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Innovations in MCSE Training with Zafar Khizer
Zafar Khizer’s passion to provide a good education for his
information technology students at PC Age means going beyond
teaching them to pass a certification test.
"With our entire structure we are really making you a
network engineer," he said. "All of the rest of the
world is selling MCSE certification. It’s a major
difference in basic philosophy."
Khizer, the founder and owner of PC Age, a career school
with locations in Parsippany and Edison, N.J. believes
students need a solid foundation in network engineering.
"Schools should be teaching network engineering," Khizer
said. "To most schools MCSE certification means students
pass the test and become a Microsoft certified engineer.
But when they go into the real world they cannot get a
job because companies are not looking for a piece of
paper. They’re looking for people who can solve a
problem.
"Our focus is that you should become a network engineer.
You have to learn the skills to work as a network
engineer."
PC Age, which has 400 students, specializes in network
engineering training and training products. The school’s
courses include networking fundamentals, PC
installation, upgrading and troubleshooting, Windows 95,
Windows NT, Internet Information Server and Cisco router
configuration.
The program prepares students for four certifications: A
plus (Certified PC Technician), Certified Novell
Administrator (CNA), Microsoft Certified Systems
Engineer (MCSE) and Cisco Certified Network Associate
(CCNA).
When students become too concerned with passing tests,
Khizer’s philosophy is to remind them that they are in
class to become network engineers, not just pass a
Microsoft test.
"You have to learn the skills to do your job," Khizer
said. "Certification is another plus which will get you
the interview, but not help you do your job."
Khizer tailors his courses to the needs of his students
and market demand. He added 100 hours of instruction to
the school’s course, without charging students more,
because he saw that students enrolling had less
experience with computers than previous students.
"No wonder we are the No. 1 fastest-growing computer
school in the U.S.A.," Khizer said.
The school has also adjusted its curriculum to reflect
market demand.
"Three years back we were focusing more on Novell,"
Khizer said. "Now we teach only one Novell course. We
weren’t teaching Microsoft, now we teach six courses in
Microsoft. And because of the popularity of Cisco
routers, we’re making changes based on that market.
The school’s instructors are Microsoft certified.
Students have access to the school’s world-class
certification test preparation software and
computer-based training programs.
Much of the students’ work is hands-on, and they can
study in the school’s lab seven days a week.
"We don’t give you any excuse," Khizer said.
The school only accepts students who score 50 percent or
higher on an aptitude tests that Khizer introduced
several years ago.
"I am always like a scientist or inventor," he said. "I
want something that works. We only take people we know
can succeed.
"A very high percentage pass the test," he adds. "It
also tells people the different categories they are best
for."
The school’s training program prepares students for jobs
ranging from PC technician to network engineer, and the
test points students toward the job that’s best for
them.
All of the students enrolled in the school are making
career changes. They are from "all over the place,"
Khizer said, which can make it difficult to market the
school’s courses.
"We’ve found newspaper advertisements are the best way
to get them here," Khizer said.
Once the students find the school, the vast majority
stay. PC Age has an 88 to 90 percent retention rate,
Khizer estimates.
"This is a great hope for people who were making low
money and had no college degree or chance for
advancement," he said. "They can become Microsoft or
Novell certified and get a job for an average of
$37,000."
According to school’s 1998 survey, 94 percent of its
graduates passed the MCSE and Novell certification tests
the first time.
"The reason is not only quality of training but the
quality of our self-study and test preparation
products," Khizer said. "Our computer-based training and
test preparation software is one of the best on the
market.
"I can say without any doubt no company in the world
knows MCSE certification training better than PC Age,"
he adds. "We started in 1992, before most schools knew
what MCSE certification was. We started with Novell, and
now offer Microsoft and Cisco training."
Khizer has written 17 training manuals that are used in
universities, computer training schools and companies
around the world.
In the early years of the school, writing and teaching
made things hectic. Khizer would write a chapter in
longhand, give it to an assistant to type and go to
teach a class. He would give the students a break and
get the pages off the printer.
His students didn’t mind.
"One said. `You care more about us than we do about
ourselves.’ Class was from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., and it
would be 10:30 p.m. and I was still teaching, saying,
`You’ve got to understand this.’ ‘’ Khizer said.
"People ignored that because they realized how much I
cared about them."
PC AGE Aptitude Test Measures Computer Ability
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