Gear,
You bring up a timeless question, what is the best path to take in learning a new skill / technology / way to button a shirt... whatever. Let me tell a little story before handing out my advice...
Two friends, both are looking to earn the MCSE, one takes a class that costs him $5000. This class teaches him a lot of things, but it is mainly focused on passing the tests involved in the MCSE process, he at first wanted to use one of the database tests as an elective, but the teacher didn't cover that technology, they focused on the exchange test.
The guy took the class and passed his tests earning the MCSE. Today he is still out of work and looking for a job.
The other friend spent many months studying for the MCSE choosing to spend the $5000 that his friend did on test machines, books, and self study materials. He took two+ months studying for each test and past them earning the MCSE just as his friend did.
To this date, he is also out of work and still looking for a job.
But, both friends feel that their money was well spent, why did they take diffrent paths to reach the same objectve?
Simple... they chose the path that worked best for them.
There are a lot of questions that you should ask:
Do you learn well when you study by yourself?
Can you find a group of people that are instrested in learning the same technologies as you and create a group?
One of the most important questions you should ask is:
Is the cost of the class worth what you will learn? If it is, take the class, if not, don't.
If you can learn on your own, don't take the class, spend the money on the technology and books, it is true that you will learn more in the long run by self study (if you can learn that way) than you will in class... but a good mix of the two never hurt.
I've taken classes and done self study to pass the oogles of tests that I have taken... do I think they make my resume stronger? No, do I think they might get me an interview that I otherwise wouldn't have, yes... possibly (but then again that might make my resume stronger
My point is, you have to decide how you would learn best. Solo learning and classroom learning are both a valid option depending on your learning style.
$8900 does not sound like a bad price for the certs they are going to teach you.
Personaly I like self study as well because you can learn at your own pace and branch into the areas you are intrested in, not just be forced to follow the path set forth in the class, but in the end, the MCSE is the same if you get it from classroom learning or from self study.
Its not the goal that gives you the knowledge but the path there.
CJ
Don't drink and post, save that for driving home!
