Boot Camps: Regimented IT Training,Ed Tittel, Certification Magazine

Boot Camp Resources The term "boot camp" is one with special connotations, especially for those with military interests or backgrounds. Its origins lie in the grueling six-week basic training and indoctrination that is routinely required of all enlisted military. The associations that go along with boot camp include hard work, long hours, intense training, lots of exercise and sleep deprivation. When applied to IT certifications, most of these characteristics hold true (except you substitute lots of hands-on time in the computer lab for physical exercise). The biggest difference is that instead of being paid a pittance to go through this process?even the rawest recruit gets a monthly paycheck in the service?you must pay your boot camp provider handsomely for the privilege of enduring what many of the IT professionals who are lucky enough to attend a certification boot camp believe to be a peak training experience.

A typical boot camp experience might be described as follows:

Anywhere from five to 16 days of classes at some live-in facility. (Hotels are popular boot camp locations.)

Long days and short nights: It?s not atypical to get eight or more hours of lecture, with two or more hours of labs and two or more hours of additional reading and homework.

Intense, in-depth technical coverage in small classrooms, where eight to 16 students represent normal class sizes.

Hands-on access to hardware, software and expert (instructor) assistance.

Exams are usually delivered on-site once topics are covered, or students may be transported to an authorized testing center nearby.

Students who fail exams will normally be coached for a retake.

Because boot camp attendance usually includes room and board as well as training, daily rates tend to run between $500 and $1,000. Even for those where travel and lodging are the student?s responsibility, rates can be as high as $600 a day (and worth it, according to satisfied customers).

Many longer boot camps (like those for CCNP, CCIE and MCSE) require working seven days a week for the duration of one?s stay.

Thus, the ?boot camp? moniker is well-deserved, given the sheer amount of learning and activity that takes place in a typical boot camp setting.

Next, let?s examine the pros and cons associated with boot camps.

Pros Intense, highly condensed learning experience: A boot camp is all about reviewing, practicing and understanding a highly focused curriculum. Those who?ve been through the experience report that it?s a challenging but incredibly successful way to learn (which also explains the high passing ratios that so many boot camp operators claim).

No distractions allowed: Other IT classes get shoehorned into normal working schedules or involve much greater time commitments. Employers and employees both find boot camps attractive because they get students through the experience as quickly as possible. Because the focus is so intense, no distractions are allowed, which often results in a more positive learning experience. As Susan Thayer Yates of ACREW put so well: ?The boot camp offers an excellent opportunity for a network professional to leverage his time effectively by learning and certifying in the shortest period of time. In 16 days, a successful candidate can certify, and in 12 days, a network professional can update his or her certification. The best boot camp format minimizes distractions and maximizes accelerated learning absorption.?

Tight coupling between training and exams: Because students normally take the exam immediately after covering a topic, often with the benefit of a pre-exam ?cram session,? chances of passing are greatly improved.

Great coaching, mentoring and opportunities to practice what?s being taught: Access to outstanding instructors is what so often makes the boot camp experience so positive for many attendees. They not only get to benefit from expertise and experience in the classroom and the lab, but from mentoring and coaching sessions and from cram sessions as well.

Quickest pathway to certification: Most boot camps rightfully claim that certification is a normal consequence of attendance, and many provide various kinds of guarantees for that outcome. Although claims of passing rates of 100 percent should be treated with skepticism, rates higher than 90 percent are typical and reflect the focus and intense preparation they bring to bear on getting their students certified. ?There are many reasons why boot camps accelerate the learning and certification process,? said Dave Kaufman, CEO of Intense School. ?Most IT professionals have busy schedules and are constantly interrupted by colleagues and family. We provide an all-inclusive environment, free of distractions, and we are able to accelerate the process because most of our students already have the hands-on experience they need, giving them the opportunity to focus in on training and studying.?

Great learning experience: The isolation, concentration and quality of instruction all contribute to what many IT professionals classify as a peak lifetime learning experience. Granted, cognitive dissonance might incline attendees, who?ve just shelled out big bucks, to regard their experiences as positively as possible. Nevertheless, superlatives abound for student reviews of most boot camp programs, which indicates that if you can partake of this experience, it?s definitely worth doing.

Cons Expensive, often beyond individual means: It?s not unusual to pay $7,000 to $15,000 for a boot camp. Alas, this means that if an employer isn?t footing the bill, only those willing to incur serious debt can attend.

Tiring, grueling, often overwhelming: If you have trouble handling 12- to 16-hour days crammed with intense lectures, labs and homework, don?t go to a boot camp. Of all the things you can expect to encounter in such a learning environment, long, supremely hard days are the most predictable.

Requires strong basic knowledge and experience of topics covered: Only those with a working knowledge of the topics covered in a boot camp should attend. Boot camps are not designed to teach fundamentals or basics; they?re designed to prepare knowledgeable professionals for certification exams. If you don?t qualify as a knowledgeable professional?that is, someone with a good working knowledge of the tools, technologies, hardware and software covered by the training materials?don?t attend a boot camp, unless you have a genuinely photographic memory. Better yet, review the boot camp vendor?s prerequisites carefully and honestly, and attend only if you truly meet them!

Often requires travel expenses: The best boot camps pick their locations very carefully. Attending such affairs usually means adding airfare to the already considerable costs involved in participating. Be sure to scope out exactly what you get for those hefty fees, and be sure to build a budget that covers all travel and lodging, as well as training expenses.

Demands the best instructors to be effective: If you don?t click with your instructor(s), or you don?t like their style, knowledge base or whatever, bail out right away. Of course, this means you should carefully check out prospective instructors before choosing a boot camp, and be sure to check refund policies.

Ensuring a Best-of-Breed Experience Given the typical experience and the various pros and cons, what does it take to make sure that your own personal boot camp experience is as good as possible? Here?s a list of questions you?ll want to answer conclusively before committing yourself into anybody?s hands:

How much does it cost? Make sure you nail down all incidental and related costs, in addition to whatever the vendor will charge you. Most vendors can help you prepare your total training budget if you ask them nicely for assistance. They?ve done this before, you know!

Who?s the instructor? Find out who?s teaching the courses and running the labs, cram sessions and so forth that you?ll be attending. Ask for?and check?references on individuals you don?t know or whose reputations don?t precede them in the most glowing terms. Try to find people who?ve attended the courses who aren?t recommended by the vendor, if you can.

Are you prepared? You should not only check and meet the prerequisites for attending, but demand?and work your way through?preliminary reading and study materials. The best boot camps will ask you to take pre-class assessment tests and will assign work to help you get up to speed on stuff you?ll need to know before attending class.

What are the real-world benefits? The best boot camps not only prepare students for certification exams, they also teach them skills, techniques and shortcuts they can use in the workplace. As James Carrion, the principal and proprietor of Mountain View Systems, said: ?The biggest indicator of our successful formula is the overwhelming number of graduates who express how our boot camp training made them walk away not only certified and employable, but also with a newfound sense of technical competence. We don?t run a paper certification factory, but rather a highly targeted knowledge-building program where students walk away understanding the technical competencies of their professions.

Conclusion If you make sure you pick the right boot camp, target a terrific instructor and can meet the budgetary requirements and prerequisites, you too can look forward to a boot camp experience that you?ll treasure for the rest of your professional life. We hope you?ll be a happy camper when all is said and done.