If we didn't have a regular deluge of knowledgeable network and computer support workers, commerce in the UK (and around the world) would inevitably be drawn to a standstill. There is an on-going requirement for technically able people to support systems and users alike. Our requirement for better skilled and qualified individuals multiplies, as human beings become significantly more beholden to PC's in these modern times.
Seeing as the computer market provides some outstanding career possibilities for everyone - what questions do we need to be posing and what elements carry the most importance?
Don't get hung-up, as can often be the case, on the certification itself. Training is not an end in itself; this is about employment. Begin and continue with the end in mind. It's a sad fact, but a large percentage of students commence training that sounds great in the prospectus, but which provide the end-result of a job which doesn't satisfy. Speak to a selection of college graduates and you'll see where we're coming from. Stay tuned-in to what you want to achieve, and build your study action-plan from that - avoid getting them back-to-front. Stay focused on the end-goal and ensure that you're training for something you'll enjoy for years to come. It's worth seeking guidance from someone that understands the market you think may suit you, and is able to give you 'A day in the life of' type of explanation for each job considered. All of these things are essential because you obviously have to know if this change is right for you.
You should only consider learning programmes that move onto industry approved qualifications. There are far too many trainers promoting unknown 'in-house' certificates that are essentially useless when you start your job-search. From an employer's viewpoint, only top businesses such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (as an example) provide enough commercial weight. Anything less won't make the grade.
We'd hazard a guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work - a 'hands-on' type. If you're like us, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides can be just about bared when essential, but it's not ideal. Consider interactive, multimedia study if books just don't do it for you. Our ability to remember is increased with an involvement of all our senses - this has been an accepted fact in expert circles for decades now. Start a study-program in which you'll receive a selection of CD and DVD based materials - you'll learn by watching video tutorials and demonstrations, with the facility to practice your skills in interactive lab's. You must see the type of training provided by each company you're contemplating. Be sure that they contain instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab's. Pick disc based courseware (On CD or DVD) if possible. You're then protected from internet connection failure and issues with signal quality.
There is no way of over emphasising this: You have to get round-the-clock 24x7 professional support from mentors and instructors. We can tell you that you'll strongly regret it if you don't follow this rule rigidly. Locate training schools where you can access help at all hours of the day and night (no matter if it's in the middle of the night on a weekend!) You'll need direct-access to qualified mentors and tutors and not a message system as this will slow you down - constantly waiting for a call-back during office hours. The best training colleges opt for an internet-based round-the-clock system involving many support centres from around the world. You're offered a simple environment that accesses the most appropriate office irrespective of the time of day: Support available as-and-when you want it. Find an educator that is worth purchasing from. Only proper live 24x7 round-the-clock support delivers what is required.
Adding in the cost of exams upfront then including an exam guarantee is a common method with a number of training colleges. But look at the facts: Clearly it isn't free - you're still footing the bill for it - it's just been included in your package price. People who take each progressive exam, funding them one at a time are much better placed to get through first time. They are mindful of what they've paid and prepare more appropriately to be ready for the task. Doesn't it make more sense to hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take the exam, instead of paying a premium to a training company, and also to sit exams more locally - instead of the remote centre that's convenient only to the trainer? Paying in advance for examinations (which also includes interest if you've taken out a loan) is madness. Resist being talked into filling the training company's account with additional funds simply to help their cash-flow! There are those who hope that you won't get to do them all - but they won't refund the cash. Also, exam guarantees often have very little value. The majority of organisations won't pay again for an exam until you've completely satisfied them that you're ready this time. On average, exams cost around the 112 pounds mark last year through local VUE or Pro-metric centres throughout the country. So don't be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more for 'Exam Guarantees', when common sense dictates that the responsible approach is study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams.
A number of students are under the impression that the state educational path is the way they should go. Why then is commercial certification beginning to overtake it? As demand increases for knowledge about more and more complex technology, the IT sector has moved to specialist courses only available through the vendors themselves - namely companies like Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. This often comes in at a fraction of the cost and time. Essentially, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It isn't quite as lean as that might sound, but the most important function is always to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (with some necessary background) - without trying to cram in everything else (as degree courses are known to do). Think about if you were the employer - and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. Which is the most straightforward: Trawl through loads of academic qualifications from graduate applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which commercial skills they've mastered, or choose particular accreditations that exactly fulfil your criteria, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. You'll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - instead of having to work out if they can do the job.
The world of information technology is one of the more thrilling and changing industries that you can get into right now. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology means you're a part of the huge progress affecting everyone who lives in the 21st century. We're barely beginning to get a handle on what this change will mean to us. The way we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be massively affected by computers and the internet. The standard IT worker in the UK can demonstrate that they earn significantly more than employees on a par outside of IT. Mean average wages are around the top of national league tables. Apparently there is no end in sight for IT industry expansion across Britain. The industry continues to grow rapidly, and as we have a skills gap that means we only typically have three IT workers for every four jobs it's most unlikely that things will be any different for years to come. - 16039
Seeing as the computer market provides some outstanding career possibilities for everyone - what questions do we need to be posing and what elements carry the most importance?
