The CCNA is the way to go for training in Cisco. This teaches you how to work on maintaining and installing routers and network switches. Fundamentally, the internet is based upon huge numbers of routers, and commercial ventures who have several locations utilise them to allow their networks to keep in touch.
You might end up joining an internet service provider or a big organisation which is located on multiple sites but needs regular secure data communications. This career path is very well paid and quite specialised.
If you’re just entering the world of routers, then working up to and including the CCNA is the right level to aim for - at this stage avoid being tempted to do the CCNP. Once you’ve worked for a few years, you’ll know if it’s relevant for you to have this next level up.
A study programme really needs to work up to a widely recognised certification at the end - not some little ‘in-house’ diploma - fit only for filing away and forgetting.
Unless the accreditation comes from a company like Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco, then chances are it will be commercially useless - because no-one will recognise it.
Commencing with the understanding that we need to find the market that sounds most inviting first, before we’re able to weigh up what development program meets that requirement, how can we choose the correct route?
Working through long lists of different and confusing job titles is a complete waste of time. The majority of us don’t even know what our own family members do for a living - so we’re in the dark as to the ins and outs of a specific IT job.
Achieving an informed answer will only come through a meticulous investigation covering many varying factors:
* Personality plays an important role - what gets you ‘up and running’, and what are the activities that really turn you off.
* Why you’re looking at getting involved with computing - maybe you’d like to achieve a life-long goal like being your own boss for example.
* Is salary further up on your priority-scale than other factors.
* Getting to grips with what the normal work types and sectors are - plus how they’re different to each other.
* Taking a serious look at the level of commitment, time and effort that you’re going to put into it.
To bypass the barrage of jargon, and reveal the most viable option for your success, have an informal chat with an industry-experienced advisor; someone who understands the commercial reality and of course each qualification.
Have a conversation with a proficient advisor and they’ll regale you with many terrible tales of how students have been duped by salespeople. Only deal with an experienced industry advisor who asks some in-depth questions to find out what’s appropriate to you - not for their pay-packet! You must establish the right starting point of study for you.
Occasionally, the training start-point for a trainee with a little experience is often massively different to the student with none.
For students beginning IT exams and training for the first time, you might like to start out slowly, starting with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. Usually this is packaged with any study program.
A sneaky way that training providers make more money is by adding exam fees upfront to the cost of a course and presenting it as a guarantee for your exams. This sounds impressive, but is it really:
Thankfully, today we are a bit more aware of hype - and generally we realise that of course we are actually being charged for it - it’s not because they’re so generous they want to give something away!
Students who enter their exams one by one, paying for them just before taking them are much more likely to pass. They are mindful of their investment and take the necessary steps to ensure they are ready.
Isn’t it in your interests to hold on to your money and pay for the exam at the appropriate time, not to pay any mark-up to a training course provider, and to take it closer to home - rather than possibly hours away from your area?
Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examinations when you don’t need to? Big margins are made by companies getting paid upfront for exams - and hoping either that you won’t take them, or it will be a long time before you do.
It’s worth noting that exam re-takes via training course providers with an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are tightly controlled. You’ll be required to sit pre-tests to make sure they think you’re going to pass.
Due to typical VUE and Prometric tests costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, the most cost-effective way to cover the cost is by paying when you need them. There’s no sense in throwing away maybe a thousand pounds extra at the start of your studies. Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.
Copyright 2009 Scott Edwards. Look at CLICK HERE or Adult Retraining Courses.
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