Best IT Degree Programme in T&T....

[Crixx_Creww]

yes, thats for men who experienced and or technologically inclined
but for a noob now starting wanting to hit the trifecta a+ net+ mcse
self study is a quick path to nowhere

ah small gate woulda be real nice for dat

[Spazosaurus]

Pfft @ 20k. All I pay is 5k for exams.

In addition to online books, there are videos giving you the full classroom experience and you can put him or her on pause...AND u can do the labs to better follow along.

So technically, even noobs can do it. You HAVE to be VERY disciplined to self study...seriously.

[~*Ashiee*~]

I agree with the discipline part. I know personally I might not have that disclipine nah I think I need a class room... I still find 5K for exams is steep to though, I wouldn't want to fail that nah!

[MessiaaH]

well when i leave secondary school, i start doing mcse self study, it was tuff, but it can be done, i never went ah I.T. class other dan form 4 yet, and i have ah shitload of certs.

and now of days, as capt mentioned, there are video tuts, endless practice exams, and tons and tons of help online. noobs shoudlnt have a problem given d times.

and u dont have to shell out 5k one time, mcse exams are 80 US each, write as d money come in.

And A+ and Net+ can be used as prerequists for MCSA for those doing it, so dont write all d exams in MCSA, i think u juss need to write like 2 together with A+ and Net+, and u getin ah ton of certs right there.

[Spazosaurus]

Well I don't know that a or net plus is a prerequisite for msca. Four exams give you it, 270 290 291 and 284.

From there its easy to go to mcse and on to mcitp.

Yes @ not having to shell out all the exam money one time. 80us at a time isn't too hard on your pocket once you working.

[MessiaaH]

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/mcsa.aspx#tab2

check there, d Elective exam for MCSA can be A+ and Net+

So if u plan on doing A+ and Net+ anyways, u can save urself an exam and 80$, by juss using dem as electives.

[Netizen1]

well said MessiaaH, once you have the required CompTIA certs, it counts as an elective towards MCSA (or MCSE)

however, one small correction, your 2000 certs don't expire, it's just that they (M$) don't offer the exams anymore. There's even a small note on the same page MessiaaH quoted that says;

Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.

Case in point, I did my first MCP exam (70-210) in 2001, and just did 70-291 the other day to "upgrade" to MCSA on Server 2003. So Saxman could still benefit from the older certs he has already.



Do what I did... use the Certification Planner tool on the MCP site (https://mcp.microsoft.com/mcp/) to determine what you have left to cover for a given path

In my case it's 293, 294 and 297 until MCSE on Server 2003

so to summarize, a person with 2000 certs does not necessarily need to start from scratch (do all 7 exams) in order to upgrade their certs to 2003

[TG.Saga]

This Programe still going on?

[LQDSNK]

Here is my plan for schooling, wouldn't mind some feedback on things i  overlooked, could add, or should change.

I've just completed my second year in UWI's IT degree, it's a young degree so it's not universally recognised, also it's a general IT degree so it doesn't help specifically in the areas i want.

The plan after completing this degree is to go CTSBCS in Chaguanas and try to get a their Bsc in IT with specifics in Networking and Databasing which are the fields i want to get in to.

The certifications will follow, specifically CCNA and perhaps Oracle or Microsoft or both??

Been looking through the thread and saw the idea to go with an MBA to add to my education, sounds like a good idea. So once again i'm asking for any more advice, changes i could make, stuff i could leave out. I'm looking at 4 more years before the MBA, let me know if i should switch up some things, do the MBA earlier or any other advice. thanks

[Crixx_Creww]

your going to do two Bscs in IT?

how old are you? Are you currently working in the field or now looking to make a start.
No certs as yet?

What specialization do you have in mind in IT.

[LQDSNK]

I'm 22. Looking to make a start after i finish this first degree and hopefully although i doubt it, get right into the IT works. The only cert i have is A+. i did the class for Net+ but haven't got up the courage to do the $200USD+ exam.

I'm looking into Networking and Database Management, those are the two fields that most interest me. I would do programming but i'm alot better at finding errors in code than actually writing the initial stuff heh.

[Ajax]

Hey guys, I recently joined this site and therefore, unfortunately recently read this thread.

I am currently doing the Bsc. Business Computing degree in SAMs (North Campus) and from reading this thread I'm starting to regret choosing that course. I noticed that the people who commented on the poor standards of SAM did it a few years back (NCC 2004 syllabus) and I'm doing the 2008 syllabus. I heard from classmates that back then the lecturers weren't as good as they are now - I don't know how much of that is true but I do know that the pass rate for most of the classes have improved. So far I have no problem understanding the work.

