[Apologies for any possible duplicates. This has been refusing to
post, and I'm beginning to think my more colorful language is
invoking Paul's filters.]
>I'm taking a Global Knowledge course on the BCSN this Monday!
>If the instructor tries leaving early, I would NOT be as calm about it as
>you! My course is 5 days, but I will have someone's head if ANY of them are
>cut short :-)
>Although my company is flipping the bill for this, it is a lot of money, and
>if any class is cut short, I will expect either a full refund, or another
>course...
>I think you should be complaining to someone in administration!!!!!!!
>Get your money back! That is very unfair!
I have a somewhat midrange feeling in this. If you look at the
detailed Cisco course specification, you will find that "5 day"
courses are really 36 hours, 4 day are 28 hours, etc.
The historical reason for this is that traveling Cisco classes
historically have been given in hotels, which tend to have loading
docks that close by 5 or 6, and that air freight companies usually
won't pick up after then anyway. In the real world, training
partners can't afford not to have a lab in the new location on Monday
(assuming "5 day" classes). They MUST get it shipped on Friday.
Since the instructor typically needs a couple of hours to tear down
and pack the lab, it's unrealistic for a traveling lab to go later
than 2 or 3 PM on the last day.
Courses at permanent training centers do have an advantage. When you
go to a course being held at a hotel, you are giving up an optimal
training site to get a convenient location. When you go to a private,
onsite class, you are giving up optimal facilities for convenience,
possible customization of the class, and improving your boss' ability
to pull you out of class for emergencies.
The instructors among you will know that setup can even be worse.
Hotels, at least, will usually have adequate power, although it may
not be distributed well. If you ever need to get a hotel to
understand your electrical power requirements, keep saying "it has
the electrical requirements of a small rock band." Hotels understand
that.
Setting up for onsite courses, however, can be even worse. First,
it's often hard to get into the facility over the weekend. Second,
it's rare that there is a proper classroom. One memorable course
offering was at MCI's Atlanta training center. It turned out that
the room, in which I was teaching a 12-router lab, had one electrical
outlet. Not one dual outlet. A single connector, on a 20 amp circuit
shared somewhere. I had to move all the furniture and then run a maze
of extension cords just to get everything physically connected, at
which point the breaker blew. I then had to run extension cords to
the single outlets in other classrooms, hoping that the fire marshal
didn't catch me.
Leaving at noon, however, is not warranted under most circumstances
with the standard Cisco courses. Not having taken the GK BGP course,
which is not an official Cisco course but GK developed, I don't know
how many hours it is actually designed for.
**NOTE: New CCNA/CCDA List has been formed. For more information go to
http://www.groupstudy.com/list/Associates.html
_________________________________
UPDATED Posting Guidelines: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/guide.html
FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com
Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
