Grooms Club

Four separate areas of study make up a full CompTIA A+; you’re qualified as an achiever in A+ when you’ve achieved certifications for just two specialist areas. This is why it’s usual for colleges to only teach 2 specialised areas. In fact you will need the information on each subject as many positions will require an understanding of the whole A+ program. Don’t feel pressured to take all four exams, but it seems common sense that you at least have a working knowledge of every area.

Alongside being taught how to build and fix computers, trainees on an A+ training course will have instruction on how to work in antistatic conditions, along with remote access, fault finding and diagnostics.

If you add Network+ to your A+ course, you’ll also have the ability to take care of networks, giving you the facility to move further up the career path.

It’s essential to have the current Microsoft (or relevant organisation’s) authorised exam preparation packages.

Confirm that the simulated exams are not only asking questions in the right areas, but additionally ask them in the same way that the proper exam will structure them. This throws people if they’re met with completely different formats and phraseologies.

As you can imagine, it is really important to know that you’ve thoroughly prepared for the real exam prior to doing it. Going over simulated exams adds to your knowledge bank and will avoid you getting frustrated with wasted exam attempts.

If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you’re a practical sort of person – the ‘hands-on’ type. Typically, the world of book-reading and classrooms is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but you really wouldn’t enjoy it. Consider interactive, multimedia study if you’d really rather not use books.

Our ability to remember is increased when we use multiple senses – learning experts have been saying this for many years.

Programs are now found 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 do something, with some practice time to follow – via the interactive virtual lab’s.

It’s wise to view some of the typical study materials provided before you sign the purchase order. The minimum you should expect would be instructor demonstrations, video tutorials and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where possible, so that you have access at all times – it’s not wise to be held hostage to a quality and continuous internet connection.

A proficient and professional advisor (in contrast with a salesperson) will talk through your current situation. This is paramount to establishing your starting level of study.

In some circumstances, the training inception point for a person with a little experience can be massively dissimilar to someone without.

If you’re a new trainee starting IT studies and exams as a new venture, it can be helpful to break yourself in gently, by working on some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. This can be built into most training packages.

One crafty way that colleges make a big mark-up is by charging for exams up-front and then including an ‘Exam Guarantee’. It looks like a good deal, till you look at the facts:

These days, we are a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks – and most of us know that for sure it is something we’re paying for (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!)

The honest truth is that when trainees fund their relevant examinations, one after the other, the chances are they’re going to qualify each time – as they’ll be conscious of the cost and so will prepare more thoroughly.

Isn’t it in your interests to go for the best offer at the time, instead of paying a premium to a training course provider, and to do it locally – rather than in some remote centre?

What’s the point in paying early for examinations when you didn’t need to? Big margins are made by companies charging all their exam fees up-front – and banking on the fact that many won’t be taken.

It’s also worth noting that exam guarantees often have very little value. The majority of organisations will not pay for you to re-take until you can prove to them you’re ready to pass.

Exam fees averaged about 112 pounds in the last 12 months when taken at VUE or Pro-metric centres in the UK. So what’s the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra to get ‘Exam Guarantees’, when any student knows that the best guarantee is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.

(C) Jason Kendall. Navigate to LearningLolly.com for in-depth career tips. www.learninglolly.com or www.a-computer-training.co.uk.

Should you be aspiring to become Cisco accredited, and you’re new to working with switches and routers, you most probably should start with the CCNA training. This will provide you with the necessary skills to set up and maintain routers. The world wide web is built up of many routers, and large companies with several locations also use them to keep their networks in touch.

Because routers join up networks, look for a course that features the basics on networks (CompTIA Network+ as an example – maybe with the A+ as well) before getting going with CCNA. You must have an understanding of the basics prior to starting your Cisco training or you’ll probably struggle. At interview time, companies will expect good networking skills to complement your CCNA.

Getting your Cisco CCNA is all you need at this stage – don’t be cajoled into attempting your CCNP for now. Once you’ve worked for a few years you can decide if this next level is for you. If so, you’ll be much more capable to succeed at that stage – because you’ll have so much more experience.

