Spec me a PC engineering course

Sankari · 14 Feb 2008 at 15:35

Currently out of work and considering a career change. PC engineering is something I've been interested in for quite a while, but not sure how to train for it.

Recommendations for courses/colleges, please? Home-based or campus based; doesn't matter either way, since I have a car.

I am in the West Midlands.

Trill · 14 Feb 2008 at 15:57

http://www.learndirect.co.uk/

neil3k · 14 Feb 2008 at 15:58

Probably get shot down here, but the IT market is saturated these days. I'd look elsewhere.

daz · 14 Feb 2008 at 16:04

When you say PC engineering, do you mean building PCs?

As in plugging in a couple of cables and using some thumb screws? Most lego kits are harder to follow than building a PC nowadays - being a system builder you'd earn very little money. It's a very low paid, low skilled job.

Sankari · 14 Feb 2008 at 17:40

daz said:
When you say PC engineering, do you mean building PCs?

As in plugging in a couple of cables and using some thumb screws? Most lego kits are harder to follow than building a PC nowadays - being a system builder you'd earn very little money. It's a very low paid, low skilled job.

Well, I was thinking of starting with PC builds and moving on to networking. I'm aware that building itself is not a viable career move.

stevenazari1 · 14 Feb 2008 at 17:44

Evangelion said:
I'm aware that building itself is not a viable career move.

thats an understatement

there are courses in network you will find useful but tbh that area of the industry is best gained through experience and self teachings. the university will only provide you a basic understanding in the 3 years you could have gained a much bigger understanding of it but thats up to you how deep you go.

Sankari · 14 Feb 2008 at 17:55

Righto, thanks for the advice.

Sinny · 14 Feb 2008 at 17:56

stevenazari1 said:
thats an understatement

there are courses in network you will find useful but tbh that area of the industry is best gained through experience and self teachings. the university will only provide you a basic understanding in the 3 years you could have gained a much bigger understanding of it but thats up to you how deep you go.

True dat, i did a college course for 1 year and found it hard to learn about networking. but as soon as i got an apprenteship things started to clikc as i started seeing how things worked.

Azagoth · 14 Feb 2008 at 17:59

Trill said:
http://www.learndirect.co.uk/

They don't do the engineering side of it, and even if they did I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. Well, not on my experiences with them anyway.

paradigm · 14 Feb 2008 at 18:00

Go do your CompTIA A+

stevenazari1 · 14 Feb 2008 at 18:03

Sinny said:
True dat, i did a college course for 1 year and found it hard to learn about networking. but as soon as i got an apprenteship things started to clikc as i started seeing how things worked.

networking is the kind of thing you cant learn from pen to paper (or er... typing into word? : :confused:

) you need to go through practicals and college/university arent prepared to do that as they have a cruddy national curriculum to stick to half of which you wont really use on operating systems that are likely to be obsolete in a years time. (I was shown on windows 3.1.... shocking :eek:

!)

if you can get a job as a technician in a school/college you will learn a lot and it doesnt require a lot of know how but if you go in as an assistant technician you will get help along the way.

chesterstu · 14 Feb 2008 at 18:04

Trill said:
http://www.learndirect.co.uk/

I hate leandirect with a passion. I feel they really devalue my profession.

<rant>
"Do you want to earn £35k pa a year? Well do a course with us". I'm sorry but no, one MSCE does NOT earn you £35K a year. I've got a degree in Software Engineering with one years experience and have worked hard for it. I earn in the mid 20s but people assume IT is an industry of high earners so everyone must fail who doesn't earn that.

What a joke there adverts need to be looked by those advert regulator people. I feel sorry for everyone sucked in by them for there over priced MSCE raining courses

</rant>

stevenazari1 · 14 Feb 2008 at 18:27

chesterstu said:
I hate leandirect with a passion. I feel they really devalue my profession.

<rant>
"Do you want to earn £35k pa a year? Well do a course with us". I'm sorry but no, one MSCE does NOT earn you £35K a year. I've got a degree in Software Engineering with one years experience and have worked hard for it. I earn in the mid 20s but people assume IT is an industry of high earners so everyone must fail who doesn't earn that.

What a joke there adverts need to be looked by those advert regulator people. I feel sorry for everyone sucked in by them for there over priced MSCE raining courses

</rant>

and their site sucks ****.

I could make a better site with basic html rofl

QlimaxUK · 14 Feb 2008 at 19:02

daz said:
When you say PC engineering, do you mean building PCs?

As in plugging in a couple of cables and using some thumb screws? Most lego kits are harder to follow than building a PC nowadays - being a system builder you'd earn very little money. It's a very low paid, low skilled job.

funny

but true

dowie · 14 Feb 2008 at 20:19

neil3k said:
Probably get shot down here, but the IT market is saturated these days. I'd look elsewhere.

The IT market is huge - the obvious routes into some of the more standard IT jobs are saturated - but certainly not every areas that falls into the category of 'IT'

Saytan · 14 Feb 2008 at 21:01

get a job on a service desk. password resets, basic app problems and such like that. listen carefully to the people that you escalate your calls to when they go beyond your ability/access, and you'll end up one of them. rinse and repeat until retirement.

Mr. Gary · 14 Feb 2008 at 21:12

i'd Consider the Cisco IT Essentials course for the hardware building side of things, theres a bit on windows and linux in there.... a good starting block. for networking Cisco CCNA is very good.

Sinny · 14 Feb 2008 at 21:19

stevenazari1 said:
networking is the kind of thing you cant learn from pen to paper (or er... typing into word? :) you need to go through practicals and college/university arent prepared to do that as they have a cruddy national curriculum to stick to half of which you wont really use on operating systems that are likely to be obsolete in a years time. (I was shown on windows 3.1.... shocking !)

if you can get a job as a technician in a school/college you will learn a lot and it doesnt require a lot of know how but if you go in as an assistant technician you will get help along the way.

Learn with linux, it shouldnt really die down due to its open source and constantly being developed on. I still think its the predominant source of operating systems and is becoming more popular.

But mainly all operating systems are the same, its just the operating protocols you really need to update youself on. but i agree it shouldnt really be tought in college's. Its nice to show i have my qual from going but i have really not a lot of knowledge to show for it. i learn more in a few weeks than i did in a year. However, software courses should still be tough, just not the practical networking side.