by Jason Kendall
Good for you! As you’re reading this article it’s likely you’re thinking about getting re-qualified for a new job – that means you’ve already taken one more step than the majority. Very few of us are pleased to go to work each day, but most just moan and do nothing about it. You could join a select group who make a difference in their lives.
On the subject of training, it’s crucial to first define your requirements from the career you would like to get. You need to know that the grass actually is greener before you put a lot of energy into changing the direction of your life. Prudence suggests looking at the end goal first, to make an informed decision:
* Do you like to work collaborating with people? Is that as part of a team or with many new people? It could be working by yourself with your own methodology may be your preference?
* Banking and building are not coping well at the moment, so think carefully about the sector that would give you the most options?
* Is it important that this should be a one off time that you will need more qualifications?
* Do you think being qualified will give you the opportunity to get a good job, and remain in employment until you wish to retire?
Don’t overlook the IT sector, that will be time well spent – it’s one of the only market sectors still on the grow in this country and overseas. Another benefit is that remuneration packages are much better than most.
There is a tidal wave of change about to hit technology over the next few decades – and this means greater innovations all the time. We’ve only just begun to scrape the surface of how technology will affect our lives in the future. The internet will significantly revolutionise how we view and interrelate with the entire world over the coming years.
If earning a good living is around the top on your wish list, you will welcome the news that the usual remuneration of a typical IT worker is significantly better than salaries in most other jobs or industries. Because the IT market sector is still emerging nationally and internationally, it’s looking good that the need for appropriately qualified IT professionals will continue actively for decades to come.
Be under no illusions, the computer sector provides outstanding potential. Yet, to fully investigate, what questions do we need to raise, and what are the sectors we need to investigate?
A expert and practiced consultant (in contrast with a salesperson) will talk through your current experience level and abilities. This is paramount to working out the point at which you need to start your studies. With a little real-world experience or base qualifications, it may be that your starting point of study is different from a beginner. Always consider starting with a user-skills course first. Beginning there can make the transition to higher-level learning a a little easier.
Full support is of the utmost importance – ensure you track down something that includes 24×7 access, as anything less will frustrate you and could hamper your progress. Be wary of any training providers who use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – with your call-back scheduled for office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and need help now.
Keep your eyes open for study programmes that use several support centres active in different time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to give a single entry point and round-the-clock access, when you want it, without any problems. Never ever take second best when you’re looking for the right support service. Many IT hopefuls that give up, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.
We’d hazard a guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work – a ‘hands-on’ personality type. If you’re anything like us, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but it doesn’t suit your way of doing things. Consider interactive, multimedia study if you’d really rather not use books. If we can get all of our senses involved in our learning, our results will often be quite spectacular.
Start a study-program in which you’re provided with an array of DVD-ROM’s – you’ll begin by watching videos of instructors demonstrating the skills, with the facility to fine-tune your skills in fully interactive practice sessions. It makes sense to see some of the typical study materials provided before you purchase a course. The minimum you should expect would be instructor demonstrations, video tutorials and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab’s.
It is generally unwise to go for purely on-line training. Due to the variable nature of connection quality from your average broadband company, make sure you get disc based courseware (On CD or DVD).
Many students come unstuck over a single training area which doesn’t even occur to them: The method used to ’segment’ the courseware before being delivered to your home. The majority of training companies will set up a program spread over 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you complete each exam. Sounds reasonable? Well consider these facts: Often, the staged breakdown insisted on by the company won’t suit you. You may find it a stretch to finalise all the elements inside of their particular timetable?
For maximum flexibility and safety, it’s normal for most trainees to request that all their modules (now paid for) are posted to them in one go, with nothing held back. It’s then up to you in what order and how fast or slow you’d like to work.
‘Exam Guarantees’ are often bundled with training offers – this always means exams have to be paid for upfront, at the start of your training. But before you get taken in by guaranteed exams, look at the following:
Patently it’s not free – you’re still paying for it – the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package. Those who take each progressive exam, funding them as they go are much better placed to get through first time. They are mindful of their investment and revise more thoroughly to be ready for the task.
Do your exams somewhere local and go for the best offer you can find when you’re ready. Why tie up your cash (or borrow more than you need) for examinations when you didn’t need to? Big margins are made because training colleges are charging upfront for all their exams – and then cashing in when they’re not all taken. Additionally, many exam guarantees are worthless. Most companies won’t pay for re-takes until you have demonstrated conclusively that you won’t fail again.
Shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is remiss – when hard work, commitment and the right preparation via exam simulations is actually the key to your success.
Many trainers will provide a useful Job Placement Assistance facility, designed to steer you into your first job. Often, this feature is bigged up too much, as it is actually not that hard for any motivated and trained individual to secure a job in IT – as there is such a shortage of trained staff.
Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV may be available (alternatively, check out one of our sites for help). It’s essential that you work on your old CV right away – don’t wait until you’ve finished your exams! It’s possible that you won’t have even taken your exams when you land your first junior support job; however this isn’t going to happen if your CV isn’t in front of employers. Normally you’ll get better results from a specialist independent regional employment service than any course provider’s centralised service, because they will understand the local industry and employment needs.
Not inconsiderable numbers of men and women, so it seems, are prepared to study their hearts out (sometimes for years), and just give up when it comes to finding a job. Market yourself… Do everything you can to let employers know about you. Don’t think a job’s just going to jump out in front of you.
About the Author:
Jason Kendall sources and advises on the very latest forms of interactive PC training in the UK. To investigate
Computer Training, visit LearningLolly
IT Training.