Computer Career Training - How Do You Choose 2009
Posted by
patrick
It's really great that you've already got this far! Only one in ten folks claim contentment with their job, but a huge number just bitch about it and do nothing. By looking for this we have a hunch that you've a personal interest in re-training, which means you're already ahead of the pack. The next step is to get busy to find your direction.
Prior to considering individual courses, look for an advisor who will be able to guide you on what to look for. A person who will ask questions about your likes and dislikes, and find out the best career for you to work towards:
* Do you like to work collaborating with people? Is that as part of a team or with a lot of new people? Possibly operating on your own in isolation would be more your thing?
* 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?
A predominant industry in the United Kingdom that can satisfy a trainee's demands is Information Technology. There's a shortage of skilled technicians in the industry, simply have a look at a local jobsite and you will find them yourself. But don't think it's only geeky nerds sitting in front ofscreens all day long - there's a lot more to it than that. The majority of workers in this sector are people of average intelligence, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.
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.
The standard IT employee in the UK will also earn a lot more than his or her counterpart in other market sectors. Standard IT wages are around the top of national league tables. Due to the technological sector emerging nationally and internationally, it's looking good that the requirement for certified IT professionals will continue to boom for quite some time to come.
It's irrefutable, the UK computing market promises phenomenal potential. But, to fully investigate, which questions do we need to pose, and what are the areas we need to look at?
A capable and professional consultant (in contrast with a salesperson) will want to thoroughly discuss your current level of ability and experience. This is paramount to understanding your study start-point. Occasionally, the training inception point for a person with experience is substantially dissimilar to someone without. Working through a user skills program first can be the best way to get into your computer programme, depending on your current skill level.
Training support for students is an absolute must - locate a good company providing 24x7 full access, as anything else will annoy you and definitely put a damper on the speed you move through things. Avoid, like the plague, any organisations that use 'out-of-hours' messaging systems - where an advisor will call back during office hours. It's no use when you're stuck on a problem and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.
The very best training providers utilise several support facilities active in different time-zones. They use an online interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, at any time you choose, there is always help at hand, with no hassle or contact issues. If you opt for less than direct-access 24x7 support, you'll regret it very quickly. You may not need it during the night, but what about weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.
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.
You'll find that many companies will only provide purely on-line training; and while this is acceptable much of the time, think what will happen if you lose your internet access or you only get very a very slow connection sometimes. It's much safer to rely on CD and DVD ROM materials that will solve that problem.
An important area that is sometimes not even considered by new students mulling over a new direction is that of 'training segmentation'. This is essentially the breakdown of the materials to be delivered to you, which vastly changes how you end up. Training companies will normally offer some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and send out each piece as you complete each section or exam. On the surface this seems reasonable - until you consider the following: What if there are reasons why you can't finish each and every exam? Maybe the prescribed order won't suit you? Without any fault on your part, you might take a little longer and therefore not end up with all the modules.
The ideal solution is to have every piece of your study pack posted to your address right at the beginning; every single thing! This way, nothing can happen down the line which could affect your capability of finishing.
'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 isn't free - you are paying for it - the price has simply been included in the whole thing. Qualifying on the first 'go' is what everyone wants to do. Going for exams in order and paying for them just before taking them has a marked effect on pass-rates - you revise thoroughly and are conscious of what you've spent.
Why pay the training college up-front for exams? Find the best exam deal or offer when you take the exam, don't pay mark-ups - and sit exams more locally - not at somewhere of their bidding. 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's absolutely nothing that says you have to? A great deal of money is secured by training companies charging upfront for all their exams - and then cashing in when they're not all taken. Re-takes of previously unsuccessful exams through training course providers who offer an 'Exam Guarantee' are always heavily controlled. They will insist that you take pre-tests first so you can prove to them you have a good chance of passing.
With average prices for VUE and Pro-metric exams in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it makes sense to pay as you go. It's not in the student's interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.
A service offered by some training providers is job placement assistance. The service is put in place to assist your search for your first position. Because of the massive shortage of skills in Great Britain today, it's not too important to become overly impressed with this service however. It really won't be that difficult to find the right work once you're trained and certified.
Ideally you should have help with your CV and interview techniques though; additionally, we would recommend everyone to work on polishing up their CV the day they start training - don't put it off until you've qualified. It's not unusual to find that you'll secure your first position while still studying (even in the early stages). If your CV doesn't say what you're learning (and it hasn't been posted on jobsites) then you don't stand a chance! If it's important to you to find work near your home, then you'll often find that a specialist locally based employment agency may be of more use than a centralised service, due to the fact that they are much more inclined to know local 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.
