Crazy People Work From Home…

Should you be interested in training in Cisco, a CCNA is in all probability what you’ll need. A Cisco training course is designed for people who want to learn about routers. Routers are what connect networks of computers to different networks of computers via dedicated lines or the internet.

Routers connect to networks, so look for a program that features the basics on networks (such as CompTIA Network+ and A+) before getting going with CCNA. You’ll need a basic grasp of networks before you start a Cisco course or you may be out of your depth. Once qualified and looking for work, networking skills will be valuable in addition to the CCNA.

It’s a good idea to find a specially designed course that will add in the necessary skills ahead of starting your Cisco CCNA course skills.

Can job security honestly exist anymore? In the UK for instance, where business constantly changes its mind whenever it suits, it certainly appears not. Security can now only exist in a quickly growing market, driven by work-skills shortages. These circumstances create the right environment for a higher level of market-security - a much more desirable situation.

The 2006 British e-Skills investigation showed that twenty six percent of all IT positions available remain unfilled as an upshot of a huge deficit of well-trained staff. Meaning that for every four jobs that are available around IT, there are barely three qualified workers to fill that need. This glaring idea shows an urgent requirement for more technically certified computing professionals across the UK. For sure, now really is such a perfect time to retrain into IT.

So if the IT sector provides so many great career development prospects for us - what sort of questions should we pose and what factors are most important?

Chat with a knowledgeable consultant and we’d be amazed if they couldn’t provide you with many horror stories of students who’ve been sold completely the wrong course for them. Stick to a skilled professional who asks some in-depth questions to uncover the best thing for you - not for their paycheque! Dig until you find the right starting point of study for you. An important point to note is that, if you have some relevant accreditation or direct-experience, then you can sometimes expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to a trainee with no history to speak of. Always consider starting with user-skills and software training first. This can help whip your basic knowledge into shape and make the transition to higher-level learning a much more gentle.

Most trainers only provide support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; very few go late in the evening or at weekends. Avoid training that only supports you via a call-centre messaging system after 6-9pm in the evening and during weekends. Trainers will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. The bottom line is - you want support at the appropriate time - not at their convenience.

The best trainers have many support offices active in different time-zones. They use an online interactive interface to link them all seamlessly, at any time you choose, help is just a click away, without any problems or delays. Never make the mistake of compromise with the quality of your support. Most IT hopefuls who drop-out or fail, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.

People attracted to this sort of work are often very practical, and don’t really enjoy classrooms, and endless reading of dry academic textbooks. If this could be you, use multimedia, interactive learning, where you can learn everything on-screen. Research into the way we learn shows that memory is aided when all our senses are involved, and we get practically involved in what we’re studying.

Search for a course where you’ll receive a library of CD or DVD ROM’s - you’ll be learning from instructor videos and demo’s, and then have the opportunity to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. Be sure to get a training material demonstration from the school that you’re considering. The package should contain slide-shows, instructor-led videos and fully interactive skills-lab’s.

Purely on-line training should be avoided. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where available, so that you have access at all times - and not be totally reliant on your internet connection always being ‘up’ and available.

Many trainees are under the impression that the state educational system is the way they should go. So why then is commercial certification becoming more in demand? With an ever-increasing technical demand on resources, the IT sector has moved to specific, honed-in training that can only be obtained from the actual vendors - namely companies such as CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA. This usually turns out to involve less time and financial outlay. Clearly, a reasonable amount of relevant additional information has to be taught, but core specialisation in the required areas gives a commercially trained person a distinct advantage.

What if you were an employer - and you wanted someone who could provide a specific set of skills. What should you do: Wade your way through reams of different degrees and college qualifications from various applicants, having to ask what each has covered and which trade skills they’ve acquired, or select a specialised number of commercial certifications that specifically match what you’re looking for, and make your short-list from that. You’ll then be able to concentrate on getting a feel for the person at interview - instead of having to work out if they can do the job.

Don’t accept anything less than authorised exam simulation and preparation programs included in your course. Don’t go for training programs depending on unauthorised exam preparation systems. Their phraseology can be quite different - and this could lead to potential problems in the actual examination. Simulated exams can be very useful as a resource to you - so that when you come to take the proper exam, you don’t get phased.

