The first round of reader mail on MCSE training methods brought some interesting letters. I was expecting to hear more about boot camps, but the response was light. Believe it or not, only one reader had attended a boot camp, and it wasn’t for the MCSE …

Gnomie Steven is thinking about getting his MCSE. His experience with a Cisco boot camp wasn’t a positive one, unfortunately …

I am considering getting my certification. So I would be interested in reading articles devoted to the MCSE. I took a Cisco boot camp 4 or 5 years ago, and most of the people who were in the class had been studying 6 months to a year before taking the class, so for them it was more of a refresher. I went in to the class cold, with little or no knowledge and was completely blown away, meaning that I could not keep up as the info was over my head. So I am curious to see if other BOOTCAMPs are similar.

Gnomie Tom has just begun his MCSE quest, and it seems that computer based training (CBT) has gotten the nod …

I am studying for the 70-290 test right now. This will be the first step in my journey towards MCSE certification. This one I am doing through Test Out software, this is what I used for my A+ and Network + certs.

After this one the company I work for is going to help pay for the courses and some Microsoft training. I have been given one year to accomplish this.

Speaking from personal experience, that free ride is the way to go. When I worked for the big corporation, back in the day, they paid all of my tuition expenses along with a good portion of the textbooks. While it wasn’t a huge sum each semester, it added up to a significant amount of money over time. If your company offers these benefits, you’ll do well to take advantage of the offer.

Gnomie Roger is weighing his options …

I would be interested in hearing the Boot Camp vs self study vs CBT’s input from your readers. I have realized that without paper certs, my job is tenuous at best. I am trying to figure out which route works best.

We’re still waiting to hear from readers that have completed a MCSE boot camp, whether successful or not. Don’t spare us the war stories, fellow Gnomies!

Next up: Can that MCSE certification bring you a bigger paycheck? Tomorrow’s installment of Technobabble provides a real-world, hard-working example. Stay tooned …