Lawhon, Alan C Contractor/Morgan Research
alan.lawhon at redstone.army.mil
Tue Feb 25 13:56:26 CST 2003
Steve:
I exchanged the following correspondence with a lady named "Kathleen" (on
another SQL Server message board) about two years ago. The topic of the
worth (and cost) of MCDBA training came up. I thought you might find my
response [to Kathleen] interesting.
Alan C. Lawhon
-----Original Message-----
From: "Kathleen"
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2001 12:29 PM
To: alan.lawhon at redstone.army.mil
Subject: MCDBA
Alan,
I am planning to try for this certification also. I do more web work than
desktop applications, but I am finding that many of my clients don't have
the tech support they need for sql.
Are you taking classes or taking the do-it-yourself approach?
Kathleen
--------------------------------------------------------------
Kathleen's very simple inquiry led to quite a response (from me) which I
would like to share with the members of this list.
Kathleen:
It is quite a coincidence that you should contact me about this just
today, as I have been spending most of this morning debating with myself
over the "self study" versus "taking classes" approach to MCDBA training.
After quite a bit of research, (which I'll explain in greater detail),
I'm coming to a slightly depressing (but inescapable) conclusion.
Regardless of which route you choose, obtaining the MCDBA certification
is going to be both expensive and time consuming. I have tried both
approaches - and learned some interesting lessons.
First, I'll summarize my limited experience with classroom instruction -
especially the brand of "training" practiced at Authorized Training
Centers. A few years ago, I decided to pursue a Novell CNE certification
thru classroom instruction at a Novell Authorized Education Center here
in my home town. I had to enroll for a night class as I could not take
off from work. This particular company, (part of a nationwide chain),
scheduled me (and six or seven other people) for (literally) a one-week
"cram" course. We were scheduled for the CNE Administration class from
5:00 to 11:00 P.M. (Monday thru Friday evenings) plus a full eight hours
on Saturday! (This was on top of a full work day for each one of us ...)
I'll freely admit that I'm getting up in years, (and maybe not quite
as energetic as I used to be), but this one-week "cram" session was
an exhausting experience. By Wednesday evening, most of us were
struggling mightily just to stay awake and alert - much less actually
"learn" anything. (I guess there are some people who thrive on this
kind of cramming, but it's not really my cup of tea.) To dispel any
notion that, "Well, old Alan just can't hack it!" I will state that I
did earn a 4-year college degree (Bachelor of Science) going to school
at night while I was also working. It took me the better part of six
years to get a four year degree, but I was also working anywhere from
40 to 60 hours a week in a manufacturing plant; so, (all things consid-
ered), I don't think I did all that bad. Also, my college experience
was demanding and required great perseverance, but it was never as bad
as the one-week "hell session" I went thru with the Novell class.
I must state that classroom learning, (at least with this outfit), was
quite expensive. This one-week soiree personally cost me, (as well as
my classmates), a cool $1,500.00 apiece - and that was for just one
of six (or seven) classes required to get the full certification. So,
going the "classroom training" route is not cheap. If you go thru the
whole smash, you can (easily) wind up paying a minimum of six to ten
thousand dollars. Since this money was coming straight out of my own
wallet, I naturally began wondering about the "self study" route as a
less costly alternative. One other point about these "Authorized Train-
ing Centers" before I get on to the self study option. In college, our
classes were scheduled two nights a week, generally two hours per class,
taking two classes. (We were NEVER in class past 10:00 P.M.!) This
worked well, as it allowed a "study night" between class nights.
I may possibly be biased (and unfair) to the certification training
industry by basing my judgement of the entire industry on my one
grueling experience. However, I must also state that this outfit had
a "sales force" that worked on commission - which seems to be typical
for the industry. Maybe it's just me, but I had the distinct impression
that all they really cared about was shoveling people thru the mill as
quickly as possible and collecting the money. Make no mistake about
it: The certification racket is a business - especially as practiced by
these Authorized Training Centers. If you can "learn" in that kind of
environment, then I say "More power to you!" (To be fair, and at least
a little objective, I will admit that the instructors at these Authorized
Training Centers are, generally speaking, very competent and knowledgeble.
