I got notive on Firday Jan 13th that my company was closing its center and I was being laid off affective 3-31-06. I thought it would be important to make myself more marketable by getting certified in something that other companies were looking for. I decided on getting certified in Crystal Reports, I registered online for info on some cheap on-line certification classes.
CBT called and promply talked me into getting certified in SQL 2000 said it was a more recognized program and pays better ($60K on average) The slick talking sales person continued to ensure me that I was investing in myself and that they were also a job placement company so I had nothing to worry about. I could be certified and placed in a higher paying position before I got laid off.
When he mentioned that it was $3000 I was thinking about other on-line coarses that advertised $100 and thought well I was told that I could have my certification within 2 months and they could place me into another position. Certification was presented as though it was being provided by CBT.
I had problems immediately when I could not use the website due to software problems. I called the help desk and had to download additional Java. When I finally got on it looked generic. I thought that spending $3K would have a better laid out training program. SQL did not even have any audio. I could off purchased a book and learned more. The chapter quizes were a joke. You could just click on whatever answer and keep re-doing until you got it right.
I tried utilizing my mentor assistance and found that they didnt know what they were doing any better then myself.
I struggled thru the coarse and attmepted to fail my certification so I could exercise the warranty that they bragged about. Only then did I realize that I had to take a certification class from a different company that offered the certification only after I pass the cert blaster.
I called customer service to complain and they said that CBT doesnt offer Certification. I was furious that I was sold this and now after paying $3000 that I would have to pay additional money for a certification test. Only thing they offered was to utilize the mentor system and pass the cert blaster so I could take the certification.
I contacted the BBB and after the sent the complaint to CBT with a letter that said, The reviewed the sales call and nobody offered certification that this was for training only.
Its been 6 months and I still have not even gotten a good understanding of SQL let alone getting the certification. Yet every month I pay $165 to them.
DO NOT sign up with CBT the lie and fast talk you into getting something you dont need.
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