In these days of super efficiency, support workers who are able to fix PC’s and networks, and offer daily advice to users, are indispensable in every part of the business environment. With the increasingly complex nature of technological advances, many more IT professionals are being sought to specialise in the various different areas we need to be sure will work effectively.
You should look for an authorised exam preparation system as part of your course package.
Make sure that the practice exams haven’t just got questions from the right areas, but additionally ask them in the exact format that the real exams will formulate them. It really messes up trainees if they’re met with completely different formats and phraseologies.
Be sure to ask for exam preparation tools so you’ll be able to verify your knowledge along the way. Practice exams will help to boost your attitude - so the actual exam is much easier.
The perhaps intimidating chore of securing your first job is often made easier by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance facility. Don’t get caught up in this feature - it’s quite easy for companies marketing departments to overstate it’s need. At the end of the day, the need for well trained IT people in the United Kingdom is what will make you attractive to employers.
Get your CV updated straight-away though (advice can be sought on this via your provider). Don’t wait till you’ve finished your exams.
Many junior support jobs have been offered to trainees who are in the process of training and have yet to take their exams. At the very least this will get your CV into the ‘possible’ pile and not the ‘no’ pile.
Normally you’ll get quicker service from a specialist locally based employment agency than any course provider’s employment division, because they will understand the local industry and employment needs.
In a nutshell, if you put the same amount of effort into landing your first job as into studying, you won’t find it too challenging. A number of students strangely conscientiously work through their training course and just give up once certified and seem to suppose that interviewers know they’re there.
It’s likely that you’ve always enjoyed practical work - the ‘hands-on’ type. Usually, the world of book-reading and classrooms would be considered as a last resort, but you’d hate it. Consider interactive, multimedia study if you’d really rather not use books.
Studies have constantly demonstrated that an ‘involved’ approach to study, where we utilise all our senses, is proven to produce longer-lasting and deeper memory retention.
Start a study-program in which you’re provided with an array of CD or DVD ROM’s - you’ll be learning from instructor videos and demo’s, and be able to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills.
It’s very important to see some example materials from your chosen company. They have to utilise full motion videos of instructors demonstrating the topic with lab’s to practice the skills in.
Many companies provide purely on-line training; while you can get away with this much of the time, think what will happen if your access to the internet is broken or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. It is usually safer to have DVD or CD discs which will solve that problem.
Make sure that all your exams are current and also valid commercially - you’re wasting your time with programmes that lead to in-house certificates.
If the accreditation doesn’t feature a big-hitter like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco, then you’ll probably find it will have been a waste of time - as it’ll be an unknown commodity.