IT Training Programs Clarified
Posted by Jason Kendall in Uncategorized, tags: a, advice, b, business, c, career, computer, e, ecommerce, education, g, games, h, hobbies, home, m, marketing, money, n, o, s, sale, self improvement, shop, software, t, technology, u, Uncategorized, w, web, workGood for you! As you’re reading this article we guess you must be considering retraining for a new career - that puts you way ahead of the crowd. Very few of us are satisfied with our careers, but no action is ever taken. Why not be one of a small number who take responsibility for their future.
We’d strongly advise that prior to beginning any individual training program, you chat with an expert who has knowledge of the industry and can point you in the right direction. Such a person will go through personality profiling with you and assist in finding the right role for you:
* Do you like to be around others at work? Perhaps you like being a team player? Or you may prefer task-orientated work that you can complete alone?
* 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 so, will this new career give you scope to do that?
* Do you expect your new knowledge base to give you the opportunity to get a good job, and stay employable until sixty five?
We would advise you to have a good look at the IT industry - there are more positions than employees, plus it’s one of the few choices of career where the market sector is still growing. Contrary to the opinions of certain people, IT is not full of nerdy individuals lost in their PC’s every day (though those jobs exist.) Most positions are done by average folk who enjoy a very nice lifestyle due to better than average wages.
We’re regularly asked to explain why traditional academic studies are less in demand than the more commercially accredited qualifications? With 3 and 4 year academic degree costs climbing ever higher, alongside the IT sector’s growing opinion that corporate based study most often has much more commercial relevance, we’ve seen a great increase in Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA authorised training routes that create knowledgeable employees for much less time and money. In essence, only that which is required is learned. It’s slightly more broad than that, but the most important function is always to concentrate on the fundamentally important skill-sets (with some necessary background) - without overdoing the detail in every other area (as degree courses are known to do).
Assuming a company understands what work they need doing, then all they have to do is advertise for someone with a specific qualification. Syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and aren’t allowed to deviate (in the way that degree courses can).
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.
Many training providers still use the rather old-fashioned idea of classroom attendance. Quite often pushed as a positive point, after discussion with someone who has first-hand experience, you’ll find them listing some or all of the following problems:
* Frequent round journeys - quite often 100’s of miles.
* 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.
* Workshops sometimes become quickly full, giving us the only option of the ‘2nd best’ solution.
* Workshop pace - workshops can have trainees of varying abilities, therefore tension can run high between those that want to go quickly as opposed 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.
* Maintaining the privacy of our training can be very important to a lot of attendees. Why would you want to give up any job advancement, pay-rises or achievement with your current employer just because you’re retraining. If your work discovers that you’re undertaking accreditation in another area entirely, what do you think they’ll do?
* Raising questions in the presence of other class-mates will sometimes make us a little awkward. Have you ever left a question un-asked because you honestly thought you might seem thick?
* Where students have to sometimes live or work away from home, consider the added problems of reaching the required events, when time is at a premium.
A more flexible training route is to make use of videoed lessons at home, in comfort - and do it when it’s convenient to you - not some other person. If anything comes up, use the provided 24×7 live support (that should come with any technical program.) You should remember, if you have a notebook PC, you could study in breaks at work. Repeat any modules if you need to - memory is aided by repetition. And no worrying about keeping up with note-taking either - everything’s laid on for you. The final upshot: Reduced hassle, more money in the bank, and you’ve got no travelling to do.
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