For Information Technology Training should I pay $17,500 to get 8 certifications?

--- Asked by reader

The reader also ads: "The school offers courses in A+, Security+, Network+, MCSA, MCSE, MCDBA, CCNA AND CCNP. I asked around and they have a great reputation. They also find you work after you complete all these certifications. I've discussed it with my family but because they don't work in IT they can't advise me. If I were to do this, do you think when I finish in six month I be in high demand?"

--- My answer

To get you thinking, allow me to ask you a set of questions:

Is it worth paying $17,500 to get an entry level job that pays $9-15 an hour?

Can you realistically see yourself accing 8 certifications in 6 months?

Do you know that it takes the average person 9 months just to do the MCSE? let alone all the rest?

Look at the list of certifications offered by this school. The first three are entry level certifications. The next three are Microsoft ones (software), the next two are (hardware). Decide what you want to do first. Don't waste time and money doing a bit of everything. Focus on what you want and become a master in that. Specializing is where the IT industry trend is going towards.

High level certifications, without the experience can be pretty useless to you now. If they expire also, well you are pretty well screwed. If you aren't going to use something in IT, don't waste your time learning it. They say nothing you learn goes to waste.. true.. but on the other side of the coin, you can use that time to learn something that will help you rather than waste time on something that will not.