Currently in the UK, commercial institutions could not function efficiently without the help of support workers mending PC’s and networks, while making recommendations to users each and every day. Because our society becomes growingly dependent on our PC’s, we simultaneously find ourselves increasingly more reliant upon the commercially qualified IT networkers, who ensure the systems function properly.
The market provides a plethora of professional positions up for grabs in IT. Arriving at the correct choice for you can be very difficult.
Reading a list of IT job-titles is no use whatsoever. Most of us have no idea what our next-door neighbours do at work each day – so what chance do we have in understanding the complexities of a new IT role.
Ultimately, the right conclusion can only grow from a detailed examination covering many varying key points:
* Our personalities play a starring role – what gives you a ‘kick’, and what are the areas that you really dislike.
* What length of time can you allocate for retraining?
* Where is the salary on a scale of importance – is it the most important thing, or is job satisfaction a lot higher on the priority-scale?
* Understanding what the normal job roles and markets are – and what differentiates them.
* You have to understand the differences across all the training areas.
In all honesty, the only way to seek advice on these issues tends to be through a good talk with an advisor or professional that has a background in IT (and more importantly it’s commercial requirements.)
Accredited exam simulation and preparation software is essential – and absolutely ought to be obtained from your training supplier.
Ensure that the simulated exams aren’t just asking you the right questions on the correct subjects, but ask them in the way that the actual final exam will phrase them. This can really throw some trainees if they’re met with completely different formats and phraseologies.
Mock exams will prove very useful for confidence building – so when it comes to taking the real thing, you don’t get phased.
Any advisor who doesn’t dig around with lots of question – it’s likely they’re really a salesperson. If they push a particular product before getting to know your background and whether you have any commercial experience, then you know it’s true.
If you’ve got any live experience or some accreditation, it may be that your starting point of study is not the same as someone new to the industry.
If this is going to be your initial effort at IT study then it may be wise to begin with some basic PC skills training first.
Adding in the cost of exams up-front and offering an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is a popular marketing tool with a number of training colleges. However, let’s consider what’s really going on:
Everybody’s aware that they’re still being charged for it – it’s quite obvious to see that it’s already in the overall figure from the training company. It’s absolutely not free – don’t think these companies are so generous with their money!
The honest truth is that when trainees fund each examination, one after the other, there’s a much better chance they’ll pass first time – as they’ll be conscious of their investment in themselves and so will prepare more thoroughly.
Isn’t it outrageous to have to pay the training course provider up-front for exam fees? Find the best deal you can when you take the exam, instead of paying a premium – and do it in a local testing centre – rather than in some remote place.
Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examination fees when there’s absolutely nothing that says you have to? Huge profits are made because training colleges are getting money in early for exam fees – and then cashing in when they’re not all taken.
It’s also worth noting that ‘Exam Guarantees’ often aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. Most companies won’t pay for re-takes until you have demonstrated conclusively that you won’t fail again.
The cost of exams was approximately 112 pounds twelve months or so ago when taken at Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So what’s the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra to have ‘Exam Guarantees’, when it’s no secret that the most successful method is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.
We’re often asked why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more commercially accredited qualifications?
The IT sector now recognises that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, the right accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe most often has much more specialised relevance – for much less time and money.
Vendor training works through concentrating on the particular skills that are needed (along with an appropriate level of related knowledge,) instead of covering masses of the background detail and ‘fluff’ that degree courses often do – to fill a three or four year course.
It’s a bit like the TV advert: ‘It does what it says on the tin’. All an employer has to do is know where they have gaps, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. They’ll know then that all applicants can do what they need.
(C) Jason Kendall. Pop to LearningLolly.com for quality career advice on Comptia Network+ Courses and Computer Networking Course.
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