Claude Ratea, Gus Maio, Roger Britt, Brian Korn, Michael Campbell, Forrest Bowling, Scott Hellervik, Bob Collins, Dan Kaiser, Ken Privett Jr., (not pictured) Mark Bohm More Alumni Comments Select Below 2008 - Summary 2009 - September 2008 - August 2008 - May 2008 - March 2007 - April 2007 - May 2007 - June 2007 - August 2006 - January 2006 - February 2006 - March 2006 - April 2006 - June 2006 - October 2006 - December 2005 - February 2005 - April 2005 - June 2005 - December 2004 - April 2004 - May 2004 - June 2004 - September 2003 - February 2003 - March 2003 - May 2003 - June 2003 - September 2003 - December 2002 - April 2002 - June 2002 - September 2002 - November 2002 - December 2001 - June 2001 - February 2001 - March 2001 - May 2001 - June 2001 - August 2001 - September 2001 - October 2001 - November 2001 - December 2000 - June 2000 - February 2000 - March 2000 - April 2000 - June 2000 - July 2000 - August 2000 - September 2000 - October 2000 - November 2000 - December 1999 - June 1999 - February 1999 - March 1999 - April 1999 - May 1999 - June 1999 - July 1999 - August 1999 - September 1999 - October 1999 - November 1999 - December 1998 - June 1998 - February 1998 - March 1998 - April 1998 - May 1998 - June 1998 - July 1998 - August 1998 - September 1998 - October 1998 - November 1998 - December   < Pick a date MVS Exam Pass Ratio We've certified 2,517 of 2,629 students (93%)

MVS Alumni Comments
MCSE/MCSA/MCP Boot Camp

May 12 - 27, 2003

Here's what our alumni had to say about their boot camp experience at Mountain View Systems. Over 500 entries revealing the truth about what you can expect when you attend one of our camps. More >

Want to talk with our Alumni? Get the real scoop on why our boot camp is better than any others on the market today. Contact Rebekah Mooney at 888-525-6273 and she will put you in contact with our alumni.

I had researched the network, for boot camps that promised learning, over just passing and getting your MCSE. I chose MVS because of the great comments from past students and the guarantee that they offered. I was not disappointed.

Rebekah Mooney was my first contact with Mountain View. From the first email and phone call, she did everything that she could to see that I was right for the class, as well as getting all the necessary arrangements made, to making sure that my stay was going to be a successful one. She had a great personality and there was absolutely no sales pressure to come to MVS. While in class, she helped make sure everything was in order, and that all amenities and needs were met. Rebekah - don't change a thing. Your personality and kindness are unparalleled.

Anthony Carrion was the Office Manager whom I met on the first day. He was outgoing and just as concerned as Rebekka , at making sure everything was correct and continually seeing that we had plenty of snacks, supplies, and whatever else was needed. He offered encouragement when we needed it. During the breaks, you could hear his trademark yell (from the office) of "YEAH BOY!", as video games were played, to help relieve stress. Tony - don't ever lose your outgoing personality, and don't be afraid to get into the games. They say plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery, and having other people yell out that "YEAH BOY!" is a tribute to your personality and nature.

James Carrion was the instructor for the 16-day course. From the very get-go on day one, James had us going thru the book, looking at the study guides, and doing the chalk-talk routine. Everything he did, helped me learn and definitely prepare for the intense exams. He is well suited and has expert knowledge, with a well-rounded way of teaching the class. He could go from technical jargon, to layman terms in a heartbeat, and I found that from time to time, I needed that approach. He was continually checking the class, to see if everyone was staying up, or might be having difficulty understanding something. He had a very acute sense of when to speed up, or slow down the class training.

James - I hope Coca-Cola never stops making and selling "Diet Coke", otherwise the class might be in serious trouble.

I can only say this…If you're looking to actually learn something, and have the fortitude, the attitude, and the astuteness to lock yourself in for sixteen days and nights of intensive training and studying, then I would highly recommend this boot camp.

Sincerely,
Michael L. Campbell W2K MCSA/MCSE

First, let me say that I have been interested in getting my MCSE certification for over one and a half years. During that time, I was unable to make any progress due to lack of time and conflicting schedules. I started investigating boot camps to see if that process would work for me, and decided that it would. I then started doing research to find the best boot camp available.

