2- Day - Training Examined (Boot Camp):

2- Day - Training (Boot Camp), is defined as a CompTIA RFID+ certified preparatory course, taught by commercial organizations, colleges, or RFID vendors in conjunction with commercial organizations or colleges.  These courses are normally taught over 2-3 days and are many times referred to as "Boot Camps".

2-Day - Training or Boot Camp, is made available for those individuals that do not wish to spend a week or semester learning RFID, but can afford to commit a few days during the week or over a weekend.  The primary advantage to this type of course is time and cost.  Most of us may be able sneak away for two days (plus travel), but move it up to 4-5 days (plus travel) and it gets a lot more difficult.  Add in the cost of additional days of training, additional meals and hotel expenses for 4-5+ Day - Training, and you are basically doubling the cost of what you would for 2-3 Day - Training.  

While commercial providers and colleges traditionally provide the actual training, many RFID Vendors will sponsor a weekend "Boot Camp", or a "Boot Camp" at an RFID Conference & Fair.   This is done to facilitate two things: 1) To increase the pool of eligible certified RFID+ candidates.  2) To provide these candidates with their first exposure to RFID components, specifically the vendors wares.  While this educational opportunity should be consistent with the traditional training by either a commercial or college organization, the proprietary interests cannot be ignored.   If your RFID instruction concentrates too much on a specific vendor or proprietary functionalities, then this will NOT be beneficial to your overall understanding of RFID.  I would ensure that if you attend any sponsored program, that it exposes you to multiple vendors and multiple technologies.

Hands On!  No matter what training you attend, 4-Day or 2-Day it should, rather it MUST offer a hands on opportunity.  What I mean is, the organization should have an RFID lab onsite where you see tags, readers and antennas in action.  At best, you should have the opportunity to encode a tag, test tags on different types of products, work with RFID software, see and experiment with different types of antennas and readers.  At the least, you should be able to see how tags, antennas and readers interact with one another independent of what you have read in a book.  I cannot stress this enough!  Your understanding of the interaction within RFID, cannot reach the pinnacle of comprehension without experimentation.

As with  4-Day - Training, at the conclusion of 2-Day - Training, you may have the opportunity to take the CompTIA RFID+ exam, although chances are, you really aren't even close to being ready.  Start studying!!!

4-Day, 2-Day, or even Self Study, its up to you!  There are definitely Pro's and Con's to each one of them.  My advice would be to ask yourself these three things:  

Finances:  Can I afford the 4-Day program (a week or semester) and do I really need it?

Time: Do I have the available time to be away for a week, or semester?  Or would a couple of days of instruction with "hands on" be sufficient?

What Type of Student Am I?  Be honest!  Would you be a lot more successful with longer instruction, or are you just as likely to learn through more time spent with a practice CD and book? 

Check out Self-Study: