Congratulations! Finding this article proves you must be contemplating your career, and if training for a new career's in your mind that means you've taken it further than almost everybody else. Are you aware that just one in ten of us describe ourselves as satisfied and happy at work - yet most won't do a thing about it. Why not be different and make a start - don't you think you deserve it.
We'd recommend that before you start a course of training, you have a conversation with someone who is familiar with the working environment and can point you in the right direction. The right person will be able to assess your personal likes and dislikes and give you guidance on the right role for you:
* Would you like lots of contact with people? If you say yes, are you a team player or is meeting new people important to you? Alternatively, do you like to deal with your responsibilities alone?
* What do you need from the market sector you work in? (Things do change - look at the building trade, or banks for example.)
* Once you've qualified, would you like your skills to get you jobs for the rest of your working life?
* Do you have niggles about your chances of finding new employment, and being gainfully employed right up to retirement?
We would advise you to really explore the IT industry - there are increasingly more jobs than staff to fill them, plus it's a rare career choice where the sector is on the grow. In contrast to the beliefs of some, it isn't just geeks looking at screens every day (though naturally some jobs are like that.) Most positions are filled by average folk who like receiving larger than average salaries.
A competent and practiced advisor (as opposed to a salesman) will want to thoroughly discuss your current experience level and abilities. This is vital for establishing the point at which you need to start your studies.
Don't forget, if you've got any qualifications that are related, then you can sometimes expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to a student who's starting from scratch.
If this is your first stab at studying for an IT examination then you might also want to begin with a user-skills course first.
Charging for exams up-front and offering an 'Exam Guarantee' is common for a good many training companies. However, let's consider what's really going on:
They've allowed costings for it somehow. It certainly isn't free - it's just been rolled into the price of the whole package.
Should you seriously need to get a first time pass, then you should avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, give it the necessary attention and be ready for the task.
Do your exams somewhere close to home and look for the very best offer you can at the time.
Big margins are netted by some training companies that get money for exam fees in advance. A number of students don't take them for various reasons but the company keeps the money. Astoundingly enough, providers exist who depend on students not taking their exams - as that's very profitable for them.
Re-takes of previously unsuccessful exams with organisations with an 'Exam Guarantee' are monitored with tight restrictions. You'll be required to sit pre-tests till you've proven conclusively that you can pass.
Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on 'Exam Guarantees' is remiss - when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is what will really see you through.
A typical blunder that we encounter all too often is to look for the actual course to take, rather than starting with where they want to get to. Schools are stacked to the hilt with direction-less students who chose a course based on what sounded good - in place of something that could gain them an enjoyable career or job.
Never let yourself become one of those unfortunate people that choose a course that seems 'fun' or 'interesting' - and end up with a certification for a career they'll never really get any satisfaction from.
Stay focused on what it is you're trying to achieve, and then build your training requirements around that - not the other way round. Stay on target and study for something that will keep you happy for many years.
We'd recommend you always seek guidance and advice from a skilled professional before making your final decision on a study course, so you're sure from the outset that the specific package will give the skills for the job being sought.
One of the most important things to insist on has to be 24x7 round-the-clock support with professional mentors and instructors. It's an all too common story to find providers that only seem to want to help while they're in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends.
Avoid those companies who use 'out-of-hours' call-centres - where you'll get called back during office hours. This is no use if you're stuck and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.
The very best programs opt for an online access round-the-clock service utilising a variety of support centres throughout multiple time-zones. You will be provided with a simple environment that switches seamlessly to the best choice of centres irrespective of the time of day: Support on demand.
Never settle for less than you need and deserve. 24x7 support is the only kind to make the grade for computer-based training. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; but for most of us, we're out at work at the time when most support is available.
Sometimes, folks don't understand what IT is all about. It's electrifying, revolutionary, and means you're doing your bit in the gigantic wave of technology that will affect us all over the next generation.
We're barely beginning to get a handle on how this will truly impact our way of life. The way we interrelate with the rest of the world will be inordinately affected by technology and the internet.
Incomes in IT are not a problem moreover - the usual income in the United Kingdom for the usual IT professional is considerably higher than in the rest of the economy. It's likely you'll make a whole lot more than you'd expect to earn doing other work.
