Of Worlds

We all have busy lives, and most often if we want to learn a new profession, getting educated alongside a job is what we’re faced with. Microsoft certified training could be the answer. In addition, you may want to get advice on the careers that are available once you’ve qualified, and what sort of person those jobs might be right for. Many people prefer to discuss what would suit them individually. Training programs must be designed to meet your needs. Consequently, having worked out the right IT job for you, your next focus is the most applicable training course to get you there.

How can we go about making the right choice then? With all these possibilities, we have to know where we should dig - and of course, what to actually be looking for.

A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and forget the reasons for getting there - getting yourself a new job or career. Always start with the final destination in mind - too many people focus on the journey. Imagine training for just one year and then end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Avoid the mistake of finding what seems like an ‘interesting’ training program only to spend 20 years doing something you don’t even enjoy! You also need to know your leanings around earning potential, career development, and how ambitious you are. It’s vital to know what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, which particular certifications are required and in what way you can develop commercial experience. Before setting out on a learning programme, you’d be well advised to discuss specific career needs with an experienced industry professional, in order to be sure the retraining program covers all that is required.

Be watchful that any certifications you’re studying for will be recognised by employers and are the most recent versions. ‘In-house’ certificates are not normally useful in gaining employment. Unless the accreditation comes from a major player like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco, then you’ll probably find it will have been a waste of time - because it won’t give an employer any directly-useable skills.

Most training companies will only provide support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; It’s rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. Never accept training that only supports trainees via a call-centre messaging system after 6-9pm in the evening and during weekends. Training schools will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. Essentially - support is needed when it’s needed - not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it. The most successful trainers have many support offices active in different time-zones. They use an online interactive interface to seamlessly link them all together; any time of the day or night - help is at hand without any contact issues or hassle. Don’t ever make the mistake of taking second best with the quality of your support. The majority of trainees who can’t get going properly, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.

If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you’re a practical sort of person - the ‘hands-on’ personality type. Typically, the world of book-reading and classrooms would be considered as a last resort, but you’d hate it. So look for on-screen interactive learning packages if book-based learning really isn’t your style. Many studies have proved that much more of what we learn in remembered when we involve as many senses as possible and take action to use what we’ve learned. The latest audio-visual interactive programs with demonstrations and practice sessions will turn you off book-based study for ever more. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. You must see examples of the study materials provided by the company you’re considering. It’s essential they incorporate instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab’s. Purely on-line training should be avoided. Always choose CD or DVD based study materials where obtainable, enabling them to be used at your convenience - you don’t want to be reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.

Charging for exams upfront and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams is popular with many training course providers. However, let’s consider what’s really going on: Clearly it isn’t free - you’re still coughing up for it - it’s just been wrapped up in the price of the package. It’s well known in the industry that when trainees fund their relevant examinations, when they’re ready to take them and not before, they’ll be in a better position to get through on the first attempt - because they’ll be conscious of what they’ve paid and will therefore apply themselves appropriately. Don’t you think it’s more sensible to find the best exam deal or offer when you’re ready, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to the training course provider, and also to sit exams more locally - rather than possibly hours away from your area? Paying upfront for exam fees (which also includes interest if you’ve taken out a loan) is bad financial management. Resist being talked into filling the training company’s account with extra money of yours just to give them more interest! Some will be pinning their hopes on the fact that you will never make it to exams - then they’ll keep the extra money. In addition to this, many exam guarantees are worthless. The majority of companies won’t pay for re-takes until you’ve completely satisfied them that you’re ready this time. Average exam fees were about 112 pounds last year via Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So why pay hundreds or thousands of pounds extra to have ‘Exam Guarantees’, when it’s obvious that the best guarantee is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.

Now, why is it better to gain commercially accredited qualifications and not more traditional academic qualifications taught at the state educational establishments? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs increasing year on year, and the industry’s recognition that key company training often has more relevance in the commercial field, there’s been a large rise in Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA authorised training programmes that provide key skills to an employee at a far reduced cost both money and time wise. Higher education courses, for example, become confusing because of a lot of loosely associated study - with a syllabus that’s far too wide. This prevents a student from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials. Think about if you were the employer - and you needed to take on someone with a very particular skill-set. What is easier: Trawl through loads of academic qualifications from various applicants, asking for course details and what commercial skills have been attained, or choose particular accreditations that specifically match what you’re looking for, and make your short-list from that. Your interviews are then about personal suitability - instead of long discussions on technical suitability.

It would be wonderful to believe that our jobs are secure and our future is protected, but the growing likelihood for the majority of jobs throughout the United Kingdom right now seems to be that security may be a thing of the past. We could however locate market-level security, by looking for areas that have high demand, coupled with a lack of qualified workers. Reviewing the computer industry, a recent e-Skills study highlighted a 26 percent deficit in trained staff. Therefore, out of each 4 positions existing across IT, organisations can only source trained staff for three of them. Highly qualified and commercially accredited new workers are consequently at a complete premium, and it looks like they will be for a long time. In reality, acquiring professional IT skills as you progress through the coming years is likely the finest career direction you could choose.

