Discussing IT Training 2009

Well Done! As you're looking at this you've doubtless been pondering on re-training to work in a different industry - 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. You could join a select group who actually do something about it.

Prior to considering individual training courses, seek out someone who can help you sort out which area will be right for you. A person who will get to know your personality, and find out what types of work suit you:

* Is collaborating with others important to you? Would that be with the same people or with a lot of new people? Possibly operating on your own with your own methodology may be your preference?

* Building and Banking are struggling right now, so think carefully about the sector that will be best for you?

* How long a career do you hope to have once retrained, and can the industry you choose offer you the chance to do that?

* Are you worried with regard to your chances of getting another job, and being gainfully employed all the way until retirement?

A predominant industry in this country to meet the above criteria is the IT industry. There's a need for more qualified people in IT, just check out any jobsite and there'll be a long list. Don't let people tell you it's all techie people gazing towards theirscreens all day - there are loads more jobs than that. Large numbers of the people in the computer industry are just like the rest of us, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.

How can we make the right choice then? With so much reward available, we'll need to know where to look - and of course, what to actually be looking for.

It's important to understand: a training course or the accreditation isn't what this is about; the career that you want to end up in is. A lot of colleges seem to over-emphasise the course or the qualification. It's quite usual, for example, to get a great deal of enjoyment from a year of study but end up spending 10 or 20 years in a job you hate, entirely because you stumbled into it without the correct research at the outset.

Take time to understand your feelings on career progression and earning potential, plus your level of ambition. You should understand what industry expects from you, which certifications will be required and where you'll pick-up experience from. Seek out help from an industry professional that appreciates the market you're interested in, and who can give you 'A typical day in the life of' outline of what you'll actually be doing with each working day. It makes good sense to discover if this is the right course of action for you long before you jump into the study-program. What's the reason in kicking off your training and then find you've taken the wrong route.

You have to make sure that all your certifications are commercially valid and current - don't even consider programmes which provide certificates that are worthless because they're 'in-house'. To an employer, only top businesses such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe (for instance) really carry any commercial clout. Anything less just doesn't cut the mustard.

One thing you must always insist on is proper direct-access 24×7 support with professional mentors and instructors. It's an all too common story to find providers that only seem to want to help while they're in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends. Email support is too slow, and so-called telephone support is normally just routed to a call-centre which will take the information and email an instructor - who'll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, at a suitable time to them. This is not a lot of use if you're stuck with a particular problem and only have a specific time you can study.

We recommend looking for colleges that utilise many support facilities across multiple time-zones. All of them should be combined to provide a single interface and 24×7 access, when it suits you, with no fuss. Find an educator that goes the extra mile. Because only live 24×7 support provides the necessary backup.

Students who consider this area of study often have a very practical outlook on work, and won't enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and struggling through thick study-volumes. If you identify with this, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, with on-screen demonstrations and labs. Studies have consistently verified that connecting physically with our study, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

The latest home-based training features self-contained CD or DVD materials. Instructor-led tutorials will mean you'll learn your subject by way of their teaching and demonstrations. Then it's time to test your knowledge by interacting with the software and practicing yourself. Always insist on a demonstration of the study materials from your training provider. The package should contain expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and lab's for you to practice your skills in.

Many companies provide just online versions of their training packages; sometimes you can get away with this - but, think what will happen if internet access is lost or you only get very a very slow connection sometimes. It's much safer to rely on physical CD or DVD discs which removes the issue entirely.

Most people don't even think to ask about something that can make a profound difference to their results - how their company divides up the courseware elements, and into how many parts. Many think it logical (with most training taking 1-3 years to pass all the required exams,) that a training provider will issue one module at a time, until you've passed all the exams. But: What could you expect if you didn't actually complete all the exams at the speed they required? And maybe you'll find their order of completion doesn't come as naturally as another different route may.

The ideal solution is to have all your study materials packed off to your home before you even start; every single thing! Thus avoiding any future problems that could impede the reaching of your goals.

One interesting way that course providers make extra profits is by adding exam fees upfront to the cost of a course and offering an exam guarantee. It looks like a good deal, but let's just examine it more closely:

We all know that we're still footing the bill for it - it's quite obvious to see that it's already in the gross price invoiced by the training company. Certainly, it's not a freebie - and it's insulting that we're supposed to think it is! Evidence shows that if a student pays for each progressive exam, one at a time, the chances are they're going to pass first time - since they'll think of their payment and so will prepare more thoroughly.

Why pay a college early for exam fees? Find the best exam deal or offer at the appropriate time, don't pay mark-ups - and sit exams more locally - rather than in some remote place. A surprising number of current training providers secure a great deal of profit because they're getting paid for exams at the start of the course then cashing in if they're not all taken. It's worth noting that exam re-takes through companies with an 'Exam Guarantee' are always heavily controlled. You'll be required to sit pre-tests till you've proven conclusively that you can pass.

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

Sometimes, individuals don't understand what IT means. It's thrilling, changing, and means you're a part of the huge progress of technology that will affect us all over the next generation. Computing technology and dialogue via the internet will noticeably alter the way we live our lives over future years; profoundly so.

If earning a good living is way up on your list of priorities, then you will welcome the news that the average salary of a typical IT worker is a lot greater than salaries in other market sectors. There is a significant national demand for trained and qualified IT technicians. It follows that with the constant growth in the marketplace, it looks like this will be the case for the significant future.