I appreciate the fact that no-one can know everything about everything and therefore the above question needs to be placed into context, such as Dreamweaver or Networking if that’s my specialist subject or chosen industry.The critical factors must surely be not necessarily the breadth of knowledge, but the pertinence of the knowledge as the driving force.
An old story, about the owner of a large tanker who had consistent issues with the engines of his ship, illustrates this well. He often had to bring in “specialist” engineers to sort out the problems every time they berthed at ports around the world. The owner of the tanker was becoming more and more frustrated whilst trying different methods to resolve the challenge.
Eventually, when they berthed at a South America port he recalled an old pal of his who, being a fully certified engineer, had an exceptional talent for maintaining and fixing marine engines, so he asked if he could help. His old friend arrived and went straight to the engine bays. After some time listening to the engines he moved around and tapped on a few pipes with his spanner, finally arriving at a valve which he adjusted 25 degrees clockwise. Instantly the engines settled down and the problem was solved.
The following day the owner’s pal returned with an invoice for $10,000. The owner was horrified by the size of the invoice, particularly as all he had to do was to turn a valve. So he asked his old friend for a breakdown, hoping for a reduction. The next day the engineer returned with the breakdown as follows – For time spent onboard to solve the problem – a special rate to a friend, $1. For knowing where to tap and which valve to turn, $9,999.
This surely reminds us that all knowledge has to be fit for purpose and as such the techniques and methodology of training must fit the same criteria. Within a fast-paced industry like IT, dependence upon traditional training techniques such as classroom environments and staid teaching skills surely conflicts with the vitality of the industry itself.
I’m not disparaging IT teachers. However there remains a concern where it’s left to the tutors themselves to keep their knowledge pertinent and cutting-edge – I have considerable sympathy for the difficulties in maintaining this. A person who isn’t exposed to the latest industrial developments is not in the same position as those who are working within Microsoft directly, as an example.
Students are the reverse and are voracious in seeking access to the latest terms, thoughts and techniques wherever possible, and any system that can provide 24×7 direct or indirect access to the knowledge and thoughts of the leaders in the industry would be pertinent to both teacher and student alike.
Moving on to the working environment, owners of IT systems often expect their IT support teams to do more than maintain and manage the integrity of the systems to protect the business interests. They also expect them to give strategic support and advice to make sure that decisions regarding IT procedures, hardware and operating system procurement provide a business edge and keep the company ahead of its competitors within their particular field.
One of the key factors has been the increasing attraction of the professional qualifications for those considering the options for development within IT (either as a career change, start of career or furthering ones future within the industry). IT enjoys the same overall factors as the Aviation industry, in that a common format and language is fairly dominant throughout.
Students looking to maximise their employability long-term will be favoured by adopting the approaches and methods of the industry heavyweights. This will make them attractive to a wider range of employers – in both the short term and long term. Certifications recognised by industry leaders (such as the MCSE or MCSA) that have legitimacy across industry sectors and geographical boundaries remain a prudent choice when considering a level of insurance in today’s economic climate.
(C) 2009. Look at LearningLolly.com for intelligent information on ACT Sage 2006 and ACT Sage 2006 Training.
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