Keystone Learning Systems MCSE Certification Pro Calling Enthusiasm... Karl Moore
Those who've tried searching for MCSE courses don't need much energy… they're all over the place! National computing magazines list dozens of training centers, many of which offer special "four-week intensive instruction" or rather dodgy pass guarantees.
Whilst my experience lies more in development, I have found many such courses to be real world nightmares. Lecturers stuck on flights from New York. Tutors who speak monotone. Instructors who stutter beyond the acceptable boundaries of poor communication. But that's just my experience.
I've also tried the rather helpful book-buying route. But wading through a load of theory isn't exactly my idea of fun. Now programming... that's my idea of a wild time. But reading? Not on a Friday night, thanks.
As a trainer, however, one learning medium that really caught my eye was CD-ROMs (or videos) - such as those reviewed here. They demonstrate the true meaning of multimedia - a number of different types of learning - audio (voice of the lecturer), visual (seeing the presentations) and hands-on (watching the tutor work live with the application).
This approach sparked personal research into the market. My first experience with such material was pretty disappointing. A boring tutor "guided" me through the exciting world of programming, with about as much enthusiasm as an ant who just escaped from an Ant Prison to find himself inside an anti-ant establishment where punishment for living is death. You get my point.
However the MCSE series reviewed here is certainly somewhat different. The presenters are bright and lively - which makes a change from a cue-card reading actor with fake eyebrows.
But let's take a look at what the series actually covers.
