they are getting the most out of your training dollar. Only you can judge your current proficiency with different technologies and your interest. When it comes to Microsoft training, this is what I advise people to do.
1) Identify the areas you are interested in.
2) Go to www.microsoft.com.
3) Under Training and Events, Click IT Pro Training and Certification.
4) The Entry level certifications are now called Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS). Click that link.
5) The more advanced certifications are not called Microsoft Certified IT professional (MCITP). Look at that link also.
6) Each certification will list the Exams required to achieve it. Click on an exam.
7) Check of the "Skills being Measured" section to see home much new material you will learn.
8) Also, Check the "Preparing Materials" section for the "Classroom Training" Click each one of those classes.
9) In the Course Details section, you will see what is taught in each class. This is the important one. It will tell you what you are spending your money on. Good luck!

I feel that it is an ethically responsible thing to do, as a trainer, to make sure students know how to best spend their training dollars. I've often had professionals in my classes who did not look at the product they purchased and often felt that only a small portion was worth the expense. Although this is initially out of the trainers hands, be directing the to the proper training, we also generate an opportunity to sell future classes.

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