When choosing any computer training program it is very important that the certification you will gain appropriates with the working world. Additionally, you should make sure that the course suits you, your personality and abilities. There’s lots to choose from with these courses - from basic office skills up to training courses for web designers, networkers programmers etc. Share your ideas before you take the plunge - talk to an advisor with knowledge of the industry. Somebody who you trust to pick the right specialist area for you - that’s both relevant to industry and leads to a job you’ll love. By taking advantage of the latest training methods and keeping overheads low, you will start to see a new kind of training company offering a finer level of training and support for considerably less than the more out-dated colleges.

Huge changes are about to hit technology over the next few decades - and it only gets more exciting every day. We’re barely starting to comprehend how all this will mould and change our lives. How we interact with the world will be profoundly affected by computers and the web. A regular IT technician in the UK will also get much more than his or her counterpart in much of the rest of the economy. Typical salaries are some of the best to be had nationwide. Experts agree that there’s a substantial nationwide search for certified IT specialists. In addition with the marketplace continuing to expand, it appears there’s going to be for the significant future.

So, what are the questions we should ask if we’d like to take onboard the understanding we want? After all, it’s evident there are a good many fairly unparalleled possibilities for us to investigate.

With all the options available, does it really shock us that the majority of trainees don’t really understand the best career path they will follow. After all, if you have no experience in the IT market, how are you equipped to know what a particular IT employee fills their day with? Let alone decide on which educational path provides the best chances for ultimate success. To get through to the essence of this, we need to discuss a number of core topics: What nature of individual you reckon you are - what tasks do you really enjoy, and conversely - what makes you unhappy; For what reasons you’re starting in the IT industry - maybe you want to overcome a long-held goal like working from home maybe; What salary and timescale requirements you have; There are many ways to train in Information Technology - you will have to get a basic understanding of what makes them different; all the while taking a good look at the level of commitment, time and effort that you can put aside. The bottom line is, the only real way of covering these is from a good talk with an experienced advisor that through years of experience will be able to guide you.

We can’t make a big enough deal out of this point: Always get full 24×7 instructor support. We can tell you that you’ll strongly regret it if you don’t heed this. Look for training where you can receive help at all hours of the day and night (even 1am on Sunday morning!) Ensure you get direct access to tutors and not a message system as this will slow you down - waiting for tutors to call you back when it’s convenient for them. If you look properly, you’ll find professional companies which provide their students direct-access online support at all times - including evenings, nights and weekends. If you opt for less than direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll end up kicking yourself. You might not want to use the service late in the night, but you may need weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point?

Most trainers typically provide a bunch of books and manuals. This can be very boring and not a very good way of taking things in. Where we can study while utilising as many senses as possible, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result. Modern training can now be done at home via easy-to-use DVD or CD ROM’s. By watching and listening to instructors on video tutorials you’ll find things easier to remember through the expert demonstrations. Then you test your knowledge by using practice-lab’s. Any company that you’re considering should be able to show you a few examples of their courseware. You should hope for instructor-led videos and a variety of interactive modules. It’s unwise to opt for on-line only training. With highly variable reliability and quality from the ISP (internet service provider) market, you should always obtain physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s.

Students often end up having issues because of one aspect of their training very rarely considered: The method used to ’segment’ the courseware before being packaged off through the post. Often, you will join a program requiring 1-3 years study and get sent one module each time you pass an exam. This may seem sensible until you think about these factors: What if you don’t finish all the sections or exams? And what if the order provided doesn’t meet your requirements? Through no fault of your own, you might take a little longer and not receive all the modules you’ve paid for. The ideal circumstances are to get all the learning modules couriered to your home before you even start; the entire thing! Thus avoiding any future problems that could impede your progress.

It’s essential to have the most up to date Microsoft (or relevant organisation’s) accredited exam simulation and preparation packages. Due to the fact that most IT examining boards are American, you’ll need to be used to the correct phraseology. It’s not sufficient merely answering any old technical questions - they have to be in the same format as the actual exams. Ensure that you ask for exam preparation tools so you can test your comprehension at all times. Practice exams log the information in your brain - so the real thing isn’t quite as scary.

The sometimes daunting task of landing your first job can be eased by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance service. The need for this feature can be bigged up out of proportion though - it’s quite easy for companies marketing departments to make too much of it. Ultimately, the huge shortage of staff in Britain is what will enable you to get a job. Work on polishing up your CV right away however (advice and support for this should come from your course provider). Don’t put it off until you’ve qualified. It’s not unusual to find that you will be offered your first job while you’re still a student (occasionally right at the beginning). 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! The best services to help get you placed are normally local IT focused employment agencies. Because they get paid commission to place you, they’re perhaps more focused on results. To bottom line it, as long as you put the same commitment into finding a job as into training, you won’t have any problems. A number of men and women bizarrely spend hundreds of hours on their course materials and then call a halt once qualified and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.

