UK Networking Training Programs Compared
Posted by
patrick
Currently in the UK, commercial institutions could not function efficiently without the help of support workers mending PC's and networks, while making recommendations to users each and every day. Because our society becomes growingly dependent on our PC's, we simultaneously find ourselves increasingly more reliant upon the commercially qualified IT networkers, who ensure the systems function properly.
With all the options available, does it really shock us that a large percentage of newcomers to the industry don't really understand the best career path they could be successful with.
Reading a list of IT job-titles is no use whatsoever. Most of us have no idea what our next-door neighbours do at work each day - so what chance do we have in understanding the complexities of a new IT role.
To attack this, a discussion is necessary, covering many different aspects:
* Our personalities play a starring role - what gives you a 'kick', and what are the areas that you really dislike.
* For what reasons you're stepping into computing - it could be you're looking to achieve a life-long goal like being self-employed maybe.
* Where is the salary on a scale of importance - is it the most important thing, or is job satisfaction a lot higher on the priority-scale?
* With everything that the IT industry covers, it's obvious you'll need to be able to see what is different.
* The level of commitment and effort you'll have available to spend on obtaining your certification.
For the average person, considering so much data requires a good chat with someone that can investigate each area with you. And we don't just mean the accreditations - but also the commercial requirements and expectations of industry too.
Don't accept anything less than the current Microsoft (or relevant organisation's) authorised exam preparation packages.
Ensure that the simulated exams aren't just asking you the right questions on the correct subjects, but ask them in the way that the actual final exam will phrase them. This can really throw some trainees if they're met with completely different formats and phraseologies.
Mock exams will prove very useful for confidence building - so when it comes to taking the real thing, you don't get phased.
A knowledgeable and specialised advisor (in contrast with a salesperson) will talk through your current situation. There is no other way of establishing the starting point for your education.
If you've got any live experience or some accreditation, it may be that your starting point of study is not the same as someone new to the industry.
Starting with a foundation module first can be the best way to get up and running on your computer studies, but depends on your skill level.
Adding in the cost of exams up-front and offering an 'Exam Guarantee' is a popular marketing tool with a number of training colleges. However, let's consider what's really going on:
Patently it's not free - you're still coughing up for it - the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package.
People who take each progressive exam, funding them one at a time are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They're conscious of their investment and so are more inclined to ensure they are ready.
Isn't it outrageous to have to pay the training course provider up-front for exam fees? Find the best deal you can when you take the exam, instead of paying a premium - and do it in a local testing centre - rather than in some remote place.
Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examination fees when there's absolutely nothing that says you have to? Huge profits are made because training colleges are getting money in early for exam fees - and then cashing in when they're not all taken.
The majority of organisations will require you to do mock exams and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you've proven conclusively that you can pass - which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.
The cost of exams was approximately 112 pounds twelve months or so ago when taken at Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So what's the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra to have 'Exam Guarantees', when it's no secret that the most successful method is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.
We're often asked why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more commercially accredited qualifications?
Key company training (in industry terminology) is far more specialised and product-specific. The IT sector is aware that specialisation is what's needed to service the demands of a technically advancing marketplace. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA dominate in this arena.
Clearly, an appropriate degree of associated information has to be learned, but core specialisation in the areas needed gives a commercially trained person a distinct advantage.
It's a bit like the TV advert: 'It does what it says on the tin'. All an employer has to do is know where they have gaps, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. They'll know then that all applicants can do what they need.
With all the options available, does it really shock us that a large percentage of newcomers to the industry don't really understand the best career path they could be successful with.
Reading a list of IT job-titles is no use whatsoever. Most of us have no idea what our next-door neighbours do at work each day - so what chance do we have in understanding the complexities of a new IT role.
To attack this, a discussion is necessary, covering many different aspects:
* Our personalities play a starring role - what gives you a 'kick', and what are the areas that you really dislike.
* For what reasons you're stepping into computing - it could be you're looking to achieve a life-long goal like being self-employed maybe.
* Where is the salary on a scale of importance - is it the most important thing, or is job satisfaction a lot higher on the priority-scale?
* With everything that the IT industry covers, it's obvious you'll need to be able to see what is different.
* The level of commitment and effort you'll have available to spend on obtaining your certification.
For the average person, considering so much data requires a good chat with someone that can investigate each area with you. And we don't just mean the accreditations - but also the commercial requirements and expectations of industry too.
Don't accept anything less than the current Microsoft (or relevant organisation's) authorised exam preparation packages.
Ensure that the simulated exams aren't just asking you the right questions on the correct subjects, but ask them in the way that the actual final exam will phrase them. This can really throw some trainees if they're met with completely different formats and phraseologies.
Mock exams will prove very useful for confidence building - so when it comes to taking the real thing, you don't get phased.
A knowledgeable and specialised advisor (in contrast with a salesperson) will talk through your current situation. There is no other way of establishing the starting point for your education.
If you've got any live experience or some accreditation, it may be that your starting point of study is not the same as someone new to the industry.
Starting with a foundation module first can be the best way to get up and running on your computer studies, but depends on your skill level.
Adding in the cost of exams up-front and offering an 'Exam Guarantee' is a popular marketing tool with a number of training colleges. However, let's consider what's really going on:
Patently it's not free - you're still coughing up for it - the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package.
People who take each progressive exam, funding them one at a time are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They're conscious of their investment and so are more inclined to ensure they are ready.
Isn't it outrageous to have to pay the training course provider up-front for exam fees? Find the best deal you can when you take the exam, instead of paying a premium - and do it in a local testing centre - rather than in some remote place.
Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examination fees when there's absolutely nothing that says you have to? Huge profits are made because training colleges are getting money in early for exam fees - and then cashing in when they're not all taken.
The majority of organisations will require you to do mock exams and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you've proven conclusively that you can pass - which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.
The cost of exams was approximately 112 pounds twelve months or so ago when taken at Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So what's the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra to have 'Exam Guarantees', when it's no secret that the most successful method is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.
We're often asked why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more commercially accredited qualifications?
Key company training (in industry terminology) is far more specialised and product-specific. The IT sector is aware that specialisation is what's needed to service the demands of a technically advancing marketplace. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA dominate in this arena.
Clearly, an appropriate degree of associated information has to be learned, but core specialisation in the areas needed gives a commercially trained person a distinct advantage.
It's a bit like the TV advert: 'It does what it says on the tin'. All an employer has to do is know where they have gaps, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. They'll know then that all applicants can do what they need.
About the Author:
(C) Jason Kendall. Check out LearningLolly.com for great ideas on IT Courses and Comptia Network+ Courses.
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