Prior to considering individual courses, look for an advisor who will be able to guide you on what to look for. A person who will ask questions about your likes and dislikes, and find out the best career for you to work towards:
* Do you like to work collaborating with people? Is that as part of a team or with a lot of new people? Possibly operating on your own in isolation would be more your thing?
* 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?
A predominant industry in the United Kingdom that can satisfy a trainee's demands is Information Technology. There's a shortage of skilled technicians in the industry, simply have a look at a local jobsite and you will find them yourself. But don't think it's only geeky nerds sitting in front ofscreens all day long - there's a lot more to it than that. The majority of workers in this sector are people of average intelligence, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.
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.
The standard IT employee in the UK will also earn a lot more than his or her counterpart in other market sectors. Standard IT wages are around the top of national league tables. Due to the technological sector emerging nationally and internationally, it's looking good that the requirement for certified IT professionals will continue to boom for quite some time to come.
It's irrefutable, the UK computing market promises phenomenal potential. But, to fully investigate, which questions do we need to pose, and what are the areas we need to look at?
A capable and professional consultant (in contrast with a salesperson) will want to thoroughly discuss your current level of ability and experience. This is paramount to understanding your study start-point. Occasionally, the training inception point for a person with experience is substantially dissimilar to someone without. Working through a user skills program first can be the best way to get into your computer programme, depending on your current skill level.
Training support for students is an absolute must - locate a good company providing 24x7 full access, as anything else will annoy you and definitely put a damper on the speed you move through things. Avoid, like the plague, any organisations that use 'out-of-hours' messaging systems - where an advisor will call back during office hours. It's no use when you're stuck on a problem and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.
The very best training providers utilise several support facilities active in different time-zones. They use an online interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, at any time you choose, there is always help at hand, with no hassle or contact issues. If you opt for less than direct-access 24x7 support, you'll regret it very quickly. You may not need it during the night, but what about weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.
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.
You'll find that many companies will only provide purely on-line training; and while this is acceptable much of the time, think what will happen if you lose your internet access or you only get very a very slow connection sometimes. It's much safer to rely on CD and DVD ROM materials that will solve that problem.
An important area that is sometimes not even considered by new students mulling over a new direction is that of 'training segmentation'. This is essentially the breakdown of the materials to be delivered to you, which vastly changes how you end up. Training companies will normally offer some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and send out each piece as you complete each section or exam. On the surface this seems reasonable - until you consider the following: What if there are reasons why you can't finish each and every exam? Maybe the prescribed order won't suit you? Without any fault on your part, you might take a little longer and therefore not end up with all the modules.
The ideal solution is to have every piece of your study pack posted to your address right at the beginning; every single thing! This way, nothing can happen down the line which could affect your capability of finishing.
'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 isn't free - you are paying for it - the price has simply been included in the whole thing. Qualifying on the first 'go' is what everyone wants to do. Going for exams in order and paying for them just before taking them has a marked effect on pass-rates - you revise thoroughly and are conscious of what you've spent.
Why pay the training college up-front for exams? Find the best exam deal or offer when you take the exam, don't pay mark-ups - and sit exams more locally - not at somewhere of their bidding. 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's absolutely nothing that says you have to? A great deal of money is secured by training companies charging upfront for all their exams - and then cashing in when they're not all taken. Re-takes of previously unsuccessful exams through training course providers who offer an 'Exam Guarantee' are always heavily controlled. They will insist that you take pre-tests first so you can prove to them you have a good chance of passing.
With average prices for VUE and Pro-metric exams in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, it makes sense to pay as you go. It's not in the student's interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.
A service offered by some training providers is job placement assistance. The service is put in place to assist your search for your first position. Because of the massive shortage of skills in Great Britain today, it's not too important to become overly impressed with this service however. It really won't be that difficult to find the right work once you're trained and certified.
Ideally you should have help with your CV and interview techniques though; additionally, we would recommend everyone to work on polishing up their CV the day they start training - don't put it off until you've qualified. It's not unusual to find that you'll secure your first position while still studying (even in the early stages). If your CV doesn't say what you're learning (and it hasn't been posted on jobsites) then you don't stand a chance! If it's important to you to find work near your home, then you'll often find that a specialist locally based employment agency may be of more use than a centralised service, due to the fact that they are much more inclined to know local 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:
After 20 yrs in IT, Jason Kendall has focused himself on IT education (UK based) consultancy. To find out more on Computer Training, visit LearningLolly Computer Training Courses.
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