The requirement for well trained and qualified IT technicians is certain for many years to come, because of the continuous growth in this sector and the huge shortage still present. - 29852
We'd recommend that before you start a course of training, you have a conversation with someone who is familiar with the working environment and can point you in the right direction. The right person will be able to assess your personal likes and dislikes and give you guidance on the right role for you:
* Would you like lots of contact with people? If you say yes, are you a team player or is meeting new people important to you? Alternatively, do you like to deal with your responsibilities alone?
* What do you need from the market sector you work in? (Things do change - look at the building trade, or banks for example.)
* Once you've qualified, would you like your skills to get you jobs for the rest of your working life?
* Do you have niggles about your chances of finding new employment, and being gainfully employed right up to retirement?
We would advise you to really explore the IT industry - there are increasingly more jobs than staff to fill them, plus it's a rare career choice where the sector is on the grow. In contrast to the beliefs of some, it isn't just geeks looking at screens every day (though naturally some jobs are like that.) Most positions are filled by average folk who like receiving larger than average salaries.
A competent and practiced advisor (as opposed to a salesman) will want to thoroughly discuss your current experience level and abilities. This is vital for establishing the point at which you need to start your studies.
Don't forget, if you've got any qualifications that are related, then you can sometimes expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to a student who's starting from scratch.
If this is your first stab at studying for an IT examination then you might also want to begin with a user-skills course first.
Charging for exams up-front and offering an 'Exam Guarantee' is common for a good many training companies. However, let's consider what's really going on:
They've allowed costings for it somehow. It certainly isn't free - it's just been rolled into the price of the whole package.
Should you seriously need to get a first time pass, then you should avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, give it the necessary attention and be ready for the task.
Do your exams somewhere close to home and look for the very best offer you can at the time.
Big margins are netted by some training companies that get money for exam fees in advance. A number of students don't take them for various reasons but the company keeps the money. Astoundingly enough, providers exist who depend on students not taking their exams - as that's very profitable for them.
Re-takes of previously unsuccessful exams with organisations with an 'Exam Guarantee' are monitored with tight restrictions. You'll be required to sit pre-tests till you've proven conclusively that you can pass.
Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on 'Exam Guarantees' is remiss - when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is what will really see you through.
A typical blunder that we encounter all too often is to look for the actual course to take, rather than starting with where they want to get to. Schools are stacked to the hilt with direction-less students who chose a course based on what sounded good - in place of something that could gain them an enjoyable career or job.
Never let yourself become one of those unfortunate people that choose a course that seems 'fun' or 'interesting' - and end up with a certification for a career they'll never really get any satisfaction from.
Stay focused on what it is you're trying to achieve, and then build your training requirements around that - not the other way round. Stay on target and study for something that will keep you happy for many years.
We'd recommend you always seek guidance and advice from a skilled professional before making your final decision on a study course, so you're sure from the outset that the specific package will give the skills for the job being sought.
One of the most important things to insist on has to be 24x7 round-the-clock support with professional mentors and instructors. It's an all too common story to find providers that only seem to want to help while they're in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends.
Avoid those companies who use 'out-of-hours' call-centres - where you'll get called back during office hours. This is no use if you're stuck and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.
The very best programs opt for an online access round-the-clock service utilising a variety of support centres throughout multiple time-zones. You will be provided with a simple environment that switches seamlessly to the best choice of centres irrespective of the time of day: Support on demand.
Never settle for less than you need and deserve. 24x7 support is the only kind to make the grade for computer-based training. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; but for most of us, we're out at work at the time when most support is available.
Sometimes, folks don't understand what IT is all about. It's electrifying, revolutionary, and means you're doing your bit in the gigantic wave of technology that will affect us all over the next generation.
We're barely beginning to get a handle on how this will truly impact our way of life. The way we interrelate with the rest of the world will be inordinately affected by technology and the internet.
Incomes in IT are not a problem moreover - the usual income in the United Kingdom for the usual IT professional is considerably higher than in the rest of the economy. It's likely you'll make a whole lot more than you'd expect to earn doing other work.
The requirement for well trained and qualified IT technicians is certain for many years to come, because of the continuous growth in this sector and the huge shortage still present. - 29852
About the Author:
(C) Jason Kendall. Look at LearningLolly.com for clear advice on Computer Training Course and MCITP Training.
