LG passed her Computer course!

[LadyGrey]

Yep, sure did. Yep, got 100%. Yep, got a Certificate of Completion. Yep, very excited, amazed, and proud.http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/cool.gif Had to call the whole family but I figured I'd just post to my family here. http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

Germanna is offering another more advanced class.

It's "Basic A+ Certification Prep". (http://www.ed2go.com/cgi-bin/oic3/newcrsdes.cgi?name=germanna&course=ac1&title=Basic^A+^Certification^Prep&departmentnum=CC&path=1)

Now, given you all (my long time gurus) taught me everything I know about computers and would have the most informed opinion on what I do already know, would you advise that I go ahead and enroll in this course? I don't want to waste $100 if you don't think I'll get any good out of it.
What do you think?
LGhttp://www.pcguide.com/ubb/wink.gif

[mjc]

Good job...

[Budfred]

Congratulations!! :cool: :D :cool:

[jlreich]

Awesome LadyGrey!! :cool:

That course looks good. Particularly since it is an actual classroom. Good price as well. Many online courses are much more expensive.

[Bullman]

Congratulations LG!!! Keep up the good work! :D

[Jiggy]

Well done LG.

Why not put the money towards studying and taking the A+ exam instead ?

[Fred_Flintstone]

Congratulations..well done :D :D

Been thinking of doing something like that myself..
One of my teachers told me many years ago..

THAT I WOULD BE CERTIFIED!!.. :rolleyes:

This must be what he was predicting!!..which shows what a good teacher he was as computers (as we know them) hadn't even been invented then!!..

What foresight!!.. :D :D :D

[PrntRhd]

Congratulations Lady Grey!!
:D :D

We said you would do fine.
:)

[pave_spectre]

Congratulations LadyGrey!!!

[Whyzman]

Awesome LG! ;)

[david eaton]

Congratulations LadyGray!!

[LadyGrey]

Never enough words, or words just don't exist to thank you all enough. I've done gone and did it. I enrolled this afternoon in the Basic A+ prep class. It starts June 21st so now I have plenty of time to freak out and carry on. Just like I did the last time.http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/tongue.gif http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif Only now instead of people who even at the end of the class didn't know how to empty their cache I'm gonna be in the big leagues and that sure is scary.

Just as an example, here is one of the final exam questions I was asked just yesterday.

"Which of the following is not a parameter or characteristic of an individual RAM stick?
Banking
Contact Type
Speed
Size in MB

Oh yeah I had a great time with that one and was sure I had gotten it wrong but I was right. I should put some of these up on a poll. Refresh everyones memory or maybe scare everyone to death! http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

LGhttp://www.pcguide.com/ubb/wink.gif

[bassman]

Great job LG
You can not beat getting more education. I say "Go for all you can stand"! Let me ask a couple questions;
What do you plan to do with these certifications?
In aswering that, you can better determine the next course of action.
Good luck and keep on learning ;)

[saphalline]

Excellent job, LG. It's always nice to see members here move above and beyond their knowledge base and advance their computer understanding. And I know how good it can feel to be personally tested & validated in a "real" classroom environment vs on the forums here. You've proven to yourself that you can do it without jumping on the forums to double-check your answers.

Given the fact that you completely aced that other class and beat your classmates into the ground :p I see no reason why you aren't ready to tackle an A+ preparation class. And of course when you need details on the latest hardware instead of the i80286 :rolleyes: you can just come on back to the forums and ask us! :D There have been quite a few advancements since the days of 16MHz CPU's and 2MB of RAM! :eek: ;)

The correct answer to that question should be "banking", right?

[LadyGrey]

RIGHT Saph! You get an A!:D That had me stumped for a bit but I just had to sit calmly and think about a RAM stick, went and got one and just sat and looked at it for a minute and thought about all I had learned here and all I had learned in the class.

Here's the other one, threw us a curve ball he did,

What do you need along with a broadband/cable router to get connected to the internet?

You need a 56 K modem
You need Windows 98 SE or later
You need an Internet Service Provider
You need M$ Outlook or Outlook Express

That one apparently a lot of people missed and they were upset about it.

