On this page we feature students who are either currently attending or recently attended a Boot Camp at Koenig. We encourage them to share their experiences in India with their friends across the world. If you are planning to join a Boot Camp at Koenig, you will find this section interesting. And, of course, you can hope to be featured here soon !!!
Hello, My name is Kelhi and I'm going to tell you about my Koenig experience from a female perspective...
Just Quickly as a background, I am not new to IT, infact I have been working (contracting) in London as a SQL Server DBA for about 8 years now, so the Koenig Bootcamp wasn't about a change of career for me, it was about gaining my MCDBA, which I have always wanted to obtain, but I just never seem to have had the spare time (or inclination) to commit to studying while working full time.
The chance to combine obtaining my MCDBA and experience living (albeit briefly for 1 month) in another country and culture very much appealed to me....I found Koenig on the Internet and they appeared to offer Amazing Value for money, a large number of start date options, a variation on course locations and course speeds.. I would have to say at first I was slightly dubious as it just seemed to good to be true...
As alone female, I also didn't relish the thought of navigating India on my own (and I have been to India before), My prime concern (apart from the price) was that I would have my hand held (so to speak) as India is a hectic and to be frank a slightly intimidating and mildly scary place for a lone Western female, after my initial correspondence with Koenig my mind was put at ease that I would be met at Delhi Airport and taken to a Hotel in Delhi for a few hours, before being taken to the Bus Station to catch the overnight coach upto Shimla...., I was very pleasantly surprised (and relieved) on arrival at Delhi airport to find a very nice man waiting for me, (with a welcome pack from Koenig) containing, my first Class Text book, all the information I needed and enough money to keep me going until I reached Shimla, Everything went smoothly as Koenig had promised, the Overnight coach to
Shimla was Very comfortable with almost fully reclining seats, a big screen playing Bollywood movies and a bag of crisps and a bottle of water thrown into the bargain.....
I was met in Shimla and taken to my Hotel "The Eve" (which was to be my Home for the next 4 weeks), I had opted for the budget accommodation option and was pleasantly surprised (apart from the Decor and the stairs!!!!) as the Eve Hotel was Clean, the staff are friendly, and I also found the food at the Eve Hotel really tasty and cheap. another bonus was that fact that many of the other students were also at the same Hotel, so I soon found that I wasn't alone and the other students were both friendly and sociable..
Koenig arranged a cab at 9am every morning (from near the Hotels) to take students into San jule, where the office and classes are located, and another cab in the afternoons to take us back to the Hotels again, however I quickly found that most of the other students walked at least to or from class (or both), and after my first day of acclimatization to the altitude (Shimla is located at about 2250m above sea level), I decided to follow suit, as the 45min walk along the Mall (The Main Commercial and shopping road of Shimla) was both interesting and refreshing in the mornings and ensured that I was fully awake when I arrived for a long day of classes...I also think my fitness improved as the walk to class was pretty much 45 min uphill!!!!.....
Another very pleasant surprise was the fact that I had my own tutor as I was the only student doing MCDBA, this was rewarding as I had my tutors constant attention, the flip side however was that I couldn't slack off!!!!..
One of my largest initial concerns about doing a Bootcamp in India was that I might struggle to understand the Indian Accent of my tutors, fortunately however this was not the case with any of the staff I encountered in Shimla...
My first Tutor whom I had for 2 Microsoft Courses (ie..half of my MCDBA) was Very knowledgeable, personable and enthusiastic about the subject matter (which is contagious)... My second tutor whom I had for the second half of my MCDBA was also very knowledgeable, friendly and sociable, going out of his way to ensure I grasped the Coursework and the underlying related concepts and helping to prepare for the exams, also he was a goldmine if information about Indian Customs, and places to shop and eat in Shimla (which was greatly appreciated!!)...
Speaking of exams, initially I wasn't quite prepared for the amount of work both in class (for 8 hrs, 6 days per week) and out of class (hours of evening study) that are required in order to sit and pass the Microsoft exams within the allotted time period, I found myself at least 5-6 nights per week sitting in my room, studying until late and eating the Hotel room service food (which was very good), and even using Sundays (days off class) as an extra study day..
The facilities at the Koenig office in Shimla were completely adequate, I always looked forward to the lovely coffees at 10am and 3pm and the lunches were great, (the vege burger a "must try") and Koenig staff are friendly, helpful and efficient and will go "out of their way" to ensure everyone enjoys their stay in Shimla.., Koenig also went "out of their way" to ensure that my boyfriend (who arrived in Delhi at the end of my MCDBA course) was treated to the same hospitality that I was, making arrangements for him to be met at Delhi airport and transported upto Shimla to meet me, and also ensuring our onward travel after my course finished went smoothly, booking bus tickets and Hotels for us (as we are now traveling around India for a couple of weeks) ...
Now that its all over and I have my MCDBA, you may wonder why choose Shimla???, well to be honest you don’t hear much about the place, (apart from the fact that it was a place where the Colonial English went to escape the heat of Delhi during the Indian summers), however I grew to really like it, it has some stunning scenery (when its not misty) and is really quite peaceful in comparison to other Indian cities, you don’t see too many Western Tourists so the Koenig students do tend to raise a small level of interest, and as a woman you do get stared at slightly more than your male counterparts, however once the locals get used to seeing you, you kind of blend in....there's some nice cheap local restaurants, the lower bazaar is a hive of activity and has some great bargains (shoes, made to measure cloths and handbags) at very reasonable prices...and for those (like myself) who like some of the comforts of Home, there is also a great Coffee shop called Barista and a Dominos Pizza on the Mall also....
Finally I'd just like to say a Big "Thanks" to Koenig and everyone who made my stay in Shimla so memorable I had a wonderful time and met some great people (even with all the studying) and will always remember Shimla fondly...
and I hope you all stay in touch...
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Just Quickly as a background, I am not new to IT, infact I have been working (contracting) in London as a SQL Server DBA for about 8 years now, so the Koenig Bootcamp wasn't about a change of career for me, it was about gaining my MCDBA, which I have always wanted to obtain, but I just never seem to have had the spare time (or inclination) to commit to studying while working full time..gif)
My first Tutor whom I had for 2 Microsoft Courses (ie..half of my MCDBA) was Very knowledgeable, personable and enthusiastic about the subject matter (which is contagious)... My second tutor whom I had for the second half of my MCDBA was also very knowledgeable, friendly and sociable, going out of his way to ensure I grasped the Coursework and the underlying related concepts and helping to prepare for the exams, also he was a goldmine if information about Indian Customs, and places to shop and eat in Shimla (which was greatly appreciated!!)...