I'm still in Year 1 Semester 1 so can you guys please give me some advice on what to do next? After I finish Year 1, I'll get an International Diploma in Computer Studies. Should I continue with this degree, finish it somewhere else or just start another course? I really hope I didn't waste almost $8000 on a load of s**t.

[Archer]

Well see now heres the thing. When I was in Yr 1 and 2 the course was CIS. Then enter Yr3 and all of a sudden it's Business Computing now. I was thinking it would've just been new subjects same course format but NO they wanted more hands on work BUT didn't have the proper measures in place( at least it was that way for me back in 2009). Example our "great" Oracle lecturer had difficulties with the program, the E-commerce App dude well he just read the assignment and said the same thing every class for about 3 mths and then finally our Major project teacher was dictating ppl's work. So as a result im stuck in Yr3 for approx another year while i retake 2 subs.

But there might be a silver lining for you as some friends of mine who resumed final Yr this year said some things have improved. If you're having good experiences thus far u shouldn't have any problems and I mean you already spent the money so wouldn't really make sense to drop out now.  

P.S. Their facilties sucked hard too... well at the South campus anyway.  GL

[TheApprentice]

^Year 1 was nice. Lecturers were fairly decent. The "want" to learn and achieve your diploma was there. Year 2, things were "alright", barely ok lecturers, starting to notice the nonsense at the school in general...you're dealing with it, coasting by.. just 2 more years right?
Year 3....Mostly S**t lecturers that tell you to do a project a particular way for a month and then say, it was the wrong way, and start over :/.  Nonsense at the school has peaked at this point. You want to drop out... You stick with it..fight up..try... And if you see it through, you succeed. But you've been through tertiary education hell. ©SAMs.

The management at the school is very unorganised. Lots of missed classes by teachers. No incentive to learn 2nd-3rd year.

Perspective: I've been waiting for my 2nd year diploma for 2 years now. No joke.
I've been calling in that school, going to office.. sending letters to NCC weekly with no response or success. It is a "special" case though. They had failed my 2nd year project. I queried it and it was a pass. Due to the "query", my diploma has been delayed all this time...

I mean, some people do fine in there. They tolerate everything and just deal with it and succeed. Varies with the person. I'd personally suggest you apply elsewhere after year 1 and hopefully continue where you left off. Otherwise you can take the chance. Maybe things really "are" better. There's always the possibility things will go smooth for you.

Good Luck!

Hopefully some more SAM's people on here share their experience also

[Archer]

Hmm yea by Yr3 we didn't have that same enthusiasm. Also stay away from those fools that only want "help" with their work. They just leech off of ppl.

Plus by Yr 3 most of the decent lecturers left bcuz even they realized the administration is mess. One lecturer (God bless him) even warned us this kinda crap could happen....he well left.

There is a school in Chaguanas that does the same course but offers better service. Was mentioned a few pages back >_>

[Saxito Pau]

So far my first year at SBCS is going good.

Just that most of the people in my CIS classes are year 1 and 2 Diploma students, as opposed to me doing the BSc. The lecturers are good and motivating, especially the one for the hardest unit (Foundations of e-business). I am honestly struggling due to non-SBCS-related pressures but I think I find the motivation to press harder as exams are in May.

The Saturdays only choice I made is a bit of a kicker: classes are from 8:30am right thru till 6pm! there is no 'break' between classes except if a class ends a few minutes early and/or starts a few minutes late

Have to start my courseworks this week as they due buy early January and is a lot of work.

Just that I cannot let myself get tied up with the exam pass mark being 40 - and it used to be 38: I looked at some past papers. It ridiculous to see how much writing they want from you to get just 5 measly marks! No wonder people does fail by two and three marks.

[Ajax]

First of all thanks guys.

There is a school in Chaguanas that does the same course but offers better service.

So many questions...

1) Is that CTSCBCS and if so is it London Metropolitan University or better?
2) Does it cost more than Sams?
3) Will it be 2 years if I finish the 1st Year at Sams?
4) Can you link me the site for the school?

And again thanks to every one for their help.

[Ajax]

Thanks O/C but is there a link for the school? If not, do you have their e-mail or phone number?

[Doomtack]

In all honesty though, there is nothing as valuable as the stuff one can learn on their own.
Majority of what i know was not from a class, but learning to do stuff using online resources etc.
It pays off in the end...
(lecturers are a useful tool in this way, you can get their input and feedback on your personal projects.)

[Ajax]

The link right there under ur first question.

lol, my bad I thought that was the course not the local school.