Well Done! By landing here it’s likely you’re thinking about re-training to work in a different industry – so you’ve already done more than most. Only one in ten of us are happy and fulfilled in our work, but it’s rare anyone does more than moan. You could be a member of the few who actually do something about it.
When looking at training, it’s crucial to first define your expectations from the position you would like to get. Ensure that things would be a lot better before much time and effort is spent re-directing your life. Prudence suggests looking at the big picture first, to steer clear of regrets:
* Is working with other people your thing? Do you like to deal with the public? Maybe you like to deal with tasks that you can get on with on your own?
* What do you need from the industry your job is in? (If it’s stability you’re after, you might think twice about banks or the building industry right now.)
* Once you’ve trained, how many years work do anticipate working, and can your chosen industry offer you that opportunity?
* Do you think being qualified will give you the opportunity to find the work you’re looking for, and keep working until you choose to stop?
The largest sector in the United Kingdom to meet the above criteria is the computer industry, particularly IT. There’s a shortage of qualified workers in the industry, simply have a look at a local jobs website and there’ll be a long list. Don’t let people tell you it’s all nerdy people gazing towards theirscreens all day – there are loads more jobs than that. Most of the people in IT are just like the rest of us, with well paid and stimulating jobs.
A lot of people presume that the tech college or university path is the way they should go. So why is commercial certification beginning to overtake it?
With a growing demand for specific technological expertise, industry has moved to specialist courses that can only be obtained from the actual vendors – that is companies such as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe. This frequently provides reductions in both cost and time.
Higher education courses, for example, can often get caught up in vast amounts of loosely associated study – and a syllabus that’s too generalised. Students are then held back from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.
Imagine if you were an employer – and you needed to take on someone with a very particular skill-set. What should you do: Go through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from hopeful applicants, asking for course details and which trade skills they have, or choose a specific set of accreditations that exactly fulfil your criteria, and draw up from that who you want to speak to. You’ll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview – instead of having to work out if they can do the job.
All programs you’re considering should always lead to a fully recognised major accreditation as an end-result – not a useless ‘in-house’ plaque for your wall.
You’ll find that only recognised accreditation from the top companies like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco and Adobe will have any meaning to employers.
Students who consider this area of study are usually quite practically-minded, and don’t really enjoy classrooms, and poring through books and manuals. If this is putting you off studying, go for more modern interactive training, where everything is presented via full motion video.
Years of research and study has repeatedly verified that becoming involved with our studies, to utilise all our senses, will more likely produce memories that are deeper and longer-lasting.
Study programs now come via DVD-ROM discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Using video-streaming, you can watch instructors demonstrating how to do something, and then have a go at it yourself – in an interactive lab.
Make sure to obtain a look at some courseware examples from the training company. You should ask for expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and interactive labs where you get to practice.
Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where offered, so that you have access at all times – you don’t want to be reliant on a good broadband connection all the time.
Charging for examination fees upfront then including an exam guarantee is popular with many training course providers. But look at the facts:
You’ll pay for it ultimately. One thing’s for sure – it isn’t free – they’ve simply charged more for the whole training package.
We all want to pass first time. Taking your exams progressively in order and paying as you go sees you much better placed to get through first time – you put the effort in and think carefully about the costs.
Why should you pay a college at the start of the course for exams? Find the best deal you can when you’re ready, don’t pay mark-ups – and do it in a local testing centre – rather than in some remote place.
A great deal of money is netted by many companies who get money for exam fees in advance. For quite legitimate reasons, a number of students don’t get to do their exams but the company keeps the money. Astoundingly enough, there are providers who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams – as that’s very profitable for them.
In addition to this, you should consider what an ‘exam guarantee’ really means. Many training companies won’t pay for you to re-take until you can prove to them you’re ready to pass.
Exam fees averaged 112 pounds or thereabouts last year when taken at local VUE or Pro-metric centres throughout the country. So what’s the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra to have ‘an Exam Guarantee’, when common sense dictates that the most successful method is a regular, committed, study programme, with an accredited exam preparation system.
Copyright Scott Edwards 2010. Pop to PHP Training or www.learninglolly.com/Database_Training_Courses.html.