We can all agree: There’s absolutely no individual job security anymore; there can only be industry and business security – a company will remove anyone when it suits the company’s commercial requirements.

Where there are escalating skills deficits and increasing demand though, we generally discover a fresh type of security in the marketplace; where, fuelled by the constant growth conditions, businesses find it hard to locate the staff required.

The IT skills deficit across the UK falls in at roughly twenty six percent, according to the 2006 e-Skills analysis. It follows then that for each 4 job positions available across IT, employers can only source properly accredited workers for 3 of them.

This one idea on its own underpins why the UK needs a lot more new trainees to enter the Information Technology market.

It’s unlikely if a better time or market conditions could exist for getting certified in this swiftly increasing and budding industry.

It can be a nerve-racking task, but landing your first job can be relieved by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance service. At the end of the day it’s not as difficult as you may be led to believe to land a job – once you’re trained and certified; the growing UK skills shortage sees to that.

Having said that, it’s important to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; additionally, we would recommend everybody to get their CV updated as soon as they start a course – don’t put it off until you’ve qualified.

It’s not uncommon to find that junior support jobs have been offered to students who’re still on their course and have yet to take their exams. At least this will get your CV into the ‘possible’ pile and not the ‘no’ pile.

Actually, an independent and specialised local employment service (who will get paid by the employer when they’ve placed you) will perform better than any centralised training company’s service. It also stands to reason that they’ll be familiar with the local industry and employment needs.

To bottom line it, as long as you focus the same level of energy into finding your first IT position as into training, you won’t have any problems. Some students curiously spend hundreds of hours on their training and studies and do nothing more once they’ve got certified and would appear to think that businesses will just discover them.

At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be proper direct-access 24×7 support with trained professional instructors and mentors. Far too often we see trainers who will only offer a basic 9am till 6pm support period (maybe later on certain days) with very little availability over the weekend.

Email support is too slow, and so-called telephone support is normally just routed to a call-centre which will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team – who will call back over the next day or so (assuming you’re there), at a time suitable for them. This isn’t a lot of good if you’re stuck and can’t continue and only have a specific time you can study.

Be on the lookout for providers that use several support centres active in different time-zones. Each one should be integrated to give a single entry point as well as access round-the-clock, when it’s convenient for you, with no hassle.

Never make do with less than this. Support round-the-clock is the only viable option for technical learning. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; often though, we’re out at work at the time when most support is available.

Considering the amount of options that are available, does it really shock us that most potential career changers get stuck choosing the job they will enjoy.

How likely is it for us to understand what is involved in a particular job when we haven’t done that before? Most likely we don’t even know anybody who does that actual job anyway.

To get to the bottom of this, a discussion is necessary, covering a variety of core topics:

* Which type of individual you are – which things you find interesting, plus of course – what don’t you like doing.

* Is it your desire to realise a closely held objective – for instance, working for yourself sometime soon?

* What priority do you place on salary vs the travel required?

* Learning what the main Information technology areas and markets are – and what makes them different.

* How much effort you’ll spend on your training.

In these situations, it’s obvious that the only real way to seek advice on these issues will be via a meeting with an advisor that has years of experience in computing (and more importantly the commercial requirements.)

(C) Jason Kendall. Pop to LearningLolly.com for superb advice. CCNA Certification Courses or CLICK HERE.

A variety of different training programs are around for trainees wanting to get into the IT industry. For assistance in selecting the right one for you, look for a company that will work with you to identify which career will match your personality, and then run through what the job entails, to help you clearly understand whether you’re on the right track.

There are so many directions you can go in. Some re-trainers need Microsoft user skills, some want training for careers in Web Design, Databases, Programming or Networking – and these are all possible. However, you don’t have to decide alone. Why not share your ideas with an advisor who has knowledge of the IT industry, and can help you arrive at the right destination.

