Help from network guys and gals

[_Scottie]

But in all reality, she needs to get this certification, regardless of how ridiculous it is. Is April 1st a realistic deadline?

[_Yoda]

But in all reality, she needs to get this certification, regardless of how ridiculous it is. Is April 1st a realistic deadline?

I don't think that April 1st is a realistic deadline for her to pass all 7 exams involved in the MCSE.

Now, if you are talking about a single cert (An MCP), then yes.

[_harmony]

Who is going to pay for this? Her or your company?

Because it seems very unfair to require she pay $6000 out of her own pocket in order to gain a certificate that wasn't originally required when she was hired.

[_Scottie]

Who is going to pay for this? Her or your company?

Because it seems very unfair to require she pay $6000 out of her own pocket in order to gain a certificate that wasn't originally required when she was hired.

It's really $6k??? Gosh!!

I think I will need to talk to my boss about this.

[_Yoda]

Here is a link regarding information about the exam costs, and the different tracks involved:

http://gocertify.com/article/MCSAMCSE2003.shtml

The cost for the exams is going to run around $875.

However, you cannot expect her to just sit for these 7 exams and pass them on the first go around. She is going to have to take courses to preparation her. There are courses specifically designed for folks who are currently networkers, and are gaining certification. The classes are what cost. You can usually save a little bit in cost if you go through a community college, but even then, it's not cheap. You are still probably looking at $4-5000.

And, yes, your company should most certainly pay for this. It is training...particularly, as Harmony said, if this is something that was not a job requirement before you hired her.

[_Yoda]

Scottie, I have my first MCP in the MCSD track (Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer). It took me 3 months to solidly study for this. I'm a programmer, so I passed if first go around. It was shortly after that, I decided it would be more profitable to simply go back to school and get my Master's in Computer Science.

I'll be happy to talk with you and give you more information on some of these tracks and how training works via PM or email.

[_Gadianton]

let me just illustrate some of the various options.

a)
most certified people have used products off the web that are literally screen shots of the real exam (they often don't know what they're buying). This is the most effective method. $1500 or so total give or take. 2-3 months time.

b)
Next option. study Microsofts approved materials, fail as they don't cover what's on the test, and then retake as many times as you want. This is kind of a slower, more expensive way of doing option a. Cost, $10,000+ but Microsoft will really be happy. 1 year.

c)
Go to one of these training camps that guarantee a pass or buy two or three supplemental study books for each test. This works because the producers all know a), but they take the time to design their own content and make practice tests that are slightly different than the real test, and explain the reasons behind the answers. 3,000 - 8,000k and at least 6 months.

In the end analysis, the only way to pass is to know what the hell to study, and you can't get that from microsoft. So all viable passing options are more or less nuanced versions of studying real exam questions.

(p.s. I have an outdated MCSE, it never made me a dime. I've never even done "IT" work only network engineering -- routers, fwalls, load balancers etc..)

[_Scottie]

Thanks for all your help, but after a long talk with my boss today, it looks like she is doomed to failure. Nobody even wants to give her a chance. It looks like he is hell bent on firing her.

[_Gadianton]

If she does a good job, why does he want to fire her?

[_Scottie]

If she does a good job, why does he want to fire her?

Office politics.

In a nut shell, she is being asked to do 10 different things by 5 different departments. Each department thinks that their thing is priority #1. Well, she has her own priority list, which is rarely what their priority list is. So, each department head is telling the new boss that she never gets anything done. Which, translated means she doesn't get THEIR stuff done as quickly as they'd like her to. He has bought this hook, line and sinker. He completely disregards anything I say about her as doing a good job in favor of what these other guys are saying.

Plus, he feels like her 62k salary is exorbitantly high for her qualifications. Is it?