SkillsTrain MCSA Course

Well for me July has been a real significant month. As for one I have dusted my Skills train resources and gotten back on my study saddle. I will confess to haven been complacent in the past few months and even contemplated cancelling my subscription to the skillstrain programme. Then it suddenly struck me that I joined this course to gain something, Knowledge. And more importantly Knowledge that was going to equip me with vital skills to further my potential.

Considering I am currently enrolled in a full-time Masters programme my adversity, left me mostly disgruntled and irritable. First my academic challenges, then work, then having to search and finally move house( with the right budget in mind). However in the midst of it all I never got around to making that fatal call to Skillstrain admin to say "I am pulling the plug", No! I kept up with my payments every 4th of the month and each passing payment kept my critical receptors constantly spinning, rationalising each payment and justifying it to my subconscious. Then it happened, my computer decided to give me a hand. It would intermittently fail to boot. I was frustrated and the thought of having to go to a technician meant costs, time and inconvenience. Luxuries I just could not afford. Then it hit me I picked up my PC HARDWARE AND MAITENANCE ESSENTIALS manual and I ran the trouble shoot and entered Control+Alt+ Delete . It turned out my power supply was faulty and was able to buy sometime until payday and purchased a better engineered one with the help of an in-store technician and installed it, I am proud to say, all by myself.

Any way the rest they say is detail, as I by that very "divine" encounter with my computer, have sorted my second and third TMAs all in one month: Incredible. I hoping to have two more done in the next two weeks. To think I came this close to loosing it all. Like the saying goes, you never know what you have till you loose it. For me it is you never know what you have till you need it. I am fired up more than ever and I guess all the persistence and keeping faith with my hunches to sign on to the course in the first place, paid off.

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After getting 90% on my first test I feel that I have studied very hard to get to that level. I have also been explaining small amounts to my partner and she has started to also get a understanding with the basics.

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I WORK NIGHTS AS A TRUCK DRIVER AND I AM ALSO WORKPLACE UNION REP WHICH MEANS I OFTEN HAVE TO ATTEND WORKPLACE AT ODD HOURS AND AT TIMES I WOULD NORMALLY BE SLEEPING, WHICH PLAYS HAVOC WITH BODY CLOCK, AS WELL AS BEING AN ACTIVE AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR STUDYING FOR MY NEXT LICENSE UPGRADE AND ALSO LEARNING MORSE CODE...ALL THIS WHILST STUDYING FOR MSCA COURSE AND MAINTAINING QUITE GOOD RESULTS ON MY 8 TMAs SUBMITTED UP TO NOW, ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES FINDING IT VERY HARD TO FIT EVERYTHING IN BUT I ENJOY IT ALL.

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Even though I have to resubmit TMA's regularly, I thought I was going to struggle with this due to my dyslexia,but have got through half of the course with above average results. Which is better than I thought I was going to do.

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SO FAR IN JUNE I HAVE PASSED BOTH PART OF THE A+ EXAM(ESSENTIALS AND IT TECHNICIAN) AND WILL SOON BE TAKING MY N= EXAM AS WELL AS STUDYING FOR THE MCSE PART OF MY COURSE

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Personally, I have gained from the course and the knowledge I have (however little),has helped me to keep going on the course.

Ever since I started on the course, my performances have been impressive despite the fact that my background is not within the IT. I now do more than I thought in the recent past.

On this note, I am not blowing my whistle but I am better than what I was when I started on the course and that is to my achievement.

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MY ACHIEVEMENT IS I FEEL AM GETTING BETTER WITH IT SKILLS AND I HELPED MY FRIEND AND FIXED HIS PC AND I FELT HAPPY BECAUSE AM GETTING BETTER IN IT SKILLS AND HOPEFULLY CONTINUE THE STUDY WITH SKILLSTRAIN
THANX

