OK, you’ve decided it has been long enough. You are ready to take the plunge. You are going to get that MCSE that you have been talking about for so long. Great!! Now, where do you begin? cbtnuggets The first problem I had with pursuing my MCSE was financing. As I previously mentioned, the course that I ended up settling for cost just over $9000 to attend. That involved some very creative financing on my part (but that is another story!). Either way, that’s just not practical for most people. Not only do you miss time at work to attend these classes, you spend a small fortune to attend them. Unless you have been preparing for this for some time, it is simply not going to work. Now, what if I told you that you could get the same education based on YOUR schedule for about $300. That is 104 videos at 20-35 minutes each spread over 8 CDROMs. This is the Windows 2000 MCSE package and covers all of the topics necessary to help you pass the 7 Windows 2000 MCSE exams. Other packages and options are also available. Click Here to Find Out More: cbtnuggets The next problem that I had with pursuing my MCSE was that it was difficult to find courses available at night or on the weekends. I had a full-time job that was going nowhere, but I still had to pay the bills. The luxury of missing work was one that I didn’t have. I wished for a course that I could take at my leisure. A course that, if I did not understand something, I could review as much as needed — when I wanted and where I wanted. I had to settle for something not quite so convenient, but I did not know about CBT Nuggets. cbtnuggets CBT Nuggets are the work of Dan Charbonneau. Dan is an MCSE and MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer). He also holds several certifications from Novell and Cisco. Dan owns and operates his own consulting and training firm. What are CBT Nuggets? CBT (computer based training) Nuggets are an inexpensive, comprehensive video training curriculum. Now, before you start thinking that because these courses are extremely inexpensive (under-priced may be more accurate) that they are inferior, think again. Click Here Now: cbtnuggets These courses are comprehensive. Let’s face it, there are many concepts that almost can’t be comprehended from written text. Visualization is not an option when learning the advanced concepts of networking. Even your basic networking topics are so much more understandable when you have a picture in your mind of exactly what is going on. This is where the CBT Nuggets series shows its excellence. Dan has done a tremendous job incorporating dialog with a “white board” so its like being in a classroom. He also has incorporated live screen captures so that you can follow along with the video. So, what is included? As I mentioned, there are several package options. The set that I have seen and used is the Windows 2000 MCSE package. It is comprised of 8 CDROMs; 1 per Microsoft Certified Professional exam with the exception of Exchange Server which is covered on 2 CDROMs. In all, there are 104 videos covering a complete range of topics for each test. For more details, visit Dan’s site: cbtnuggets. For an idea of what the Nuggets entail, check out the free previews. Click Here for Free Preview: cbtnuggets I do not know if any of you have taken any Microsoft Official Curriculum (MOC) courses, but, if you have you will find Dan’s method of teaching a refreshing change. He does not over-complicate topics, but rather presents them in a clear and concise manner. His years as a trainer really shine on these videos. In fact, I would go as far to say that current MCTs could probably learn a lot about how to present this material to their classes by watching Dan’s CBT Nuggets. My only complaint about CBT Nuggets is that I did not know about them when I began pursuing my MCSE. Any of you that have done research on pursuing your MCSE have seen the costs of quality training materials. For about 1/4 the cost of a course covering one of these tests, you can have the entire Windows 2000 MCSE package. Jay Fougere is the IT manager for the Murdok network. He also writes occasional articles. If you have any IT questions, please direct them to Jay@https://www.murdok.org.
