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 My name is Ciaran O’Hara from Ireland and I have worked in various jobs in the IT industry on and off for about 10 years. I felt that my career wasn’t going anywhere exciting anymore and wanted to get certified as a network specialist, so that I could move on from working in Operations and into work in networks, as this is an area that interests me. Like many others, I first came across Koenig when I typed “CCNA boot camp” into my Google search bar, and found these guys top of the list every time. I had also submitted a query to an IT college in the UK, and knew what the going rate for CCNA, or MCSA was in England. So, I could see that I could actually fly to India, take a course, have a holiday and buy some presents for the same cost of a 5-day boot camp in the UK, I made my mind up to go to the great sub-continent.
I had back-packed and travelled in South-East Asia before, and I had long wanted to visit India - land of Gods and Goddesses, Mountains, beaches, beautiful Women, Holy-men, Holy Cows, Yoga, IT boom, great food, high-culture and population of 1.2 billion! The holy-grail of many seasoned travellers. So now I would get the 2-in-one deal. Education AND travel.
First step, was to get a copy of the ‘Rough Guide to India‘, and just to make sure I also bought the “DK Eyewitness India guide“, and also a book about Delhi (City of Djinns by William Dalrymple) , and another book by a crazy Irish man called Manchan Magan (A journey through India). So, I started to read and research and gave notice to my work, and basically started to count down the days til I left.
Next to do, and very important was to schedule a time to go to the Tropical Medical Bureau in Dublin and get my shots. The nurse told me I would have to come back three times for all the jabs to work. The important thing to remember is that you need a course of three shots for one of them - typhoid, I think, and you need to get this a few days before travelling. Another thing, is that the anti-malarial medication is fairly expensive in Ireland or the UK, but it is very cheaply available in India.
And in reality, only certain parts of India are malarial - so if your going to Shimla or Dehradun, there is probably is no need to take a medicine that is pretty harsh. But don’t blame me if you get ill - I would wait til you get there, and buy medicine in one of the big cities when you arrive and save some money.
So, I was basically counting down the time til I left. Finished up at work, moved out of the apartment, and left all my worldly possessions with my parents. Exciting times ahead!
Even though I had travelled before, the trip to India seemed like a journey to another world I knew nothing about. There is a lot of ideas in the west about India being so crowded, and so many poor people, Delhi-belly stomach upsets, and police looking for bribes that you are prepared for the worst. India is all those things (the cops got me for no license in Goa!) and more. Arriving in Delhi international airport I was greeted by a guy with a big smile wearing a Koenig shirt. He took me by car safely to my hotel, straddling the middle lane in the road, avoiding cows, people, cars and playing some funky Hindi Bollywood music on the radio.
Next day, I paid a taxi-driver about 800 rps ($20) to drive me around all the sights. The jamid masjid mosque, the Lotus temple, India gate, Mahatma Gandhi’s cremation site, and the government shop that I didn’t ask for the first, or second time.
Got a 12 hr bus north to Shimla the next day, and headed north to Dharamsala to see the Dalai Lama the day after that. His holiness wasn’t home, however. One tip for Shimla : the 3 star hotel - Meadows Bank - is quite cold, and overpriced, while the Silverine budget option in my opinion is a much better option : rooms at the back get lots of sun in the day so are warm at night (unlike Meadows Bank), staff are really friendly, there is fast internet, and a nice balcony.
The college in Shimla is actually in a different village, and this has more of an Indian character. Chai shops, mithai sweet shops, and better prices than Shimla. The college itself is over the street and accessed via a steep staircase. Facilities are quite good, and there is a system of taxis and meals which makes life easier, and leaves you the student with more time to devote to your studies.
I took the MCSA course with 3 different teachers, 2 of whom were good, while 1 was outstanding. I passed the course and myself and another guy headed off for a break to Manali for trekking and then back to Shimla and were enroute to Dehradun to take a course in Solaris Administration when I got a call from the director saying that the course had been cancelled. Damn, if I had got
the call 1 day before I could have stayed in beautiful Manali…
We kept to our plan and went to Dehradun and then Rishekesh to see the holy city famous for yoga and where the Beatles came to find themselves in the late 60’s, as it was only an hour or so from Dehradun the newest and greatest Koenig center.
First off, the accommodation in Dehradun in the ‘farmhouse’ guesthouse on Rajpur road about 6km outside the city is very good. The place is run by the congenial Sanjay, who is a great alarm clock if you are running late for class, as he will knock on your door to call you to breakfast!
There is also a very friendly cook, and a gardener to tend the beautiful gardens with lemon tress, Christmas pines, bamboo trees, banana trees, and rhododendron. Its like something from a bye-gone era. As for the college itself , it is very impressive…It is located in an IT park with the town of Mussourie in the distance. A bit like Silicon ;valley, actually!
What a nicely finished building : all white marble outside, and tiled with black marble inside. There are About 20-30 classrooms, a full kitchen, staff and student dining rooms and a room that will be either for yoga or gym (according to who you ask!). It’s a purpose built building and there is even a 2nd floor ready to be built opun (Indian-style!) if there is enough demand.
The food is made fresh to order on-site, and the pizzas are excellent. There was a shortage of flushing toilets when I was there but the place was still under construction so this has probably been sorted out by now.
As for the staff, and teachers - like Shimla, the Koenig staff in Dehradun are very friendly and professional. My teacher - Basant - was excellent and delivered his 5 day course from memory without any PPS (powerpoints) or notes. I was able to understand the material and he never lost patience with my many questions. He got a well deserved 10 out of 10 from me. Hope you get to go to Singapore dude! The director, Satender is also very helpful and friendly.
The city - Dehradun- is more like a working Indian city than Shimla, which is more touristic. There is an excellent market, and some good restaurants on lower Raipur road. I cant remember which ones I ate in although even the high-end ones are relatively cheaper than the mall in Shimla. Its also a good place to get measured up for a suit - I had 2 suits and 6 shirts made up for about $150. A tailor made silk-shirt for 300 rps? Incredible.
After Dehradun, I took the train with another Koenig student to Varanasi, then back to Agra (Taj Mahal), flew from Delhi to Bangalore, then flew to Hubli, on to Hampi via Hospet, then Gokarna beach in Karnataka, and finally Anjuna beach in Goa, and lastly 5 days in Colaba, Mumbai. I really liked the history in Varanasi, the food in Goa, the scenery in Hampi, the buildings in Mumbai, and the sea in Gokarna is excellent for swimming.
So I left India with 2 new certifications, some fond memories, new friends, thousands of photos, and a desire to go back again some day. I am much more marketable in the job market here in Caifornia (where I am right now) , and have more confidence about my IT future. Yes, certain things wont run as smooth as home, people may stare at you, and you may get an upset tummy - but travel with an open mind and heart, be prepared for last minute course and schedule changes and try to do some reading before you go and some sight-seeing when you get there. So if your sitting reading this now at home or your job and thinking of going to Koenig - don’t think anymore, take a leap of faith and you will land on your feet! |
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