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Although I am at present in the early stage of my course, I have so much more belief in myself and possess much more confidence in what I can achieve. IT has always been of great interest to me for the challenges I have faced both in previous careers as well as my course. I am proud to say that my understanding of my p.c and how it works has enhanced regardless of the duties of caring for my two year old son, for just today I was given an amazing opportunity to build my own hard drive from scratch using components which my brother in law gave to me which I had recently revised about, I was so very unsure at first, though the minute I got the parts laid before me I just seemed to know more than I gave myself credit for. I have much pride in saying that it is up and running and that the only problem I came across was trying to attach the small cooling fan beneath the power pack only to be shown that it needed mounting underneath the floppy disk drive. I found it quite a challenge as it took me 3 and a half hours to do altogether due to nerves but I am able to make use of these parts for as long as I wish, so I shall keep on trying by taking it all apart and rebuilding and hopefully one day add to its capabilities, for at present it be rather basic. my partner and family were both shocked though ever so thrilled for me, and I believe much more in my capabilities for I thought when faced with all those wires graphic chips AMD square chips ports and a variety of pins,slots and layout of the motherboard itself that it would end in tears and a puff of smoke, but my brother in-law checked it and only had to correct the small fan, before starting it up and I just need to set the pathways to each drive and personalise the settings. I have been out of work due to pregnancy and then motherhood for almost 2 and a half years, in that space of time I felt my capabilities lessened as an individual through changing to become a first time mother, I owe so very much to skills train for giving me the opportunity to better myself in my knowledge of computers and bettering my skills to such an amazing level so very early on in this course for before I mostly self taught by using help topics and hands on experience as a site secretary in London as well as a admin based jobs thereafter. I look forward to my revision when my son naps or free time to do so is available for IT is something of great interest to me as it will one day help me to be a greater asset to any given company as well as better my sons future due to the stability both financially and physically for I hope to be able to somehow work from home so that I can be a mother as well as a helper to those whom need knowledge of IT skills just like I once did, I hope to teach as I have been taught and bring the same joy and fulfilment to others that this course has brought to me so far. with many thanks and smiles,

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After getting the course in 2004 & my father dying after I started .I left it alone until 2005 then I started again my partner passed away just after I started .I was beginning to think this course was jinxed.but I have restarted last month & I have just submitted my second TMA & I'm enjoying it immensely I am looking forward to doing the next one. BTW thank you for allowing me the extra time
Regards Alan

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Besides what I said before I would like to add that I am registered disabled have been since I left the army in 82 ,even though I could not work for a company(because of3 crushed vertabrea & arthritis in the back) when I've finished the course I will be able to fix mine & my family's computers & maybe work for myself but it just goes to show that skills train is an equal opportunity college & if I can do it any one can abled or disabled .

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In July 2007 I was revising in preparation for my Network+ exam, when my partner started having complications with her pregnancy. We had to travel to London every week to see the specialists. It was not possible to carry on the course whilst all this was going on. At the end of September, our identical twin boys were born by emergency C-section 12 weeks early. We had to commute from Worthing to Portsmouth (1 hour drive each way) every day to see them. We took Alex home early December, but little Philip died a week later. The whole story is on my blog www.rkingshott.co.uk .

Once we were home, I had to start revising from scratch for the exam as well as restarting full time work. I am glad to say that I passed the Network+ exam earlier this month and am now getting back on track with my MCSA and hope to complete this by the end of this year.

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Well, to be honest with you, not much, but still a little bit more then I expected from my self.

Well first of all decided to study very hard and in about week and a half time got through half of the first A+ book. Just a bit lazy to send TMAs one after another. But so far so good 90, 93, 90... now waiting for tma 4 to come back. (dont get 100 cause not a genius :) ). Still looking after my family (1 year old boy, my finance and dog :) ). And of course I'm the ONLY one who works... full time,BUT got great job. I work in Cisco call centre (yahoo! :)) CIN1 at the moment, but only started this job, so my plans are to finish probation time, then do CSE and then (a bit later) CCNA. I hope I will be able to combine Family, MCSA and CISCO!!

But there are lot more things that I try to do at the same time: playing guitar, making music. So its quite hard to do everything, cause after I come home from work there's not much time.

Before I started this courses I knew nothing about IT, was just good PC user. But now I REALLY ENJOY all this stuff. And I'm trying to do my best to get sorted with certifications and bring more money, more positive and better living into my family, and give them better future.

My main motivation for all this was, cause when we moved in UK (about 1.5 ago), we had so much trouble, we've been even homeless, because of fraud people (unfortunately it could happen everywhere). Changed 4 addresses in this period of time, because there were still a lot of problems and difficulties. And we where so fed up with all this situations, so as soon as we got sorted with all this problems and settled in Belfast, I decided to do something that will give us some stability and give us better future. Cause you know by yourselves, FAMILY is the MAIN THING!!

Thank You for Your time,

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Have been struggling over the past few months to find time to my coursework, when I have it has been lacking in high results mainly 80 percent. But have found a new lease of life and managed to do 4 pieces of coursework this month. resulting in 2 100 percents and one 93 percent. Awaiting my 5 the result this month.

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