I was going to be paying for the training myself, and would have to take mostly unpaid time off from work. I wanted to be sure that I not only received the best value for my money, but that I would learn the material as well as get the certification; I was not interested in being just a paper MCSE. I spent over a month doing this research. I searched the Internet, talked with MCTs, spoke with past boot camp attendees, and read articles and reviews. Based on this research, one thing became crystal clear: the premier boot camp provider was Mountain View Systems.

Once I arrived at Mountain View, I realized that my research was correct. The accommodations where first rate. The classroom was very well designed. The equipment was well configured and working. Everything was close and at hand. It was obvious that Mountain View had been doing this (MCSE boot camp) for a long time, and had developed a well-oiled machine.

• James absolutely knows his stuff. He knows how to communicate and he knows how to teach. He knows the material inside and out. He's a pro and it shows. It was obvious that he had been doing this for a very long time and had it down cold. It was extremely rare that any of us asked a question that he didn't have a clear and precise answer for; and, in those rare occasions when he did not know the answer, he found and provided it within a couple of hours. He also knew both real-life and exam differences and made them clear; this certainly helped me achieve my goal of not just being a paper MCSE.
• Tony kept all of the logistics and testing going smoothly and professionally. Eating enough certainly wasn't a problem here, and Tony made sure that we all had plenty of snacks, drinks and munchies. He asked numerous times what we wanted for munchies, and shortly afterwards it was there. He also was extremely accommodating to our testing schedule desires. I took a number of the tests in the evenings, and Tony had to stay to proctor me. Never once did I feel that he minded at all.
• Rebekah made one of the softest sales that I have seen. No pressure, just good, clear, communication and accommodation. When you have a superior product, you obviously don't have to push to make the sale.

Suggestions for Improvement:

Only a few, and minor ones at that:

• When a student asks a question in class, sometimes it's hard to hear it. Repeating the question before answering it would help; this is not always necessary, but would be nice.
• Faster and more reliable Internet access would be helpful. While it's not really necessary for the training, it is often used to stay in touch with the home front. Having slow access, and sometimes no access, can be frustrating.
• There was one occasion that I remember when we had scheduled a group study session in the evening. When we returned for it, some people were engaging in stress-reduction therapy (multi-player games). They all had their speakers off and their headphones on, which helped, but the occasional verbal jabs and comments did interrupt our studying a little. There were other occasions, later on, where we had study sessions, and when the study session started the games stopped; so, perhaps this was just a one-time incident.

Claude Rateau

Pre-Boot Camp:
Rebekah was extremely helpful throughout the planning process for the boot camp. Right off, she sent an invoice so that it could be submitted to my company for payment at a much later date. As the time for the class approached, she answered all my questions regarding travel arrangements, meals, and what to wear - even though she said to expect warm days, cool nights, and only bring a light jacket and it was snowing when I arrived. But, that was a fluke occurrence and the weather was exactly as she predicted for the remainder of my stay. All in all, she was very helpful and encouraging before and throughout the boot camp.

Boot Camp:
"So much to learn, so little time" should be the motto of the boot camp if it would not scare everyone away. If I knew how hard it was before I started, I might not have come. However, James and Tony provided the encouragement and direction to get me through the class. James managed to package the knowledge in such a manner that I was able to learn the material and pass the exams. I didn't learn only what was necessary to pass the exams; I actually learned a lot of material. When coming down to passing the exams, James provided the direction and focus that was needed.

James displayed exceptional knowledge about everything covered. No questions were unanswered in a complete manner. Real world versus Microsoft testing environments were clearly delineated with many pointers offered for each. Humor and levity were important to keeping the classes interesting and keeping everyone (especially me) awake, particularly in the afternoons. The breaks were spaced appropriately and allowed everyone to stay fresh through the daylong classes.

All in all, I would HIGHLY recommend this boot camp to anyone wanting to get his or her MCSE. Given the chance to take another boot camp from Mountain View Systems, I would sign up in a heartbeat. The time and money spent was well worth it. Kenneth Privett Jr.

I attended the May 2003 MCSE boot camp hosted by Mountain View Systems. The instructor for the entire boot camp (James) was extremely knowledgeable, and the attitude and atmosphere at the facility where excellent. Having the boot camp at the hotel was perfect, and the 24-hour access to the lab was very nice.

