Of Worlds

For almost all web designers, Adobe Dreamweaver is the starting point of study. It is thought to be the favourite environment for web development on the planet.

Additionally, it’s good practice that students get an in-depth understanding of the full Adobe Web Creative Suite, which incorporates Flash and Action Script, to be able to utilise Dreamweaver professionally as a web designer. This knowledge can take you on to becoming an ACP (Adobe Certified Professional) or an ACE (Adobe Certified Expert).

To become a well-rounded web professional however, you’ll have to get more diverse knowledge. You’ll be required to have knowledge of some programming essentials like HTML, PHP and MySQL. A working knowledge of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and E-Commerce will help when talking to employers.

Many training companies offer a Job Placement Assistance program, to help you into your first commercial role. It can happen though that people are too impressed with this facility, because it is actually not that hard for well qualified and focused men and women to land work in this industry - because companies everywhere are seeking qualified personnel.

Update your CV at the beginning of your training though (advice and support for this should come from your course provider). Don’t procrastinate and leave it until you’ve qualified.

It’s possible that you won’t have even taken your exams when you land your first junior support role; but this won’t be the case unless your CV is with employers.

If it’s important to you to find work near your home, then you’ll often find that a local IT focused recruitment consultancy could serve you better than some national concern, because they’re far more likely to be familiar with local employment needs.

In a nutshell, as long as you put the same commitment into landing a job as into studying, you’re not likely to experience problems. Some people bizarrely invest a great deal of time on their training course and then call a halt once certified and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.

What is the reason why qualifications from colleges and universities are now falling behind more commercial qualifications?

Vendor-based training (to use industry-speak) is more effective in the commercial field. Industry has become aware that specialisation is essential to handle an acceleratingly technical marketplace. Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA are the key players in this arena.

University courses, for example, can often get caught up in a lot of background study - and much too wide a syllabus. Students are then prevented from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.

The bottom line is: Authorised IT qualifications give employers exactly what they’re looking for - the title says it all: i.e. I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network’. Therefore companies can look at the particular needs they have and which qualifications are required to fulfil that.

Often, trainers provide a bunch of books and manuals. It’s not a very interesting way to learn and not a very good way of achieving retention.

We see a huge improvement in memory retention when we use multiple senses - experts have been clear on this for as long as we can remember.

Learning is now available via DVD-ROM discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Utilising the latest video technology, you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how to perform the required skill, and then have a go at it yourself - in a virtual lab environment.

Every company that you look at should willingly take you through a few samples of their training materials. You’re looking for evidence of tutorial videos and demonstrations and interactive areas to practice in.

Choose disc based courseware (On CD or DVD) every time. Thus avoiding all the issues associated with broadband ‘downtime’ or slow-speeds.

One fatal mistake that students everywhere can make is to concentrate on the course itself, and not focus on where they want to get to. Universities are stacked to the hilt with direction-less students who took a course because it seemed fun - in place of something that could gain them their end-goal of a job they enjoyed.

It’s common, for instance, to obtain tremendous satisfaction from a year of studying and then find yourself trapped for decades in a career that does nothing for you, as an upshot of not doing some decent due-diligence at the beginning.

It’s a good idea to understand what expectations industry may have of you. Which particular exams you’ll need and how to gain experience. It’s also worth spending time considering how far you’d like to get as it may control your selection of accreditations.

Look for advice and guidance from an experienced advisor, even if you have to pay - it’s considerably cheaper and safer to investigate at the start if a chosen track will suit, rather than find out after two full years that the job you’ve chosen is not for you and now need to go back to square one.

(C) Jason Kendall. Check out LearningLolly.com for excellent career advice. CLICK HERE or www.learninglolly.com.