View PDF | Print View
by: Jason Kendall
Word Count: 1142
Date: Sun, 17 May 2009 Time: 4:49 AM
0 comments

When you decide upon a course in IT it's essential that the certification at the end of it appropriates with the working world. It's also important that the program is right for you, and is pitched at the right level. If you're thinking about advancing your technological abilities, perhaps with a Microsoft Office Package, or even loftier ambitions, you can choose from many training options.

Today, there are many user-friendly and sensibly priced options on the market that will give you all the tools you need.

Let's face it: There's absolutely no individual job security anywhere now; there's only market or sector security - any company is likely to drop any single member of staff if it fits their commercial needs. Whereas a quickly growing market-place, where there just aren't enough staff to go round (due to a growing shortfall of trained workers), opens the possibility of proper job security.

The computer industry skills deficit across the country is standing at roughly twenty six percent, according to the 2006 e-Skills study. Put directly, we can only fill just three out of 4 positions in the computer industry. This single truth on its own clearly demonstrates why Great Britain is in need of a lot more trainees to join the IT industry. As the Information Technology market is increasing at such a speed, is there any other sector worth looking at as a retraining vehicle.

It's indisputable, the UK computer industry shows dazzling potential. Yet, to investigate fully, what questions do we need to raise, and which elements are the most important?

Have a conversation with a practiced consultant and you'll be surprised by their many horror stories of how students have been duped by salespeople. Ensure you only ever work with a skilled advisor that asks lots of questions to find out what's right for you - not for their paycheque! Dig until you find a starting-point that will suit you. In some circumstances, the training inception point for someone with a little experience will be substantially different to someone without. If you're a student commencing IT study anew, it's often a good idea to ease in gradually, kicking off with some basic user skills first. This can be built into any study program.

Trainees looking at this market are usually quite practically-minded, and aren't really suited to the classroom environment, and slogging through piles of books. If you identify with this, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where learning is video-based. If we're able to involve all our senses in the learning process, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Top of the range study programs now offer easy-to-use DVD or CD ROM's. Real-world classes from the instructors will mean you'll find things easier to remember via the expert demonstrations. You can then test yourself by interacting with the software and practicing yourself. You'll definitely want a training material demonstration from your training provider. The materials should incorporate slide-shows, instructor-led videos and lab's for you to practice your skills in.

It's folly to go for purely on-line training. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across all internet service providers, it makes sense to have actual CD or DVD ROM's.

An important area that is sometimes not even considered by trainees thinking about a course is that of 'training segmentation'. This basically means the breakdown of the materials for delivery to you, which can make a dramatic difference to the point you end up at. Delivery by courier of each element stage by stage, according to your exam schedule is the normal way of receiving your courseware. Of course, this sounds sensible, but you must understand the following: Sometimes the steps or stages insisted on by the company won't suit you. What if you find it hard to complete all the sections inside their defined time-scales?

To avoid any potential future issues, many trainees now want to insist that all study materials are delivered immediately, and not in stages. You can then decide how fast or slow and in what order you want to finish things.

Some trainers will only provide office hours or extended office hours support; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. Try and find training with help available at all hours of the day and night (no matter if it's in the middle of the night on a weekend!) Ensure you get 24x7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages - so you're constantly waiting for a call-back during office hours.

Keep looking and you'll come across the very best companies that give students direct-access online support at all times - even in the middle of the night. Always choose an educator that is worth purchasing from. Only true live 24x7 support provides the necessary backup.

Think about the following points carefully if you've been persuaded that the sales ploy of an 'Exam Guarantee' sounds great value:

They've allowed costings for it one way or another. It certainly isn't free - it's just been rolled into the price of the whole package. The fact is that if students pay for their own exams, one after the other, there's a much better chance they'll pass first time - because they'll be conscious of what they've paid and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.

Why should you pay a training course provider early for examinations? Hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, rather than pay marked up fees - and sit exams more locally - rather than in some remote place. Huge profits are netted by many training colleges who take the exam money up-front. Many students don't take them for one reason or another and so they pocket the rest. Surprising as it sounds, providers exist who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - as that's where a lot of their profit comes from. It's also worth noting that many exam guarantees are worthless. The majority of organisations won't pay again for an exam until you have demonstrated conclusively that you won't fail again.

Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on an 'Exam Guarantee' is foolish - when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will get you through.

Be careful that the qualifications you're considering doing will be recognised by employers and are up-to-date. The 'in-house' certifications provided by many companies are often meaningless. Unless your qualification is issued by a big-hitter like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA, then you'll probably find it won't be commercially viable - because no-one will recognise it.

About the Author

Jason Kendall has worked in the IT industry for 20 yrs. He thinks he knows what he's doing by now. To investigate Comptia A+, visit LearningLolly Network+

.

Comments

Add Comment