By concentrating on service and delivery, training companies now exist with the latest courses that blend the finest training and support for much lower prices than those expected from the old-school colleges.

Beginning with the idea that we have to find the employment that excites us first and foremost, before we’re able to chew over which training course fulfils our needs, how do we decide on the correct route?

How can we possibly grasp the day-to-day realities of any IT job when we haven’t done that before? Often we have never met anyone who works in that sector anyway.

Consideration of the following factors is vital when you want to get to a solution that suits you:

* Your personal interests and hobbies – as they can define what things will provide a happy working life.

* Are you hoping to obtain training for a precise motive – for example, are you looking at working from home (self-employment possibly?)?

* What salary and timescale needs you may have?

* Understanding what the normal work roles and sectors are – and what differentiates them.

* Taking a proper look into the effort, commitment and time that you’re going to put into it.

The bottom line is, the best way of investigating all this is from a good talk with an experienced advisor that knows the industry well enough to be able to guide you.

It’s clear nowadays: There really is no such thing as personal job security now; there’s really only industry and business security – as any company can remove anyone when it suits the business’ commercial requirements.

However, a sector experiencing fast growth, with huge staffing demands (through a massive shortfall of properly qualified staff), enables the possibility of proper job security.

Taking a look at the computing market, the recent e-Skills survey highlighted a more than 26 percent skills deficit. Or, to put it differently, this highlights that Great Britain can only locate three qualified staff for each 4 job positions that exist today.

This single concept alone is the backbone of why the UK is in need of a lot more trainees to become part of the IT sector.

Unquestionably, this really is a critical time to retrain into IT.

‘In-Centre’ days can be portrayed as a great facet by some trainers. When you chat with many IT hopefuls who have partaken in a couple, you’ll discover that they’re really a waste of time as they hadn’t properly considered the following:

* Lots of centre visits – quite often 100’s of miles or more.

* Asking for constant holidays or time off – a lot of trainers provide class availability from Monday to Friday and typically group 2-3 days together. This isn’t ideal for most people who work, especially if travelling time is added into the mix.

* The majority of us end up feeling 4 weeks off each year is barely enough. Take away a good 50 percent of that for educational classes and see your problems doubled.

* ‘In-Centre’ days fill up fast and can sometimes be too big – so they’re not personal enough.

* Tension can be created in the classroom where students want to progress at their own pace.

* Tot up the cost of all the petrol, fares, food, parking and accommodation and you’ll be in for a big surprise. Students talk of increased costs of between several hundred and a couple of thousand pounds. Work it out – and you’ll see how.

* Training privacy will be of paramount importance to most trainees. You don’t want to sacrifice any possible promotions, income boosts or achievement in your job because of your studies. When your boss discovers that you’re undertaking accreditation in a completely different market, what do you think they’ll do?

* How many of us have avoided asking a question, because we wanted to maintain the illusion that we did, in fact, understand?

* You should remember, events are basically undoable, where you live away for part of your week or month.

Wouldn’t it be better to watch on-screen and study with teachers one-on-one via ready-made lessons, doing them at a time that’s convenient for you and you alone.

You can study anywhere you want. If you have a laptop, why not catch some fresh air in your garden as you work. If you have any difficulties then get onto the live 24×7 support.

You have the ability to go back and re-cover all the modules whenever you want or need. And of course, you don’t have to take notes as the teaching is yours forever.

Quite simply: You avoid a bunch of hassle, save money and time, and altogether avoid killing more trees.

(C) Jason Kendall. Visit LearningLolly.com for smart information on IT Training and Web Design Training.

CCNA is the usual starting point for all Cisco training. This will enable you to work on maintaining and installing routers and network switches. Fundamentally, the internet is based upon huge numbers of routers, and big organisations that have various regional departments rely on them to keep their networks in touch.

Gaining this type of certification will mean it’s likely you’ll end up working for big organisations who have many locations, but who still want secure internal data communication. On the other hand, you might end up joining an internet service provider. Both types of jobs command good salaries.

Qualifying up to the CCNA level is all you need at this stage – don’t be cajoled into attempting your CCNP yet. Once you’ve got a few years experience behind you, you will have a feel for if CCNP is something you want to do. Should that be the case, you’ll have a much better chance of succeeding – because you’ll have so much more experience.

With so much choice, does it really shock us that a large majority of career changers get stuck choosing the job they could be successful with.

What chances do most of us have of understanding what is involved in a particular job when we haven’t done that before? We normally haven’t met someone who works in that sector anyway.

Consideration of the following issues is imperative when you want to dig down the right solution that will work for you:

* The kind of individual you consider yourself to be – what kind of jobs you get enjoyment from, plus of course – what you hate to do.

* What time-frame are you looking at for the retraining?

* Have you thought about salary vs the travel required?

* With many, many different sectors to gain certifications for in computing – you’ll need to achieve a solid grounding on what makes them different.

* Our advice is to think deeply about any sacrifices you’ll need to make, as well as what commitment and time you’re going to invest in your training.

To be honest, the only way to research these matters tends to be through a good talk with a professional who has a background in Information Technology (and specifically it’s commercial needs.)

Accredited exam simulation and preparation packages are a must – and should definitely be offered by your training provider.

Don’t fall foul of depending on unauthorised preparation materials for exams. The way they’re phrased is sometimes startlingly different – and this leads to huge confusion when it comes to taking the real exam.

For many reasons, it is vital to make sure you’re absolutely ready for your actual certification exam prior to going for it. Rehearsing ‘mock’ exams helps build your confidence and helps to avoid unsuccessful attempts at exams.

Have you recently questioned how safe your job is? Normally, this isn’t an issue until something dramatic happens to shake us. However, the reality is that true job security has gone the way of the dodo, for nearly everyone now.

Security only exists now via a quickly increasing market, fuelled by work-skills shortages. It’s this shortage that creates the correct environment for a secure marketplace – a much more desirable situation.

The Information Technology (IT) skills shortfall around the country currently stands at approx twenty six percent, as shown by the 2006 e-Skills investigation. This shows that for every 4 jobs that are available in IT, there are only 3 trained people to fulfil that role.

Properly trained and commercially accredited new staff are consequently at a resounding premium, and in all likelihood it will stay that way for many years to come.

It would be hard to imagine if a better time or market circumstances could exist for obtaining certification in this hugely increasing and evolving industry.

One useful service offered by some training providers is a Job Placement Assistance program. The service is put in place to help you find your first job in the industry. At the end of the day it’s not as hard as some people make out to land your first job – assuming you’re well trained and qualified; the growing UK skills shortage sees to that.

However, what is relevant is to have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; additionally, we would recommend everybody to bring their CV up to date the day they start training – don’t put it off until you’ve graduated or passed any exams.

Being considered a ‘maybe’ is more than not being regarded at all. Often junior support roles are given to students in the early stages of their course.

Generally, you’ll receive better performance from a local IT focused recruitment consultant or service than any course provider’s recruitment division, as they will be more familiar with the area and local employers.

Do make sure you don’t put hundreds of hours of effort into your studies, and then do nothing more and expect somebody else to secure your first position. Get off your backside and make your own enquiries. Channel the same energy and enthusiasm into finding your new role as it took to pass the exams.

Many people question why academic qualifications are now falling behind more commercial qualifications?

With fees and living expenses for university students spiralling out of control, alongside the industry’s recognition that accreditation-based training is often far more commercially relevant, we’ve seen a big surge in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training routes that educate students at a fraction of the cost and time involved.

Obviously, a necessary portion of background information has to be learned, but focused specialisation in the particular job function gives a vendor educated person a distinct advantage.

If an employer is aware what they’re looking for, then all it takes is an advert for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Commercial syllabuses are set to exacting standards and don’t change between schools (in the way that degree courses can).

(C) Jason Kendall. Pop to LearningLolly.com for smart ideas on Adult Retraining and Cisco CCNA Course.

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.