Hey everyone,
I’m on the hunt for a top-notch advanced Silverlight 4 course but I’m coming up empty-handed. I’ve got some experience with Silverlight but I’m looking to level up my skills.
I’m particularly interested in:
- File handling (local, Isolated Storage, data, and zip files)
- Building extensible apps with MEF
- Structuring apps using PRISM
- Test-driven development in Silverlight
I’d prefer something in Europe or the East Coast of the US. Any suggestions for courses or trainers that cover these topics in depth?
I’ve checked out a few options online, but they only briefly touch on these subjects in their course materials. I’m after something more hands-on and practical.
Anyone had good experiences with advanced Silverlight training they can share? Thanks in advance for your help!
I can recommend the Advanced Silverlight 4 Masterclass offered by TechEd Solutions in Boston. I attended it last fall and it was incredibly comprehensive, covering all the topics you mentioned in depth. The instructor, Sarah Chen, is a Silverlight MVP and really knows her stuff.
The course is five full days of intense, hands-on training. We spent a lot of time on practical exercises and building real-world applications. The section on PRISM and MEF was particularly strong, and we had a full day dedicated to TDD practices in Silverlight.
It’s not cheap, but considering the depth of material covered and the small class size (only 12 students), I found it to be excellent value. They run the course quarterly, so you should be able to find dates that work for you. Hope this helps with your search!
hey maxrock, i took a great sl4 course in NYC last yr. covered all those topics u mentioned + more. trainer was awesome, lots of hands-on stuff. cant remember the name but ill dig thru my emails and get back to ya. it was pricey but totally worth it for the advanced material
Hey MaxRock56, have you considered looking into online training options? 
I’ve been digging around lately and found some pretty sweet advanced Silverlight 4 courses on platforms like Pluralsight and Udemy. They might not be in-person, but hear me out - these courses often go way deeper than traditional classroom stuff.
What’s cool is you can pause, rewind, and really take your time with the tricky bits. Plus, a lot of them have hands-on projects and forums where you can chat with other learners and even the instructors.
I’m particularly curious about your interest in PRISM and MEF. Have you worked with those before? What’s drawing you to those specific technologies?
Also, have you thought about attending any Silverlight-focused conferences? Sometimes they have pre-conference workshops that dive deep into advanced topics. Might be worth checking out!
What’s your timeline for getting this training done? And are you looking to apply these skills to a specific project, or just leveling up in general?