If we didn’t have a regular deluge of knowledgeable network and computer support workers, commerce in the UK (and around the world) would inevitably be drawn to a standstill. There is an on-going requirement for technically able people to support systems and users alike. Our requirement for better skilled and qualified individuals multiplies, as human beings become significantly more beholden to PC’s in these modern times.

Making the most fitting career option is very difficult - so which sectors are important to investigate and what questions do we need to ask?

A ridiculously large number of organisations only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and completely miss the reasons for getting there - getting yourself a new job or career. Your focus should start with the end goal - don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle. It’s a sad testimony to the sales skills of many companies, but the majority of trainees begin programs that seem spectacular in the marketing materials, but which deliver a career which doesn’t satisfy. Try talking to typical college students for a real eye-opener. It’s a good idea to understand the expectations of your industry. Which particular accreditations you’ll be required to have and how you’ll go about getting some commercial experience. It’s definitely worth spending time thinking about how far you think you’ll want to progress your career as it will often present a very specific set of exams. Always seek guidance and advice from a skilled advisor, even if you have to pay - it’s much safer and cheaper to find out at the start whether your choices are appropriate, instead of discovering following two years of study that you aren’t going to enjoy the job you’ve chosen and have to return to the start of another program.

All programs you’re considering must provide a widely recognised certification at the end - and not some unimportant ‘in-house’ plaque for your wall. Unless your qualification is issued by a company like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA, then you may discover it will have been a waste of time - as no-one will have heard of it.

We’d hazard a guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work - a ‘hands-on’ type. If you’re like us, the unfortunate chore of reading reference guides can be just about bared when essential, but it’s not ideal. Consider interactive, multimedia study if books just don’t do it for you. Our ability to remember is increased with an involvement of all our senses - this has been an accepted fact in expert circles for decades now. Start a study-program in which you’ll receive a selection of CD and DVD based materials - you’ll learn by watching video tutorials and demonstrations, with the facility to practice your skills in interactive lab’s. You must see the type of training provided by each company you’re contemplating. Be sure that they contain instructor-led video demonstrations with virtual practice-lab’s. Pick disc based courseware (On CD or DVD) if possible. You’re then protected from internet connection failure and issues with signal quality.

If you forget everything else - then just remember this: It’s essential to obtain proper 24×7 round-the-clock instructor and mentor support. You’ll definitely experience problems if you let this one slide. Look for training with proper support available at all hours of the day and night (no matter if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend!) Make sure it’s always direct access to tutors and not a message system as this will slow you down - waiting for tutors to call you back at a convenient time for them. The very best training providers have many support offices from around the world. They use an online interactive interface to provide a seamless experience; any time of the day or night - help is just a click away with no hassle or contact issues. If you accept anything less than 24×7 support, you’ll regret it very quickly. It may be that you don’t use it during late nights, but you’re bound to use weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point?

One interesting way that training providers make more money is via an ‘exam inclusive’ package then giving it ‘Exam Guarantee’ status. It looks impressive, but let’s just examine it more closely… You’re paying for it somehow. It’s definitely not free - they’ve simply charged more for the whole training package. Should you seriously need to qualify first go, evidence suggests you must fund each exam as you take it, give it the priority it deserves and apply yourself as required. Doesn’t it make more sense to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to a training company, and to do it in a local testing office - rather than possibly hours away from your area? Including money in your training package for exam fees (and interest charges if you’re borrowing money) is a false economy. Resist being talked into filling the training company’s account with your hard-earned cash just to give them more interest! A lot bank on the fact that you won’t get round to taking them - then they’ll keep the extra money. Additionally, you should consider what an ‘exam guarantee’ really means. Many training companies won’t be prepared to pay again for an exam until you’ve completely satisfied them that you’re ready this time. With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE examinations coming in at around 112 pounds in the UK, it makes sense to pay as you go. There’s no sense in throwing away maybe a thousand pounds extra at the start of your studies. Consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

A number of students are under the impression that the state educational path is the way they should go. Why then is commercial certification beginning to overtake it? As demand increases for knowledge about more and more complex technology, the IT sector has moved to specialist courses only available through the vendors themselves - namely companies like Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA. This often comes in at a fraction of the cost and time. Essentially, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but the most important function is always to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (with some necessary background) - without trying to cram in everything else (as degree courses are known to do). Think about if you were the employer - and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. Which is the most straightforward: Trawl through loads of academic qualifications from graduate applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which commercial skills they’ve mastered, or choose particular accreditations that exactly fulfil your criteria, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. You’ll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - instead of having to work out if they can do the job.

Massive developments are coming via technology over the next few decades - and the industry becomes more ground-breaking every year. It’s a common misapprehension that the increase in technology we’ve been going through is cooling down. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are huge changes to come, and the internet in particular will become an increasingly dominant part of our lives. Should lifestyle be around the top on your goal sheet, then you’ll welcome the news that the regular income of a typical IT worker is much higher than salaries in other market sectors. Experts agree that there’s a great UK-wide search for certified IT specialists. In addition as the industry constantly develops, it is likely this pattern will continue for a good while yet.