Byte-O-Rama

Computer Career Training At Home Considered

by Jason Kendall

Nice One! Discovering this piece means you’re likely to be pondering over your options, and if you’re considering retraining you’ve already done more than the majority of people will. Did you know that a small minority of us consider ourselves fulfilled and satisfied with our jobs – yet the vast majority of us will just put up with it. Why don’t you liberate yourself and take action – think about how you could enjoy Monday mornings.

We’d politely request that in advance of taking a course of training, you discuss your plans with a person who has knowledge of the industry and can give you advice. The right person will be able to assess your personal likes and dislikes and help you sort out a role to fit you:

* Is collaborating with others important to you? Would that be with the same people or with many new people? Maybe working on your own on specific tasks could suit you better?

* What elements are you looking for from the area of industry you choose? – We all know that things have changed, look at building and banking for instance.

* Is this the final time you want to study, and if so, do you believe this career choice will give you scope to do that?

* Do you have niggles about the chance of getting new work, and being in demand in the employment market to the end of your working life?

A predominant industry in the UK to tick all of the above boxes is the computer industry, particularly IT. There is a requirement for greater numbers of knowledgeable workers in IT, just check out any jobs website and you’ll discover what we mean. Don’t misunderstand and think it’s full of techie geeks sitting in front ofscreens all the time – there are many more roles than that. Large numbers of workers in the industry are people of average intelligence, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.

Student support is absolutely essential – look for a package that includes 24×7 access, as anything less will frustrate you and could put a damper on the speed you move through things.

Avoid those companies who use ‘out-of-hours’ call-centres – with the call-back coming in during standard office hours. It’s no use when you’re stuck on a problem and need an answer now.

If you look properly, you’ll find professional companies that recommend and use direct-access online support 24×7 – even in the middle of the night.

You can’t afford to accept less than this. Direct-access 24×7 support is the only way to go when it comes to computer-based study. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; often though, we’re out at work during the provided support period.

Considering the amount of options that are available, there’s no surprise that a large percentage of students balk at what job they will follow.

How can we possibly grasp what is involved in a particular job when we’ve never done it? Often we have never met anyone who performs the role either.

To come through this, we need to discuss a variety of definitive areas:

* Personalities play a significant part – what gets you ‘up and running’, and what are the things that really turn you off.

* What time-frame are you looking at for retraining?

* What are your thoughts on travelling time and locality vs salary?

* With everything that IT encapsulates, it’s obvious you’ll need to be able to absorb how they differ.

* You will need to understand what differentiates each area of training.

For most of us, considering each of these concepts needs a long talk with an advisor that has direct industry experience. And not just the accreditations – but also the commercial expectations and needs also.

Don’t accept anything less than the current Microsoft (or Cisco, CompTIA etc.) authorised simulation materials and exam preparation packages.

Because a lot of examination boards in IT tend to be American, you must be prepared for the way exams are phrased. It’s no use simply understanding random questions – it’s essential that you can cope with them in the proper exam format.

Practice exams can be very useful as a resource to you – so that when you come to take your actual exams, you don’t get uptight.

It’s not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees – this always means you have to pay for the exams before you’ve even made a start on the course. Before you jump at a course with such a promise, why not think about this:

Everybody’s aware that they’re still footing the bill for it – it’s not so hard to see that it’s been inserted into the full cost of the package supplied by the course provider. It’s certainly not free – don’t think these companies are so generous with their money!

If it’s important to you to pass first time, evidence suggests you must pay for one exam at a time, give it the necessary attention and give the task sufficient application.

Why pay the college in advance for exam fees? Go for the best offer when you’re ready, rather than pay marked up fees – and take it closer to home – not at somewhere of their bidding.

Is there a good reason to pay interest on a bigger loan than is necessary because you’ve paid early for examination fees when there was no need to? Big margins are netted by organisations charging all their exam fees up-front – and hoping either that you won’t take them, or it will be a long time before you do.

You should fully understand that re-takes through companies who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are monitored with tight restrictions. They will insist that you take pre-tests first until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass.

Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is remiss – when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.

(C) S. Edwards 2009. Check out Learn Programming or CCNA Training.