With so many computer training courses on the market today, it’s not always easy to know what to look for. Find one that’s in line with your abilities and personality, and that’s in demand in the workforce.
There’s a big selection when it comes to training - from basic office skills up to courses for web designers, networkers programmers etc. Get help before you dive in - discuss your options with somebody who has knowledge of the market sector. Someone who can help you select the right career path for you - that’s both relevant to industry and will prepare you for a career you’ll enjoy.
Modern training methods currently enable students to be educated on an innovative style of course, that is far less expensive than old-style courses. The economies of scale of these courses means anyone can afford them.
A question; why is it better to gain commercially accredited qualifications and not familiar academic qualifications obtained from tech’ colleges and universities?
With university education costs increasing year on year, along with the industry’s general opinion that vendor-based training most often has much more commercial relevance, there’s been a dramatic increase in Microsoft, CISCO, Adobe and CompTIA based training courses that provide key skills to an employee for considerably less.
The training is effectively done by honing in on the skill-sets required (together with a proportionate degree of associated knowledge,) as opposed to covering masses of the background ‘extras’ that computer Science Degrees can often find themselves doing - to pad out the syllabus.
When an employer understands what areas they need covered, then all they have to do is advertise for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. Commercial syllabuses are set to exacting standards and do not vary between trainers (as academic syllabuses often do).
Several companies will provide a useful Job Placement Assistance program, to assist your search for your first position. The fact of the matter is it’s not as difficult as you may be led to believe to land the right work - as long as you’ve got the necessary skills and qualifications; the growing UK skills shortage sees to that.
Nevertheless, don’t procrastinate and wait until you’ve finished your training before getting your CV updated. The day you start training, enter details of your study programme and place it on jobsites!
You’ll often find that you’ll land your first job whilst you’re still studying (even when you’ve just left first base). If your CV doesn’t show your latest training profile (and it hasn’t been posted on jobsites) then you aren’t even in the running!
The best services to help you land that job are generally specialised and independent recruitment consultants. Because they make their money when they’ve found you a job, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.
Essentially, as long as you focus the same level of energy into getting a position as into training, you’re not going to hit many challenges. Some trainees curiously conscientiously work through their course materials and then call a halt once they’ve passed their exams and seem to expect employers to find them.
Authorised exam preparation and simulation materials are vital - and absolutely ought to be offered by your training provider.
Often students can get confused by going through practice questions that don’t come from authorised sources. Sometimes, the question formats and phraseology can be quite different and it’s vital that you know this.
Always request some practice exams so you can test your comprehension along the way. Mock exams prepare you properly - then you won’t be quite so nervous at the actual exam.
Far too many companies only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and forget what you actually need - which will always be getting the job or career you want. Always start with where you want to get to - too many people focus on the journey.
Don’t let yourself become part of the group who choose a training program that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ - and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for a job they hate.
You’ll want to understand the expectations of your industry. What exams you’ll need and how you’ll build your experience level. It’s also worth spending time assessing how far you think you’ll want to build your skill-set as it will control your selection of accreditations.
Seek out help from an experienced industry advisor who appreciates the market you’re interested in, and who can give you ‘A typical day in the life of’ understanding of what you’ll actually be doing with each working day. It just makes sense to understand whether or not this is right for you long before your course begins. There’s really no reason in starting your training and then find you’ve taken the wrong route.
(C) 2009 - S. Edwards. Check out InDesign CS2 or CareerChangeTraining.co.uk/tcachtr.html.
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