[TriLUG] ECPI opinions?

[Jeremy Portzer]

I knew someone who got a computer repair certificate at ECPI and then got 
a job at Intrex.  He was someone who had previous trade experience and 
wanted to get into computers - not someone with a lot of "computer geek" 
type experience.

Ultimately he found that the job at Intrex wasn't for him - I don't think
he liked the management or the type of work really - and he told me that
the investment he made didn't really pan out.  But I don't think that
reflected poorly on ECPI.  The ECPI courses provided him the necessary
skills to get the job and perform adequately (though I don't think he was
a standout).  He returned to a customer service type job (retail store 
manager).

That said, I do think the community college computer training programs are
just as good, and they are usually much cheaper.  (Your tax dollars at
work!)  I would expect the level of skills to be pretty similar - though
obviously this depends on the specific program or certificate. 

One advantage of a community college is you can get a degree that is fully
accredited by the educational accrediation agencies (e.g.  "Associate's in
Applied Science") which provides a more well-rounded education.  This type
of degree provides a basic level of competency in math, writing, etc.,
which I think is pretty important for most computer-related jobs.  Though
the community college certainly offers many other levels of certificates
and coursework - so it's hard to make generalizations, without knowing
more about what particular program or level of expertise you are after.  
But I get the idea ECPI focuses only on the technical skills, and I don't 
believe their programs are accredited by any state or regional agencies.

Disclaimer:  I am a former employee, and graduate, of Durham Tech.

Regards,
Jeremy Portzer

On Tue, 23 Jan 2007, Carl Schaefer wrote:

> I'd appreciate hearing any opinions of ECPI (a private technical college
> with a campus in Raleigh), their training programs and/or the graduates,
> especially compared with public community colleges like Wake Tech.
> 
> thanks!
> Carl
> 

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