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 Before making any quick and harsh decisions I spent some time researching the Internet looking for the best IT Training Provider to cater for the course I wanted to do and my needs. I work for myself which meant that I do not get paid when off sick or on courses, and also meant that I would have to be paying for my own further education. With that in mind I had limited time to complete the course and I needed to ensure that I got the course for a good price, and it had to result in me being MCSE Server 2003 Security certified.
I came across many training providers that offered all sorts of deals; there was one in Oxford that was residential (paid for), meals and snacks, the course and first exam fees included.
This sounded great and it could all be done in 14 days. There were similar companies that provided pretty much the same package only this time you could travel to Florida and the like. It wasn’t until I came across Koenig Solutions that everything started to fall into place. I navigated around there user friendly and informative site, they have many courses available, over different periods of time, whether that be regular, fast, or super fast track. It wasn’t until I saw their prices and packages that I knew this was the one. The price they were charging was a third of any prices quoted by other training providers with accommodation, training, meals and exams included, and on top of that, all of this to be done in India.
Price and Time were my biggest concerns so I choose to do my MCSE Server 2003 Security over 24-days on the Super Fast Track route. This meant that I would get my own personal trainer therefore we could go at my pace, this was great.
Upon reflection I thought this was too good to be true and naturally had many questions to ask the training provider. I spoke to their UK representative who answered all of my questions and any further information needed he would call Koenig in India on my behalf (I didn’t want to be paying for International calls!!!) and he was prompt with his answers. I think one of the biggest concerns for me was the possible language barrier, am I going to be speaking to people that have limited English language skills, am I going to understand what they are saying, and all the rest of it. Of course I was apprehensive about coming to India, a country I had never traveled to, a long way from home, with people I do not know. With all that aside, my objective was to become MCSE 2k3 Security qualified and that was what I came to do. There are a number of locations in India to choose from, I choose Goa as there were beaches and I liked the idea of being not too far away from the beach as opposed to any other location. However, if you choose to come between the months of June-November do not bring suntan lotion and expect plenty of rain as that is the Monsoon season, not much different to the UK really!!!! Anyway, I flew out to Goa via Mumbai in June and didn’t see any sun, however, my objective was to get qualified and not a holiday.
When I arrived at Goa airport I was met by one of Koenig’s friendly drivers, he took my case and off we went. The humidity was the first thing that hit me but everywhere was air-conditioned and comfortable. The second thing that hit me whilst traveling to the hotel was the country I was in and the surroundings, a big culture shock!!! Cattle walking down the street and strange things like that, anyway let’s get back to the reason why I choose Koenig.
I met the company Administrator, she was very nice and explained everything to me and answered any further questions I had, we went through the formalities, form filling, and then it was time to meet my trainer. He was nice, friendly, and wait for it, I could understand everything he was saying. The trainers are very well educated and speak excellent English. Those were my main concerns over, now all I had to do was pass my exams. Don’t get me wrong, if you choose to do a large course in a short space of time you will have to work hard. There is a lot of information to take onboard in a short space of time, but you will get out of it what you put in and the trainers will make sure you’re helped and supported all the way through.
Upon reflection, I cannot see how it is possible to teach the MCSE 2k3 Security in 14 days as offered by other training providers, I was in Goa for a month and only just had time to go through practices and prepare for 8 exams, and why pay more for when the end result is the same? Admittedly, a lot of the information learnt you may forget initially but to be honest you have to put your newly learnt skills to practice in the ‘working environment’ when you get back home.
One or two things to take onboard before traveling to India, if you are thinking or hiring a car or moped then be careful, driving in India is like something from the ‘Wacky Racers’. Certainly in Goa all available hotels are very close to the training centre and Koenig Solutions pick all students up from their hotel and returns them safely at the end of the working day. Secondly, depending on how long you are staying in India will depend on how much money you bring, the cost of most things are cheap. Beers in the hotels and Bars is cheap but for some bottled spirits ‘Airport Duty Free’ can be cheaper than some of the shops I found and that can be the same for ‘Aftershaves and Perfumes’.
There is no other training provider of this kind offering such a good package for such a reasonable price that I know off and I highly recommend Koenig Solutions. The staff are excellent, friendly, very well experienced and qualified in what they do. The training facilities and equipment is good, well air-conditioned classrooms and I cannot fault Koenig in anyway. I came to get my qualifications and have done exactly that, whilst visiting a beautiful country and meeting many supportive, and friendly people.
To that end, I passed all 8 MCPs first time and went home to the UK fully qualified, now the real hard work starts, Planning, Designing, Implementing, Managing and Maintaining!!!! |
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