Nice One! By reading this it’s likely you’re thinking about getting re-qualified for a new job - so already you’ve made a start. A small minority of us are satisfied with our careers, but no action is ever taken. You could be a member of the few who make a difference in their lives.
Before we even think about any career courses, seek out someone who can help you sort out what to look for. Someone who can ask questions about your likes and dislikes, and find out what types of work suit you:
* Do you like working on your own or perhaps being around others is an important option?
* Building and Banking are a little shaky today, so it’s important to look very carefully at what sector will be best for you?
* Is this the last time you envisage re-training, and if it is, will this new career offer that choice?
* Do you expect your new knowledge base to allow you to find the work you’re looking for, and remain in employment until your retirement plans kick in?
We would advise you to really explore the computer industry - there are greater numbers of roles than employees, because it’s one of the few choices of career where the industry is growing. In contrast to the opinions of certain people, IT is not full of nerdy individuals looking at screens the whole day (some jobs are like that of course.) Most positions are done by ordinary people who enjoy better than average salaries.
Commercial certification is now, without a doubt, taking over from the traditional academic paths into the IT sector - why then is this happening? With university education costs climbing ever higher, alongside the IT sector’s growing opinion that corporate based study most often has much more commercial relevance, we have seen a big surge in Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA authorised training paths that create knowledgeable employees at a fraction of the cost and time involved. In essence, the learning just focuses on what’s actually required. It’s not quite as straightforward as that, but the principle remains that students need to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (along with a certain amount of crucial background) - without trying to cram in all sorts of other things (as universities often do).
Just as the old advertisement said: ‘It does what it says on the label’. Employers simply need to know where they have gaps, and then request applicants with the correct exam numbers. They’ll know then that all applicants can do what they need.
Beware of putting too much emphasis, as can often be the case, on the training course itself. Training for training’s sake is generally pointless; this is about gaining commercial employment. Begin and continue with the end in mind. Don’t let yourself become one of the unfortunate masses who set off on a track which looks like it could be fun - and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for something they’ll never enjoy.
Be honest with yourself about how much you want to earn and whether you’re an ambitious person or not. This can often control which qualifications will be expected and what industry will expect from you in return. Our recommendation would be to seek advice from a skilled advisor before settling on some particular study program, so you’re sure from the outset that the specific package will give the appropriate skill-set.
Workshop days get touted as a great feature by some training companies. After a good chat with many computer industry hopefuls that have tried them out, you’ll discover that they’re really a major problem because of many things:
* Regular travelling - 100’s of miles usually.
* Weekday only accessibility for events can be usual, and with 2-3 days to book off work, this can represent quite a problem for a lot of trainees who are working.
* Lost annual leave - a lot of students get just four weeks holiday each year. If you give up at least half to your training workshops, that isn’t going to leave much vacation time for students and their families.
* Training classes sometimes end up far too big.
* The pace of the class - workshops often have trainees of different skill, consequently tension develops between students that want a quicker pace to those who want to go a little slower.
* The cost of travel - driving to the training centre and of course several days bed and breakfast can really add up with each visit. Assuming just an average of 5 to 10 classes at a cost of 35 pounds for one night’s accommodation, plus 40 pounds petrol and 15 pounds for food, that becomes a minimum of four to nine hundred pounds of hidden costs on top.
* A lot of attendees want training privacy thus avoiding all repercussions in their job.
* Surely, all of us at some time have avoided posing that question we were dying to ask, just because we didn’t want to look stupid?
* Working and living away - some students find they have to work or live somewhere else for certain parts of the programme. Classes end up being very difficult then, but the monies have already been handed over with your initial fees.
To find a more flexible route, employ pre-filmed workshops wherever you want to take them - taking them when it’s convenient to you - not someone else. You could study at home on your desktop PC or why not in the garden on a laptop. If you have any questions, then get onto the live 24×7 support (that should come with any technical program.) Any module can be repeated whenever it’s convenient - the more times you cover something - the more you’ll remember. And no worrying about keeping up with note-taking either - everything is already done for you already. Put simply: Time and money is saved, you have reduced hassle and you avoid killing more trees.
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