Potential trainees looking to begin a career in computers and technology often have no idea of what route to follow, or even what market to obtain accreditation for.
How likely is it for us to understand the many facets of a particular career when we’ve never done it? We normally don’t know someone who works in that sector anyway.
Generally, the way to deal with this predicament correctly lies in a full talk over several different topics:
* Which type of person you are – which things you really enjoy, and on the other side of the coin – what you hate to do.
* Are you aiming to realise a closely held aspiration – for instance, working from home sometime soon?
* 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.
* Our advice is to think deeply about the amount of time and effort you’re going to give to your training.
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.
Due to the fact that a lot of examining boards for IT tend to be American, it’s essential to understand how exam questions will be phrased and formatted. It’s no use just going through the right questions – it’s essential that you can cope with them in the proper exam format.
Ensure that you ask for testing modules in order to test your comprehension whenever you need to. Mock exams help to build your confidence – then you’re much more at ease with the real thing.
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.
Of course, if you’ve had any relevant previous certification, then you can sometimes expect to begin at a different level to a trainee with no history to speak of.
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.
A sneaky way that training companies make more money is through up-front charges for exams and offering an exam guarantee. It looks impressive, until you think it through:
You’ll be charged for it one way or another. It’s definitely not free – it’s simply been shoe-horned into the price as a whole.
Qualifying on the first ‘go’ is what everyone wants to do. Going for exams in order and paying as you go has a marked effect on pass-rates – you prepare appropriately and are mindful of the investment you’ve made.
Go for the best offer you can find at the appropriate time, and avoid college mark-up fees. You’ll then be able to select where you do your exams – which means you can stay local.
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.
Paying maybe a thousand pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is naive – when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really guarantee success.
Commercial qualifications are now, without a doubt, starting to replace the older academic routes into IT – so why is this the case?
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.
Clearly, an appropriate degree of associated information has to be learned, but core specialisation in the areas needed gives a commercially trained person a distinct advantage.
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. Check out LearningLolly.com for in-depth ideas on Comptia Networking Courses and Computer Networking Courses.
You must log in to post a comment.