Netdesk Success Stories
What makes a Netdesk success story? Take the guy or gal next door, add the courage to make a career change, throw in some classes and a lot of hard work and encouragement and then add the anxiety of taking tests and looking for a new job. These are some of our true success stories. Congratulations to you all!
Part of the family - Laurence Woods
High expectations - Bart Poulsen
Take the plunge - Jeff Hopp
Move across the country, leave your family and get your MCSD - Carl Abbott
Too much coffee and Mountain Dew - Paul Kirk
Always be a student - Netdesk's first MCSD - Doug Seven
No network experience - Shannon Jones
If you have a success story you'd like to share, send an e-mail to: webmaster@netdesk.com. If we use your story, you'll receive a Netdesk shirt.
"I wanted to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for the professionalism and excellent customer service offered by Netdesk. In the IT industry, formal training is the most effective way to "sharpen the saw" and many vendors offer training. But, Netdesk offers a home away from home atmosphere where you are treated like part of the family. I have been coming to Netdesk for over five years and have attended training through other vendors. I can honestly say Netdesk offers the best in IT training and customer service. When given the option, I always choose Netdesk. Thanks, Netdesk...your'e the best!"
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"I am not a tipper by nature. I expect excellence when visiting restaurants and I expect the same from training institutions. I received my MCSE training from Netdesk some five years ago. The technical training I received helped me achieve my goal of working as a network administrator. I am currently employed as an IT Manager for a Fortune 50 company. I attribute part of my success to the excellent training and support I received from Netesk.
I have continued my technical education during these part years at Netdesk and now have completed my Windows 2000 MCSE training.
During this last year, my company took advantage of Netdesk's Corporate Voucher Program and executed a large contract for staff training. Netdesk once again demonstrated their commitment to excellence by surpassing all of my expectations regarding the delivery of this training. This contract ends at the end of this month and I look forward to negotiating another training contact with Netdesk in the near future.
Netdesk's downtown Seattle location, exclusive 30 day schedule lock, extensive Microsoft schedule, top quality instructors, and their 100% satisfaction guarantee are their hallmarks of excellence. I would encourage organizations and individuals alike to take advantage of what Netdesk has to offer. They are the very best training institution around.
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"A year ago, I had no programming experience whatsoever. Like most people, I was caught up in the myth that the I.T. industry was too foreign and complex to even consider without a 4-year computer science degree. I decided to take a bold step by attending an IT Career Night at Netdesk last June. At that time I wasn't even sure what direction to go. After some research and introspection, I decided application development would be best for me.
I took a chance and enrolled in Netdesk's MCSD Step 1 @ Night program last Fall. I was working full time in newspaper advertising sales support while attending night classes. The schedule was by no means easy, and at times I questioned my own aptitude and ability to manage the hours. Still, I was bound and determined to make it work.
In January, midway through MCSD Step 2 training, I took the plunge and quit my job so I could devote the next month and a half to completing my training. In March I passed the Visual Basic Desktop exam for my MCP. A few weeks later, I was hired by Entex Information Systems to work at Microsoft. In May, I completed two more exams toward my MCSD while building programming skills on the job.
As of June 5, 2000, I am a full-time "blue badge" with benefits at Microsoft. I did this within one year of attending the IT Career Night without a clue where to start. Thank you Netdesk!"
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"Today marks a turning point in my pursuit of a career as a Computer Programmer/Developer. I took, and passed, the final exam necessary to earn my Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) certification.
I began the pursuit of this certification seriously just under one year ago, when I enrolled in a training program at Netdesk. The instruction I received was excellent, and enabled me to land a job at Microsoft. The exposure to technology I received on a daily basis in my job solidified my education.
This is a turning point, not the end, of the journey. Technology changes rapidly, and I know I will always be a student in this pursuit. I want to thank you all for being supportive in my effort, and mostly my wife, Cathy, for putting up with me being on the computer or studying all the time (and not kicking me out for spending a lot of money on a new laptop). Thanks you all."
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"My goal in attending Netdesk is to gain my MCSD certification and land a suitable entry-level job as a developer. Although not previously employed in this field, I'd written a couple of substantial desktop applications and discovered that I have a knack for it.
One application was to track the condition of the 376-cell UPS battery where I worked as an electrician, which proved instrumental in convincing the battery vendor we were having a problem with it. The other application was to automate the work of a bowling league secretary - it cut his time in preparing reports from three and a half hours to 15 minutes and eliminated the typographical errors resulting from doing everything manually.
