Well Done! By landing here we guess you must be considering getting re-qualified for a new job - so you’ve already done more than most. Only one in ten of us are satisfied with our careers, but most complain but just stay there. Why not be one of a small number who make a difference in their lives.
We recommend you seek advice first - find an industry expert; an advisor who can discover your ideal job, and offer only the career tracks that will suit you:
* Do you enjoy a busy working environment? Is it meeting new people or being part of a team? Perhaps you prefer not to be disturbed and enjoy responsibilities that you can get on with on your own?
* What elements are you looking for from the market sector you work in? (Building and banking - not so stable as they once were.)
* How long a career do you hope to have once retrained, and can the industry you choose provide you with that possibility?
* Do you think being qualified will give you the chance to find the work you’re looking for, and remain in employment until your retirement plans kick in?
The largest sector in this country that fulfils the above criteria is Information Technology. There’s a demand for more skilled people in IT, - take a look at any job site and there’ll be a long list. However, it’s not full of techie geeks staring at theirscreens every day - it’s much more diverse than that. Large numbers of employees in the computer industry are just like the rest of us, with jobs they enjoy and better than average salaries.
A major candidate for the top potential problem in IT training is often the ‘in-centre’ workshop requirement. Most training schools extol the virtues of the ‘benefits’ of going in to their classes, however, they quickly become a major problem because of:
* Many round journeys - quite often hundreds of miles each and every time.
* Weekday accessibility to events can be usual, and with 2-3 days to book off work, this is usually problematic for most working students.
* And let’s not forget lost vacation time. Usually we’re lucky to have four weeks vacation allowance. If half of that is used up on workshops, then it doesn’t leave much for us and our families.
* Classes usually get fully subscribed quite quickly, meaning we have to accept a slot that doesn’t really suit.
* The pace of the class - centre-days usually have trainees of varied aptitude, so tension can be created between those that want to go quickly as opposed to those who prefer a more relaxed pace.
* The growing costs associated with travel - driving or taking public transport to the training facility plus several days bed and breakfast can mount up each time you attend. With only 5-10 centre-days costing 35 pounds for a single over-night room, plus 40 pounds petrol and 15.00 for food, that equates to four to nine hundred pounds of costs that we weren’t expecting.
* Do you really want the chance of letting yourself be side-stepped for a lift up the ladder or income boosts just because you’re retraining.
* It’s quite usual for people to not ask questions they want answered - just because they’re amongst other classmates.
* Being away from home with your work during the week - a fair few students find they’re living or working away for sections of the programme. Workshops are very difficult then, unfortunately you’ve already paid for them with your initial fees.
It really does make more sense to be taught when it’s convenient for you - not the company - and use instructor-led videos with interactive lab’s.
Any time you get a problem, get onto the live 24×7 support (that should’ve been packaged with any technical type of training.) Bear in mind, if you have a laptop, you could study wherever the mood takes you.
There’s no need to take notes - every lesson is laid out for you already. Anything you want to do over, just go for it.
Even though this doesn’t suddenly take away all study problems, it surely removes stress and makes things simpler. And you’ve reduced travel, hassle and costs.
Have a conversation with any expert advisor and they can normally tell you many terrible tales of students who’ve been sold completely the wrong course for them. Ensure you only ever work with an industry professional that asks some in-depth questions to find out what’s right for you - not for their paycheque! It’s very important to locate the right starting point of study for you.
If you have a strong background, or sometimes a little work-based experience (some certifications gained previously perhaps?) then it could be that your starting level will be quite dissimilar from someone with no background whatsoever.
Commencing with a user skills course first is often the best way to get into your computer training, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.
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