[Vanity Post] Any recommendations for good online technical education?

n/a ^ | 29 January 2004 | COBOL2Java

[COBOL2Java]

I'm interested in any opinions that Technical Freepers may have about online technical distance education. I'm interested in keeping my technical skills up to date (approaching 20 years in IT) and I believe that my personal schedule would preclude in-class learning. My current career track is in the area of Technical Architecture, so I would like to delve more deeply into the nuts and bolts of Win2K, Windows Server 2003, .net, etc.

I've participated in distance education in the past and liked it a lot. A few of my forays include:

• techies.com which offers dozens of technical courses accessible through your browser. Very good, but not that in-depth.
• University of Idaho Engineering Outreach - an excellent way to go, but somewhat pricey. My current employer offers extremely limited tuition reimbursement (one of the first benefits casualties of the .com bust).
• Corporate Online Education website. This one's been scaled back significantly (see commment above).

As you might gather from my comments, I would be footing the bill for much of this, so I'm reluctant to shell out a lot of dough. Any opinions? Thanks in advance for your input!

[dfwgator]

A tremendous way to learn skills is to participate the discussion groups, read the posts, contribute, ask questions, answer the ones you know. If you are into Java, go to www.javaranch.org.

IMHO formal technical education classes are the biggest scam going. Anything you need to know is but a Google search away.

[AppyPappy]

We have free access to online classes. They are pretty worthless. Community college is a better choice.

Of course, the only languages I learned in school were COBOL and fortran and I use neither now. I taught myself php, perl, SQL, PL/SQL, SQR, SAS, Java and VB.

[TomServo]

Agree. Usenet is a tremendous, and *free* resource.

[Willie Green]

I would be footing the bill for much of this, so I'm reluctant to shell out a lot of dough. Any opinions? Thanks in advance for your input!

Emigrate to India or China.
I understand that the cost of living is quite affordable there.

[Jen]

Check out SitePoint and its partner links.

[Wheee The People]

http://www.learnwindowsserver.com/detail.aspx?id=4&c=lwsnl_1

This gets good reviews but I don't know how "technical" it gets...

[looscnnn]

Are you attempting to get a degree? Do you plan to use financial aid? Grants?

If you want to use state grants, your best bet is shop around at the different colleges and universities in your state. Loans, etc. can be used anywhere. If you just want to learn about Windows 2000, etc. you can get self study books and cds. The first thing you need to do is define what you want to achieve (degree, certification, etc.) and that will help narrow down some of the choices.

[looscnnn]

"Emigrate to India or China.
I understand that the cost of living is quite affordable there."

And IT jobs are becoming plentiful there.

[MississippiMan]

I'm nearing the end of a tech curriculum through Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Been at it for about a year. The training has been TOP-NOTCH, very in-depth. I'm confident that I'll be ready for the cert exam very shortly after finishing the coursework.

KSU

MM

[Wheee The People]

BUNDLE PRICE for all the MCSE courses - $5,995.00

While the quality may be OK, this price is obscene.

[COBOL2Java]

Are you attempting to get a degree? Do you plan to use financial aid? Grants?

I'm pretty much done with degrees. I've got an MBA and that was enough for me. Maybe go for a Ph.D. in Semiotics or other such totally self-serving sheepskin after I've retired. :-)

No, I'm more interested in technical continuing education at this point in my career.

[COBOL2Java]

I taught myself php, perl, SQL, PL/SQL, SQR, SAS, Java and VB.

I'm also into self-education, hence my attraction to the online courses that you can take at your own pace, preferably at 5:00am on a Saturday morning when the family's asleep. As long as the webcam is not a required part of the education, I can deal with it. :-)

[AppyPappy]

I found the online classes to be the same as reading a manual except you have to answer the questions to proceed. Too much theory and not enough code.

[MississippiMan]

I had/have no interest in the MCSE curriculum. I was simply sharing that the training I've gotten there has been top notch. (And it was definitely a good value compared to comparable programs.)

MM

[Wheee The People]

I was only using the MSCE as illustrative of the costs at the school, not to suggest that you were interested. As to being a good value, I think NOT.

[Palmetto]

Both NC State and Georgia Tech have excellent distance learning programs - not to mention outstanding reputations as institutions.

[COBOL2Java]

Do you have any preferred publishers? I have found Wrox Press and O'Reilly to be two of the best.

[AppyPappy]

I generally use online documentation. O'Reilly is OK but can sometimes be a bit to general. Sam's books are good,

[dfwgator]

Manning is real good too. You can go to their site and ask questions to the authors, and you'll always get a quick response.