Class structure
Typical IT class with a mixture of lecture and labs. The class was advertised 8 am to 6 pm each day but when we got there the instructor said it would be more like 8:30 am to around 3:30 pm depending on when we were done with our daily lab work. He was right as most of us were done with our labs by around 3 or 4 pm each day.
The instructor
He was generally knowledgeable about the course material but not very engaging. This was the first class I took where I felt I could have gotten just as much out of it by being a remote student which was an option but was just as expensive at the time.
Lab exercises
These were well done as they had a click thru guide below the vms we connected to in order to complete the daily tasks. If you had a question about how to do the required task you could click a button to see a screen shot and this was helpful.
Course Material
It was online and you could only access it thru the Global Knowledge portal website. When I'm training I prefer to have a physical book to look at and follow alongside as I'm working on my screen. I know many people prefer to have a digital copy which I also enjoy but still like having the book to give my eyes a digital light rest.
Facility
The facility was clean and enjoyable. They had a small café type atmosphere where they provided some teas, soft drinks and a few snacks.
Bait and switch
One of my biggest complaints was their website at the time said onsite testing facility and said we would test at the end of the course. On the 2nd day of class I decided I should do some additional studying back in my hotel room at night and asked the instructor about the exam. To which he replied no exams and told me to go talk to the office manager. He in turn proceeded to tell me that they don't do that anymore and they give us vouchers to take the exam after we leave. I would have preferred to know that in advance and think they should remove that from their website and course description. Update - I looked at the course offerings at the Dallas location and the MCSA boot camp no longer leads you to believe you will take the exams onsite.
End Result
There was no onsite testing so I returned home without a certification and took the next 6-9 months to practice on my own with the use of virtual machines, reading TechNet articles and studying in the evenings. I eventually passed all 3 exams earning my MCSA. Honestly, I feel I could have done this without attending this Bootcamp. The 6-9 months of work I did after leaving the class is why I passed.
Overall Score of the training class
Grade = C