Bassman, what I would like to do is get a very small home repair business going, not even a business really, just a few computers a week or so. My rates would beat any in the area, people would just bring their towers to me and pick them up. If I started going places to repair computers I'd have to buy a gun and wear it in this day and age and I don't want to do that. Over and above the fact that Casper would burn up a tank of gas a day most likely! Besides we already have the "Geek Squad" running around my area. I'm thinking more in the lines of just a neighborhood type of thing.
The ARC is talking about starting a computer repair class for the capable adults and older kids and maybe starting a small repair shop. Parents would be the teachers and overseers, which I think I could help with.
It would be a little income for The ARC and it would help the disabled in our communities. Get them out and teach them something. You would be surprised at the number of people who just all of a sudden come alive when you get them on a computer. Donnie did and now he's an old pro, hooks up and unhooks his computer when I need to upgrade or work on it, cruises the net and writes emails better than I do!
LG;)

[bassman]

When I had my shop, I found that I was being asked an awful lot to teach someone how to use a computer/programs. After a while I did small classes (4 to 6)in my garage/shop. I would charge $20-$25 per class and they ran 1.5-2 hours. I would work on basic stuff, dispell myths and reveal truthes about what a computer could do, setting up and using a common file structure, configuring personal settings (desktops, screensavers, change icons,... ), basic security concepts, using some of the programs included with your OS, explaining what you get for your money when you buy a program and why you may not need it even though they told you you do. I would also work on internet functions, e-mail, web browsing, favorites, and of course security.
Just think about all the things you take for granted on your computer and realize there are folks out there that either have a computer and don't really know how to use it, or folks who really want one and know even less.
This was a lot of fun and very rewarding. I enjoyed it much more then fixing them :rolleyes:

Good luck

[LadyGrey]

You know I've been told that by several people Bassman, that I know so much about computers, but when you put what I know against the knowledge that is here on this site, I know nothing! That's why I hesitate so much on telling anyone anything. I don't explain myself real well in print. I always thank the Good Lord that the Gurus know me so well and can decipher what I say. I think I could teach the kids and young adults about at least staying safe online, and I could teach them about ESD and not put your darn hands in a computer and mess around pulling wires and such and then wonder why it doesn't work anymore. I got someone who says she is a Systems Analyst and wanted to know what my Wrist Straps(I use two)were and what they were for. Blew my mind, totally, had to go get a beer after she was gone! Thought I was really gonna have kittens or a fit, one way or the other.
Sounds like you had a good thing goin there, helping alot of people, are you still having your class? Any tips will help alot!
I'm not allowed to advertise on my Gurus site but the ARC yard sale is going on this weekend for anyone in the Fredsburg VA area! Ok, ban me, I deserve it.
LG;)

[saphalline]

Just think about all the things you take for granted on your computer and realize there are folks out there that either have a computer and don't really know how to use it, or folks who really want one and know even less.Yeah, that nails it on the head! When most people see me or my friend (Orion) work on a computer, they always say the same thing. ;)

"What did you press to bring that up?"

After working on Windows systems for soooo looong, your fingers just memorize the shortcuts. It always blows people's minds that I can turn on a Windows computer, mess around in the menus, and shut it down - all without touching the mouse! :D GUI's are nice, but most people have no idea that the mouse is not a necessary peripheral. If their mouse goes out, they're lost!

I got someone who says she is a Systems Analyst and wanted to know what my Wrist Straps(I use two)were and what they were for. Blew my mind, totally, had to go get a beer after she was gone!There are a lot more of those people out there, I can assure you! I know tons of people that can navigate any *nix-based OS and configure entire networks and write most of the code themselves. But they're software people. The only hardware they know are the keyboard and monitor. If I give them a CPU, they become confused. A lot of them have never even seen a CPU! :eek: I know a lot of hard-core software people that still think "CPU" or "hard drive" is what you call the whole computer! They don't know about mobo's or CPU sockets or the fact that there have been so many types of RAM. If I ask them what kind of computer they have, they respond with "HP A730" or something like that. :rolleyes: As we all know, that tells me nothing!

So yeah, go ahead and offer your services. It's one thing for a snot-nosed teenager to run circles around you with DHCP and network settings and the cool new start-up script that he wrote with VB. But it's another thing to watch people like that struggle with their DHCP and network settings trying to solve an issue that's clearly hardware-related. ;) Ever seen a Linux geek try to install Linux on a system where the main hard drive is set to "slave"? :D I have! It was a real hoot to watch! :cool: