Computing Qualifications

[tobiasnugent]

i recently applied to go to a zenos ict academy and wondered if any of you are familiar with these qualifications and if there of any good ?

Key Skills Level 2

Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician - MCDST

Advanced Diploma for IT Practitioners – City&Guilds

Network+ - CompTIA
Microsoft Certified System Administrator - MCSA
Advanced Apprenticeship Certificate

 

[ChrisUK]

i recently applied to go to a zenos ict academy and wondered if any of you are familiar with these qualifications and if there of any good ?

Key Skills Level 2

Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician - MCDST

Advanced Diploma for IT Practitioners – City&Guilds

Network+ - CompTIA
Microsoft Certified System Administrator - MCSA
Advanced Apprenticeship Certificate

Key skills = Crap unless you want a clerical sort of position typing word documents etc

MCDST - Quite a good qualification from what I've heard quite extensive but a lot easier than a MCSE (very difficult)

C&G Advanced Diploma for IT practisioners - If its the one I think it is (Level 3) its a very good one to do as it gives you a good back ground and foundation for the more difficult Microsoft courses.

Network+ - CompTIA, Avoid like the plague its a comercialised course with profit as their sole purpose, the information is old out of date and inaccurate.

MCSA - Good qualification to have if you want to before a Server / Basic Network Administrator.

Advanced apprentiship - Never heard of it I take it its like a NVQ Level 3 (I.E on the job training?). If so It will be mostly crap unless you already have a good back ground knowledge in IT and it will serve as work experience.

 

[soap_dodger]

I did the City & Guilds before my BTEC.

Peice of p*ss.

If you know how to use, word, control panel, dream weaver, etc.

 

[tobiasnugent]

yer i do at the end of the course they help you to find a job but you cant complete the course unless you find a job within ict

 

[ChrisUK]

I did the City & Guilds before my BTEC.

Peice of p*ss.

If you know how to use, word, control panel, dream weaver, etc.

You mistaking the Practisioners Course with the basic 'I.C.T' course.

 

[TheGasMan]

Im the process of finishing at zenos.

Its a lot of proactical based assessment rather than written exams and that.

They are also offer good support in finding a good work placement after you finish.

If you have any questions just let me know.

 

[volxstu]

Well i will give a special qualification to anybody who can solve my computer problem.
You dont get a certificate but if we ever meet you do get a pint or two or knowing me 3.......4........5.

 

[tobiasnugent]

Im the process of finishing at zenos.

Its a lot of proactical based assessment rather than written exams and that.

They are also offer good support in finding a good work placement after you finish.

If you have any questions just let me know.

what jobs do they put you into ?

 

[TheGasMan]

You get 5 months training, then they put you into the work placement. You get 80 quid a week on most of them, some are a litte more.

Some get apprenticeships in Computer maintanance and testing, basically testing components, replacing faulty ones, Installing os and software, things like that. Which is what i am going into at the moment, because ive nearly finished my training.

Some people go for network administration, i was going to do to it, but the placement they offered me was to far a distance to go every day, so i picked the other placement.

The level 2 key skills is basically a doss, and really boring. Just basically maths, english, communication skills things like that.

All the qualifications are really good ones, apart from the network+ which is pretty much a waste of time. You have to be pretty commited there is a lot of work.

The work experience and appreticeship are good because of the hands on experience you get.

 

[Focus Owner]

Key Skills Level 2
that a joke?

 

[mooshooh]

Key Skills Level 2
that a joke?

I'm sure I was forced to take that at college as an extra subject...**** easy, I didn't go to a single lesson after the first as it was that boring and did the all coursework 2 days before the end of term...if you can use MS office then your sorted

 

[tobiasnugent]

i have already done my key skills level two!
and 80 quid a week yo u have get to be joking thats peanuts

 

[fenton_jd]

I did the full 5-6 months of the zenos 'academy'

We got **** all help in getting jobs at the end. We were told before we applied that they had all these ties with bluechip companies like fujitsu etc. But at the end of the course we were all basically looking in the paper for jobs.

I obtained an IT job off my own back. The company I work for had run-ins with zenos in the past and they hated zenos, so when I turned up with a CV full of zenos material they were quick to think "oh not another one"

My interview technique won me the job as apposed to my CV, I was 17 at the time with no job experience whatsoever.

