[techtalk] simple question on technical training

[Raven, corporate courtesan]

Heya --

Quoth wildgrass:
> I have a simple question on technical training. How much is your
> company's technical training budget for each person per year?
> Mine is US$1500 per person, per year. Most courses cost more than
> that. Which means I rely a lot on self-teaching.

     In my experience $1500 a year is more than most American companies
are willing to spend on external training without some sort of
commitment from you.  In my last three jobs, almost all training was
either internal to the department or required you to sign a
reimbursement clause with the company.  The usual clause is something
like "For every class this company sends me to, I agree to stay with
the company for a year.  Should I leave before that term is up, I will
refund the cost of all courses I have been to to my employer."

     I have never had an employer send me to an external course without
making me sign something like that first, so I ended up doing a lot of
self-study, too.  You may actually be pretty lucky in your current job.
 At most of the places I've worked, you can't even get the company to
pay for reference books or CBTs or anything.  As a result, I have a
great technical library -- that was acquired at considerable personal
expense to me.  Gah.

> I've been told that my administrative folks are not keen to send
> people to courses, especially those that include an exam at the end 
> of it (like RHCE 300) because then people get certified and run off 
> to work for another company.

     Everywhere that I have worked, the company picks up the tab for
certification exams if you pass.  But if you fail the test, you pay. 
This is fair enough to me -- it encourages me not to try the test until
I think I'm ready (and therefore I don't waste the company's money),
but encourages me to take exams when I do think I can pass.  So far
I've only had to pay for one.

     The place where this becomes impractical is for whacking expensive
exams like the CCIE or the RHCE.  Most of us don't have $1,000 sitting
around that we can throw at certification exams, and then get reimbured
if we pass.  For exams like that, it would be nice if the company would
pay for them and require you to stay for a certain amount of time in
exchange or something.

Cheers,
Raven

=====
"Would you like me to bring you back a present from the 
 funeral?"
"A spleen?"
"You wouldn't like that; it's shot full of chemicals.  How 
 about a root beer?"
 -- Raven and RavenBlack

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