I chose Netdesk after surfing the web for suitable training providers (and making about $150 worth of long-distance calls), and discovering I'd need to relocate at least temporarily in order to get the training I wanted. This turned out to be a coast to coast trip since I'm from Maine. Netdesk had the best overall deal on what I wanted.
At present I'm still in the process of taking tests, and have passed two of the exams so far. Preparation for each exam seems to require about a solid week of study after completing the relevant classes. Various tips from the instructors are a big help, such as Antoine's hilarious explanation of the Friend property in class modules, which turned out to be directly relevant on four test questions."
Update: "When saying that Netdesk was the best overall deal, I neglected to mention that the 30 day course lock was a major factor in this. I've also passed another exam since that was written, and may do the last one at the end of this week. In addition, when I said that exam preparation involved about a solid week of cramming once the course was completed, that probably amounts to about a month or so for people who have other activities in their schedule - my time out here has been pretty much exclusively devoted to study. And now I've elected to tack on another 3 courses to work on the MCDBA as well as the MCSD, so I'll be attending Netdesk for a while yet..."
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"My name is Paul Kirk and I am a Netdesk Step 1 success story. I began taking courses last October with no prior development experience unless one counts BASIC programming in the eighth grade as development experience!
I left a senior estimator position with a respected ornamental-metal fabricator to seek a new and challenging field. I am a problem-solver and designer by heart and soon realized that software development was going to challenge these skills for a long time. As I became dissatisfied with my old job, I found an increasing need to build things at home to fill a void left at work. What I discovered is that I love creating things, and I realized that a career in software development would allow me to build things with my mind.
In my opinion, you get what you pay for. Sure, I had checked out some other places like the University of Washington's Certificate Program. It was much cheaper, but if I had enrolled, I would still be taking VB classes today. Instead I have an MCP in Visual Basic.
My Netdesk rep told me two things: The classes are difficult and expect to study 2-3 hours for each hour of instruction. Well, she was correct on both points. If you want to survive, you've got to read books, code, and code. I feel lucky that it only took me five months to get an MCP. A beginner can pass the exam but expect to study like you've never studied before!
Were long days at the library and long days on the computer worth it? Absolutely! Can too much coffee and Mountain Dew break a person? No! One of the best feelings I've had in a long time was stepping out of the test room and telling my Netdesk rep that I had passed my exam. Hmm, where do I want to go today?"
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When I started at Netdesk I had little to no network experience. I had messed about with computers since I was young - but networking was whole new idea.
I started at Netdesk through the Federal Grant after being laid off from Boeing and at the recommendation of Worksource. I already had achieved an AA degree in Graphic Design but the demand for artists is slim right now. What I was searching for was a challenging career that had loads of growth potential and the future ability to support myself. Even though I changed my focus several times during my short months at Netdesk, I always felt as though the staff supported me and helped me make the kinds of decisions that would profit me the greatest.
I started my study in November with Networking Essentials and from there took my first test in January (Workstation - 966 out of 1000!) and it became so much easier from then on! The royal "they" will tell you that your first test is the hardest because you're not sure what to expect - and it is true. Get the first one out of the way! I passed 4 of my tests in 6 weeks - and didn't fail even one. I did set up a network at home once I found out how easy it was, but it was for our ease more than study. I truly found the lab at Netdesk to be the answer to my lab needs.
I won't say that it was easy, it isn't. I seriously doubt anyone who does say it's easy. I studied hard and long for many hours every day. It was hard on my new husband too. I sometimes would get so wrapped up in a study guide that hours (days...) would pass and I wouldn't even look up - much less talk, clean the house, go out, or cook. I even took my studies on vacation.
But all in all, it was worth it and is paying off richly. To date I have passed 4 of my 6 tests needed for my MCSE and have completed all my classes for that cert. I have put off my last two tests for a couple of months, as recently I became employed at Lightpoint Learning Solutions to do their graphics and other services for their IT study books and am on a tight deadline right now. My IT education was pivotal to my being hired.
My future plans include getting SQL 7 Implementation and Windows 2000 upgrade under my belt to round out an MCSE in NT 4.0 and 2000 plus an MCDBA. I have no regrets after my learning experience at Netdesk. I found new friends there and so many talented instructors and advisors. It was an incredibly enriching and profitable time for me. I would recommend Netdesk to anyone serious about getting a good running start in the IT field."
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