by Jason Kendall
Congratulations! Hitting upon this feature means you’re likely to be wondering about where you’re going, and if it’s new career training you’re deliberating over you’ve already done more than most. Are you aware that a small minority of us are fulfilled and satisfied with our jobs - but the majority will just put up with it. Why not liberate yourself and make a start - don’t you think you deserve it.
With regard to individual courses, seek out someone who will be able to guide you on which area will be right for you. An advisor who will take time to ask questions about your likes and dislikes, and discover what type of job will be right for you:
* Do you want to interact with other people? If so, do you want a team or are you hoping to meet new people? Maybe you’d rather be left alone to get on with things?
* Are you thinking carefully about which area you could be employed in? (With the economic downturn, it’s more important than ever to be selective.)
* When you’ve done all your re-training, would you like your skills to serve you till you retire?
* Do you have niggles about your chances of finding new employment, and staying employable until you plan to retire?
The largest sector in Great Britain to tick all of the above boxes is the IT industry. There’s a need for more knowledgeable staff in IT, simply have a look at a local job site and you will find them yourself. Don’t let people tell you it’s only geeky nerds sitting in front ofscreens the whole time - there are loads more jobs than that. Most of employees in the computer industry are just like you and me, with jobs they enjoy and better than average salaries.
One crafty way that training companies make more money is by adding exam fees upfront to the cost of a course and then including an ‘Exam Guarantee’. It looks like a good deal, but let’s just examine it more closely:
Of course it isn’t free - you’re still being charged for it - the price has simply been included in the whole thing. Students who enter their exams one by one, funding them one at a time are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They are aware of their spending and prepare more appropriately to make sure they’re ready.
Find the best exam deal or offer available at the appropriate time, and hang on to your cash. You’ll also be able to choose where to do the examinations - so you can find somewhere local. Paying in advance for exam fees (which also includes interest if you’ve taken out a loan) is insane. Don’t line companies bank accounts with extra money of yours only to please their Bank Manager! A lot bank on the fact that you won’t get to do them all - then they’ll keep the extra money. The majority of companies will require you to sit pre-tests and not allow you to re-take an exam until you’ve completely proven that you’re likely to pass - which makes an ‘Exam Guarantee’ frankly useless.
With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE examinations coming in at approximately 112 pounds in Great Britain, it’s common sense to fund them one by one. It’s not in the student’s interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.
Ignore the typical salesperson who pushes one particular program without a decent chat to better understand your current abilities and also your level of experience. Always check they have access to a expansive stable of training programs so they’re able to give you an appropriate solution. With a strong background, or maybe some work-based experience (some certifications gained previously perhaps?) then it’s more than likely your starting point will be very different from someone with no background whatsoever. Starting with a user skills module first may be the ideal way to start into your computer training, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.
We’re regularly asked to explain why qualifications from colleges and universities are now falling behind more qualifications from the commercial sector? Accreditation-based training (to use industry-speak) is far more specialised and product-specific. Industry has realised that this level of specialised understanding is vital to cope with an acceleratingly technical workplace. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA are the dominant players. They do this by honing in on the skills that are really needed (alongside an appropriate level of related knowledge,) as opposed to trawling through all the background ‘padding’ that degrees in computing can often find themselves doing - to fill a three or four year course.
Put yourself in the employer’s position - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. What’s the simplest way to find the right person: Go through a mass of different academic qualifications from graduate applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which vocational skills have been attained, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that precisely match your needs, and then select who you want to interview from that. You can then focus on how someone will fit into the team at interview - rather than on the depth of their technical knowledge.
Being at the forefront of revolutionary new technology is about as exciting as it can get. You’re involved with impacting progress around the world. Technological changes and dialogue via the internet is going to spectacularly shape our lifestyles in the future; overwhelmingly so.
The standard IT man or woman in the UK is likely to receive a lot more money than fellow workers outside of IT. Typical remuneration packages are around the top of national league tables. Because the IT market sector is still growing with no sign of a slow-down, it’s predictable that the need for appropriately qualified IT professionals will continue to boom for quite some time to come.
Often, trainers provide mainly work-books and reference manuals. It’s not a very interesting way to learn and not really conducive to remembering. If we’re able to get all of our senses involved in our learning, then the results are usually dramatically better.
Modern training can now be done at home via interactive discs. Instructor-led tutorials will mean you’ll absorb the modules, one by one, via the demonstrations and explanations. Knowledge can then be tested by practicing and interacting with the software. Any company that you’re considering must be able to demonstrate a few samples of their courseware. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and many interactive sections.
It is generally unwise to choose training that is only available online. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across all internet service providers, you should always obtain disc based courseware (On CD or DVD).