They know their stuff ...)
OK, after thoroughly trashing classroom instruction, I'll now turn my
attention to self study. About a year ago my shop made a decision to
convert an Access 97 FE/BE database to a SQL Server BE. Thus began
a year of unremitting horror. (Maybe not quite that bad, but our
manager's smiles, and generally cheery dispositions, disappeared a
long time ago.) As we've gotten deeper into this thing, I've realized
that obtaining a certification - especially the MCDBA cert - would be
very beneficial; not only for my employer, but also for me personally.
This time I decided I was going the "self study" route - of that there
was no doubt!
My company, a defense contractor, would "pay" for training, but there
were some very significant strings attached. After thinking it over,
I decided to finance my own self study - which turned out to be the
correct decision. My company, (and this is typical for a lot of
companies), stipulated that if they payed for your training and you
left them (for any reason) within one year; then you had to return the
training costs to the company. Well, my company just managed to lose
the contract I'm working on to another company, (another common occur-
rence in government contracting), so I would have been personally on
the hook for who knows how much [money] if I had chosen to let them
pay. So, I chose to pay for my training myself.
To run SQL Server 2000 at home, I knew I was going to need a fairly
substantial hardware rig for the "server" platform. When it was
all over with, I had managed to buy approximately $4,000.00 worth
of computer system. (I'm still buying the software, so I don't yet
know how high that's going to run ...) Now, in order to self study
and really get "hands on" with the product, you need appropriate
training materials - such as books and "Study Guides." It just so
happens that Microsoft has anticipated this need. They have developed
a suite of "Training Kits" which prepare you (minimally) for each of
the exams in the MCDBA Windows 2000 track. (If you want to check
out these training kits, here are the Microsoft URLs:
http://mspress.microsoft.com/PROD/BOOKS/4886.HTM
http://www.mspress.microsoft.com/PROD/BOOKS/4885.HTM
http://www.mspress.microsoft.com/prod/books/4681.htm
Now, these training kits can be had for less than $350.00 - which looks
like a real bargain - especially when compared to the cost of just one
classroom course at an Authorized Training Center. (Study materials
for two of the MCDBA exams - 70-215, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, and
70-216, Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure Administration -
are covered in the Windows 2000 Core Requirements training kit.) Just
today, I have discovered an expensive "kicker" in one of the training
kits. The following paragraph appears in the training kit for the
Windows 2000 Core Requirements:
Note: To complete the exercises for Windows 2000 Server training, you
will need two computers each equipped with internal modems, network
interface cards and the minimum configuration above. To complete the
exercises for Windows 2000 Professional training, you will need a copy
of Windows 2000 Professional CD.
I guess this is an indication of how wet behind the ears I am, but the
Microsoft folks are stating the obvious in the fine print: You can't
simulate a "network environment" without [at least] one client machine.
(Duh!) So now, in order to get full value out of the training kits, I
need to buy another [cheap!] computer. (Add another $500 to $1,000 to
the cost of the "self study" route ...)
Now I know why these Authorized Training Centers get away with highway
robbery. Their thinking is probably something like, "You want to 'self
study' your way to certification? Fine! But don't think that you're
going to save a big pile of money."
What's the old saying? "In for a dime, in for a dollar." I've already
spent close to $5,000.00, so what's one or two thousand more? I'm going
to tough it out, spend whatever I have to, and self study my way to the
MCDBA and then the MCSE. (Hopefully, I'll make it all up with my first
job offer once I'm certified.)
So, to answer your question, which is better: Self study or classroom
instruction? I guess it just depends on how you prefer to spend your
money ... OK, this is probably a much longer response than you might
have been expecting, so I apologize; but I also hope that it has been
helpful - and maybe even enlightening.
It has been nice hearing from you. Regardless of which approach you
choose, I wish you luck (and success) in going after your cert. I have
a feeling we'll both do OK. All it takes to get a certification, (or
anything else), is one thing: DPM - Determination, Perseverance, and ...
a lot of MONEY! (Got to have a sense of humor in this business.)
Sincerely,
Alan C. Lawhon