by Jason Kendall
It’s quite some achievement that you’re reading this article! A small number of workers enjoy their work and find it stimulating, but most of us just bitch about it and take no action. The fact that you’re here means it’s likely that you’re finding out about training, so well done to you. Take your time now to research and follow-through.
We’d recommend that in advance of taking a training course, you run through some things with a mentor who is familiar with the working environment and can advise you. They can look at aspects of your personality and help you find your ideal job to train for:
* Do you enjoy a busy working environment? Are you better with new people or those you know well? Maybe you like to deal with tasks that you can get on with on your own?
* What thoughts are fundamentally important regarding the industry you’re looking to get into?
* Is it important that this should be the last time you will need more qualifications?
* Is it important for your study to be in an area where you know your chances of gainful employment are high up to retirement age?
When listing your options, it’s relevant that you don’t overlook IT - it’s common knowledge that it is one of the few growth sectors. It’s not all nerdy people looking at computer screens the whole time - naturally some IT jobs demand that, but the majority of roles are filled with Joe averages who get on very well.
You’ll come across courses which guarantee examination passes - this always means you have to pay for the exams when you pay for the rest of your course. However, prior to embracing guaranteed exams, be aware of the facts:
You’re paying for it ultimately. One thing’s for sure - it isn’t free - they’ve simply charged more for the whole training package.
Should you seriously need to pass first time, then you should pay for each exam as you go, focus on it intently and apply yourself as required.
Hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, and avoid college mark-up fees. You’ll also be able to choose where to do your exams - so you can find somewhere local.
Is there a good reason to pay interest on a bigger loan than is necessary because you’ve paid early for examination fees when there was no need to? A great deal of money is made by companies charging all their exam fees up-front - and then cashing in when they’re not all taken.
Additionally, many exam guarantees are worthless. The majority of companies won’t pay for you to re-take until you’re able to demonstrate an excellent mock pass rate.
Average exam fees were approximately 112 pounds in the last 12 months via local VUE or Pro-metric centres throughout the country. Therefore, why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra to get ‘an Exam Guarantee’, when it’s no secret that what’s really needed is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.
Many trainers provide a shelf full of reference manuals. This can be very boring and not really conducive to achieving retention.
Research into the way we learn shows that we remember much more when we use all our senses, and we get practically involved in what we’re studying.
Courses are now available via DVD-ROM discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Utilising the latest video technology, you can watch instructors demonstrating how to perform the required skill, and then have a go at it yourself - via the interactive virtual lab’s.
Be sure to get a study material demo’ from the training company. You’ll want to see expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and lab’s for you to practice your skills in.
You should avoid purely online training. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where available, so that you have access at all times - it’s not wise to be held hostage to a good broadband connection all the time.
Wouldn’t it be great to know for sure that our careers are safe and the future is protected, however, the truth for the majority of jobs around the United Kingdom right now is that security just isn’t there anymore.
We can however locate market-level security, by probing for areas of high demand, coupled with a lack of qualified workers.
Taking the computing sector for example, a key e-Skills study showed massive skills shortages across the UK of over 26 percent. To explain it in a different way, this highlights that the UK can only find three qualified staff for each 4 job positions available at the moment.
This single reality in itself is the backbone of why the UK is in need of a lot more workers to get trained and become part of the IT industry.
Actually, seeking in-depth commercial IT training as you progress through the years to come is very likely the safest career direction you could choose.
At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be proper direct-access 24×7 support with dedicated instructors and mentors. Far too often we see trainers who only seem to want to help while they’re in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends.
Locate training schools where you can receive help at all hours of the day and night (irrespective of whether it’s the wee hours on Sunday morning!) Make sure it’s always direct-access to qualified mentors and tutors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages - so you’re parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back when it’s convenient for them.
The most successful trainers incorporate three or four individual support centres around the globe in several time-zones. By utilising an interactive interface to seamlessly link them all, at any time you choose, there is always help at hand, with no hassle or contact issues.
Never make the mistake of compromise where support is concerned. Most students that drop-out or fail, are in that situation because of a lack of support.
You have to make sure that all your certifications are commercially valid and current - forget studies which provide certificates that are worthless because they’re ‘in-house’.
All the major commercial players such as Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA each have nationally acknowledged proficiency programs. These big-hitters will make sure you’re employable.