Things I really liked:

1. White boarding. This ties in very well with my style of learning, and James was able to answer all of the questions (There where a lot) I had and never seemed to loose focus on the subject.
2. Gaming: It is a great idea to have games in class. It helped to take my mind off of the exams for a bit, and helped me to get to know the other members of the class.
3. The individual workstations: Allowed me to do online research to help fill out the areas of information that I use on a day to day basis.
4. The shared monitor: It was great to be able to have the replica of James' system to see how things where done.
5. Testing: Having the tests on your own workstation was convenient.
6. Snacks and Food: It was great to have snacks and food to keep me going for the whole 16 days. Tony did a superb job at keeping everything stocked, and making me feel comfortable.

Things I didn't like or need improvement:

1. Classroom layout: I sat in the back row, and it was hard to see James if I wasn't sitting with my chair at it's highest, and sitting straight up. It would also be nice to have a few more feet between each row, so you don't have to move to let people past. It would also be nice to have a little more desktop space to allow you to have your study guide, book, and paper available all at once.

I plan on recommending Mountain View to a few friends and co-workers.

Good job!
Forrest Bowling

The time flew really flew by. I am extremely impressed with the level of instruction and the accommodations at Mountain View Systems' MCSE Boot Camp.

James ensured that the quality of instruction was superb and relevant. I had a concern that the instruction was designed to get a pass on the tests. It was apparent from the beginning though that James was extremely knowledgeable and was more than able to apply lessons to real world situations. His style of instruction was really impressive.

I am really pleased with the accommodations and meals and snacks that were provided. There was never a time that I had to think about anything else but the goals that we were going after.

Thanks a ton to Tony for always putting us students as first priority.

Thanks again to all out Mountain View for helping me to achieve my goal!

Scott R Hellervik, MCSE
Information Officer
Heritage Oaks Hospital
Sacramento, CA

I want to express my gratitude for a great experience at Mountain View Systems Boot Camp. From the moment I arrived to the hotel and identified myself as a Mountain View student, I've been treated like a king by the hotel staff, which helped make the time pass faster. It made a big difference to have the training facilities right in the hotel, since you don't have to be distracted by outside influences while you're learning and testing.

I was undecided at first, since this was a long trip for me and there was a boot camp closer, but after researching other boot camps, yours was the only one which had no negative reviews. I now know why. Everyone in my class is thrilled with the quality of training and your ability to convey complex subject matter into easy to understand diagrams and scenarios. I've been in IT since 1986, and I've taken many classes that were very good, but now I must say that I'll be measuring training with a different bar. While at your school, I found out how much I didn't know, and how easy it was to understand after it was explained patiently and expertly. You are the first instructor I have ever had that had an answer for everything asked and did not have to get back with me later on anything. That was impressive!

Your staff has been unbelievable as well. Rebecca made sure we started off right. She expedited my air bookings and had everything taken care of in 24 hours! She answered all my questions cheerfully and was a big factor in my boot camp selection.

Tony (Hawk), your logistics manager was so attentive to the needs of the group that we were all amazed at how often he asked what kind of snacks we wanted, where we wanted to go for lunch, what we needed, did we have any issues with the hotel?, was it cold in the room?, was it hot? Did we want Starbucks or the weak coffee? He was great. Additionally if we decided to test in the evenings he would stay until whenever we needed him to stay to make sure we were able to complete our testing when we wanted. He really looked after us like a mother (an ugly one…).

I'm going to remember this for a long time as a great experience both a learning one and a lesson in hospitality. I assure you everyone in my class feels the same way. You have a great thing going and I was thrilled to have been able to experience it.

Thanks again!

Gus Maio, MCSC
Network Manager
County of Santa Barbara, California

Thank you for providing a truly exceptional MCSE Boot camp experience. I really appreciated the top-notch, high-quality instruction delivered by James and his unique teaching methodology. He really knows his trade, and takes a keen interest in making sure all the students are grasping the concepts correctly. It is surprising that he can take such a voluminous amount of material & instruction, break it down into easy-to-understand chunks, and convey it to us expeditiously.

Everything was taken care of as promised: From James & his excellent quality of instruction, to Rebekah and Tony's support in providing for our meals, snacks and comforts - you were all great!!

In closing, I looked at and evaluated the other MCSE Training Classes before choosing Mountain View and am now even more convinced that I made the best choice possible.

Brian Korn, Sr. Engineer & MCSE
iLink Technology, Inc.