Don't get hung-up, as can often be the case, on the certification itself. Training is not an end in itself; this is about employment. Begin and continue with the end in mind. It's a sad fact, but a large percentage of students commence training that sounds great in the prospectus, but which provide the end-result of a job which doesn't satisfy. Speak to a selection of college graduates and you'll see where we're coming from. Stay tuned-in to what you want to achieve, and build your study action-plan from that - avoid getting them back-to-front. Stay focused on the end-goal and ensure that you're training for something you'll enjoy for years to come. It's worth seeking guidance from someone that understands the market you think may suit you, and is able to give you 'A day in the life of' type of explanation for each job considered. All of these things are essential because you obviously have to know if this change is right for you.
You should only consider learning programmes that move onto industry approved qualifications. There are far too many trainers promoting unknown 'in-house' certificates that are essentially useless when you start your job-search. From an employer's viewpoint, only top businesses such as Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (as an example) provide enough commercial weight. Anything less won't make the grade.
We'd hazard a guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work - a 'hands-on' type. If you're like us, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides can be just about bared when essential, but it's not ideal. Consider interactive, multimedia study if books just don't do it for you. Our ability to remember is increased with an involvement of all our senses - this has been an accepted fact in expert circles for decades now. Start a study-program in which you'll receive a selection of CD and DVD based materials - you'll learn by watching video tutorials and demonstrations, with the facility to practice your skills in interactive lab's. You must see the type of training provided by each company you're contemplating. Be sure that they contain instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab's. Pick disc based courseware (On CD or DVD) if possible. You're then protected from internet connection failure and issues with signal quality.
There is no way of over emphasising this: You have to get round-the-clock 24x7 professional support from mentors and instructors. We can tell you that you'll strongly regret it if you don't follow this rule rigidly. Locate training schools where you can access help at all hours of the day and night (no matter if it's in the middle of the night on a weekend!) You'll need direct-access to qualified mentors and tutors and not a message system as this will slow you down - constantly waiting for a call-back during office hours. The best training colleges opt for an internet-based round-the-clock system involving many support centres from around the world. You're offered a simple environment that accesses the most appropriate office irrespective of the time of day: Support available as-and-when you want it. Find an educator that is worth purchasing from. Only proper live 24x7 round-the-clock support delivers what is required.
Adding in the cost of exams upfront then including an exam guarantee is a common method with a number of training colleges. But look at the facts: Clearly it isn't free - you're still footing the bill for it - it's just been included in your package price. People who take each progressive exam, funding them one at a time are much better placed to get through first time. They are mindful of what they've paid and prepare more appropriately to be ready for the task. Doesn't it make more sense to hold on to your money and pay for the exam when you take the exam, instead of paying a premium to a training company, and also to sit exams more locally - instead of the remote centre that's convenient only to the trainer? Paying in advance for examinations (which also includes interest if you've taken out a loan) is madness. Resist being talked into filling the training company's account with additional funds simply to help their cash-flow! There are those who hope that you won't get to do them all - but they won't refund the cash. Also, exam guarantees often have very little value. The majority of organisations won't pay again for an exam until you've completely satisfied them that you're ready this time. On average, exams cost around the 112 pounds mark last year through local VUE or Pro-metric centres throughout the country. So don't be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more for 'Exam Guarantees', when common sense dictates that the responsible approach is study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams.
A number of students are under the impression that the state educational path is the way they should go. Why then is commercial certification beginning to overtake it? As demand increases for knowledge about more and more complex technology, the IT sector has moved to specialist courses only available through the vendors themselves - namely companies like Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. This often comes in at a fraction of the cost and time. Essentially, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It isn't quite as lean as that might sound, but the most important function is always to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (with some necessary background) - without trying to cram in everything else (as degree courses are known to do). Think about if you were the employer - and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. Which is the most straightforward: Trawl through loads of academic qualifications from graduate applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which commercial skills they've mastered, or choose particular accreditations that exactly fulfil your criteria, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. You'll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - instead of having to work out if they can do the job.
The world of information technology is one of the more thrilling and changing industries that you can get into right now. Being a member of a team working on breakthroughs in technology means you're a part of the huge progress affecting everyone who lives in the 21st century. We're barely beginning to get a handle on what this change will mean to us. The way we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be massively affected by computers and the internet. The standard IT worker in the UK can demonstrate that they earn significantly more than employees on a par outside of IT. Mean average wages are around the top of national league tables. Apparently there is no end in sight for IT industry expansion across Britain. The industry continues to grow rapidly, and as we have a skills gap that means we only typically have three IT workers for every four jobs it's most unlikely that things will be any different for years to come. - 16039
About the Author:
Scott Edwards has worked in the IT industry for 30 yrs. He thinks he knows what he's talking about by now. If you're interested in Computer Courses, visit LearningLolly Computer Training.