I'm now nearly 19, been working there with a years experience under my belt and i feel like I have the world at my feet. Decent salary, can afford to pay for my Grande Punto and it's insurance all off my own back and still have cash to spare.

IF you do choose to go to zenos, you MUST take it seriously and put every effort in no matter what your opinon of how you are taught. End of the day they are qualifications, especially the MS ones and they will make your CV look better.

Realistically though, it's all down to the interview. Train yourself for it, your CV/IT qualifications need to show as icing on the cake, not your main feature.

 

[ChrisUK]

Realistically though, it's all down to the interview. Train yourself for it, your CV/IT qualifications need to show as icing on the cake, not your main feature.

Couldn't agree more . Potential IT employer's see 100's of Underexperienced young 'jumpstarts' with nothing but these bits of paper that mean absolutly nothing (except maybe some of the MS courses) the industry is absolutly saturated with them at the minute and there is a serious lack of people with real experience and real knowledge above the classroom level. It all comes down to your personality and your ability to learn and soak things up like a sponge and mould your self into any position they put you in the company.

 

[tobiasnugent]

the course looks okey and iam okey at interviews iv done enough lol its just the getting the job bit that iam abit worried about

 

[minus_license]

have to agree, I did key skills ict lvl 2 as an extra subject, thought i may aswell pick it as i was already doing A-level ICT. indeed it was a Piece of wee

 

[Hellcat]

Think the most qualified person in our IT department is in desktop support! All the technology architects and global ops in the uk are either unqualified, have out-of-date qualifications or general degrees - not always in computer areas.

Hands on experience is where it's at. Qualifications might get you in the door but you'll be out the other one if you can't do the job. Get yourself some old kit and play with it. Breaking a whole AD forest at home costs you a few hours to rebuild. Do it at work and it'll be costing your insurance several million

 

[ChrisUK]

Think the most qualified person in our IT department is in desktop support! All the technology architects and global ops in the uk are either unqualified, have out-of-date qualifications or general degrees - not always in computer areas.

Hands on experience is where it's at. Qualifications might get you in the door but you'll be out the other one if you can't do the job. Get yourself some old kit and play with it. Breaking a whole AD forest at home costs you a few hours to rebuild. Do it at work and it'll be costing your insurance several million

:yeahthat:

Too true. My Technical manager in my last role had a Degree in artificial intellegance (WTF?!!) but he knew his stuff especially on Linux / Unix and Corporate network security who I picked up most of my knowledge from . And like me hessitant to use Windows when Unix / Linux could do it better. Had a linux Fax -> email gateway with over 700days uptime when the Windows 2003 server needed a scheduled reboot everyweek to keep it healthy LOL.

 

[306maxi]

Think the most qualified person in our IT department is in desktop support! All the technology architects and global ops in the uk are either unqualified, have out-of-date qualifications or general degrees - not always in computer areas.

Hands on experience is where it's at. Qualifications might get you in the door but you'll be out the other one if you can't do the job. Get yourself some old kit and play with it. Breaking a whole AD forest at home costs you a few hours to rebuild. Do it at work and it'll be costing your insurance several million

So true. The most annoying ones are generally the people who have done these poncy qualifications. Of course there are many people who do these courses and are perfectly competent people. But the thing with working in the IT industry is that you need to be able to think for yourself. Sure a qualification can teach you how to solve a problem but they can't teach you how to problem solve an issue which you've never had before.

I have no formal IT qualifications at all but I've been playing around with computers since I was about 9 so I have about 16 years of experience of breaking stuff so I have a good idea how not to break stuff these days. I loved my last job which was a support desk job for some software we designed inhouse.

My experience is just that people with micky mouse qualifications tend not to be able to think for themselves and aren't very independant. People who go out and do more advanced qualifications like MCSE's, MCSA's as well as Cisco courses tend to be the sort of people who think about things and who have been screwing around with PC's and networks for years and not just some gormless tard in an advert who realises he/she can make lots of money in the IT industry even if they don't even want to work in the IT industry.

 

[manthatkidisscrewed]

The two Microsoft qualifications count about a bzillion times more than any of the others on that list...they're worth doing