No turning back now!

[MorseLady]

I am off in a few minutes for my evening class eventually for MCSE but right now starting work tonight for Windows Server 2003 MCP exams in December.

I am excited but nervous too because I will be the only retired person in a class of professionals most already working in IT and probably younger. The trainer, Paul, told me to take a sturdy bag for the course book

Class is from 17.30 UTC to 21.30 UTC so hope we get a break! CUL

[thirdfey]

I'm guessing you are going for your mcse to come out of retirement?

I took an MCSE class a couple years ago, its one of the best things to do to build up contacts in the IT industry and there were a couple guys in it that were coming from other industries which was no problem, we helped them out whenever they needed it. Hopefully your class will be as tight as mine. We still hang out occasionally and call each other up for help or jobs.

[gazzak]

Good luck MorseLady, don't worry about the age gap. A few years ago I did the whole series of Windows 2000 msce courses in London and they were full of the so called IT professionals. After the inital "bullsh*t" we all got to know each other and made some good friendships that still carry on now, much like thirdfly just mentioned, (it really helped fill my inbox with jokes)!. In fact from being seriously depressed that I had to spend 8 weeks of the year in a classroom I actually missed it when the courses all finished.

Where abouts are you doing it?

[Stalemate]

The last full MCSE training I had was for WinNT 4 yet I still remember the interaction with other techs, the tips and tricks excahnged, the atmosphere...

Good luck, and have fun.

[MorseLady]

Thanks for your encouragement and comments guys. In reply to your question, thirdfey, I am not planning to come out of retirement as I am a carer, it is for my personal advancement and because I have a professional oriented work background and I am bored I need the mind stimulation and challenge.

Not only am I the only retired person and the oldest by some years but all the other students are males! Some are already IT Managers including an Area Manager and one or two are looking for career moves. I found the atmosphere businesslike but stimulating and the student at the next workstation was very helpful when I got stuck as well as showing me a key function I did not know.

We have Dell 2.8GHZ P4s with a gig of memory running XP Pro which is now used throughout the College and the lab network is quite independent of the College LAN and the room is a dedicated Microsoft and CISCO lab. Our trainer is MCSE, MCSA, MCP, MCT, CCNA.

I cannoit keep awake so I will edit and add to this in the morning.

[NooNoo]

Morselady, how can you afford these courses? Every where I looked locally its lots of cash. Am I missing something or is your local college just good about this stuff?

[MorseLady]

Morselady, how can you afford these courses? Every where I looked locally its lots of cash. Am I missing something or is your local college just good about this stuff?

Hi Noo. First of all congrats on passing 20k posts

Stevenage College http://www.nhc.ac.uk/centres/stevenage.htm is part of North Herts College http://www.nhc.ac.uk/ and is affiliated to University of Hertfordshire.

Yes, they are very good and the County have always supported those who cannot afford courses but Stevenage has always been excellent in this respect.

My course fees are covered by the normal concession I qualify for as a pensioner/carer/unwaged. I could have done CISCO or Oracle or Office and had the same concessions or indeed almost any vocational or leisure course. My course materials and exam fees are covered by an Access Fund and I was readily supported on recommendation of our trainer. All I have to pay is the thirty quid College Registration fee. We have all been given the big A4 book and CDs for 2273A and will get support for the other modules when the time comes. The exams are February not December and there will be two core exams. Paul said that as the exams are already paid for we might as well have a go even if we think we will not pass them they will be useful test exams .

The course is so over subscribed they are starting a second class! We had an overview last night and we have four core MCSA exams and one elective between now and Easter and those who want can carry on to MCSE
Last night we had the usual Induction and videos and did Custom MMC, OU and exploring the new facility to drag and drop in OU with Server 2003! I gather some of the class do not know how to configure a dual boot system(really!) so Paul is going to add that next week. I am fairly well ahead when it comes to things like that but struggling on the Server stuff of course. I have a very helpful student sitting next to me who is a professional and the whole theme of the class is that Paul is the Guide on the Side, not the beacon up front and that we all help each other. I am the only woman amongst 19 men plus Paul
.

[NooNoo]

Damn, move over morse lady...

[MorseLady]

Damn, move over morse lady...

Wish you could join me Noo and show these men what women can do It is lonely being the only girl in the class but I will show 'em

[3fingersalute]

Best of luck...........my wife is currently in nursing school, but once she is finished and working, I will be going after some MCSE.........but I am probably going to do one of the boot camps.