The sometimes daunting task of landing your first job is often made easier by training colleges, through a Job Placement Assistance facility. Don’t get overly impressed with this service - it’s easy for training companies to make too much of it. In reality, the massive skills shortage in this country is why employers will be interested in you.

Ideally you should have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; and we’d recommend all students to update their CV as soon as training commences - don’t wait until you’ve graduated or passed any exams. Quite frequently, you will get your first role while you’re still a student (sometimes when you’ve only just got going). If your course details aren’t on your CV - or it’s not getting in front of interviewers, then you’re not even going to be known about! If you’d like to keep travelling time and costs to a minimum, then you may well find that an independent and specialised local employment service could be of more use than some national concern, due to the fact that they’re far more likely to be familiar with what’s available near you.

Fundamentally, as long as you focus the same level of energy into landing a position as into training, you won’t find it too challenging. Some students strangely spend hundreds of hours on their training and studies and then just stop once qualified and appear to be under the impression that jobs will come to them.

As you’re researching MCSE training programs, you’re most likely in one of two situations: You might be wondering about completely changing your working life to get into the IT field, and research demonstrates there’s a growing demand for qualified people. On the other hand you’re someone with a certain amount of IT knowledge - and you’d like to consolidate your skill-set with an MCSE.

Always make sure you see evidence that your training company is supplying you with the latest version from Microsoft. A number of trainees have come unstuck when they discover they’ve been educated in an outdated MCSE program which inevitably will have to be up-dated. Training providers must be completely focused on establishing the best direction for their trainees. Mentoring education is equally about helping people to work out where to go, as much as giving them help to get there.

Coming across job security in this economic down-turn is very unusual. Businesses will remove us from the workforce at the drop of a hat - as and when it suits them. In actuality, security now only emerges through a quickly escalating market, pushed forward by a shortage of trained workers. It’s this alone that creates the correct setting for a secure market - definitely a more pleasing situation.

With the computer business as an example, a key e-Skills analysis highlighted a skills gap across the UK around the 26 percent mark. That means for every four jobs in existence around computing, we’ve only got three properly trained pro’s to fill that need. This basic fact reveals the validity and need for more commercially qualified computer professionals throughout the United Kingdom. Because the IT sector is increasing at such a quick pace, could there honestly be a better sector worth taking into account for retraining.

How do we arrive at an educated decision then? With all this potential, it’s important to know where to dig - and of course, what to actually be investigating.

Looking around, we find a glut of job availability in Information Technology. Arriving at the correct choice for yourself is a mammoth decision. Therefore, if you don’t have any understanding of the IT market, how are you equipped to know what someone in a particular field actually does day-to-day? Let alone decide on which educational path will be most suitable for a successful result. To get to the bottom of this, a discussion is necessary, covering many different aspects:

* Personality factors plus what interests you - what work-centred jobs you love or hate.

* Do you hope to pull off a closely held objective - for instance, becoming self-employed as quickly as possible?

* Your earning requirements you have?

* Considering the huge variation that Information Technology encompasses, you’ll need to be able to see what is different.

* You should also think long and hard about the amount of time and effort that you will set aside for your education.

Ultimately, the most intelligent way of investigating all this is via a good talk with someone that has enough background to be able to guide you.

Many trainers provide a big box of books. Learning like this is dull and repetitive and not really conducive to remembering. Many studies have proved that we remember much more when all our senses are involved, and we get physically involved with the study process.

Study programs now come on CD and DVD discs, where everything is taught on your PC. Video streaming means you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how to perform the required skill, and then practice yourself - via the interactive virtual lab’s. Make sure to obtain a training material demonstration from the training company. The package should contain instructor videos, demonstrations, slide-shows and lab’s for you to practice your skills in.

Avoid training that is purely online. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where possible, enabling them to be used at your convenience - ISP quality varies, so you don’t want to be totally reliant on your internet connection always being ‘up’ and available.

The way in which your courseware is broken down for you is often missed by many students. In what way are your training elements sectioned? And in what sequence and how fast does each element come? Many companies enrol you into some sort of program spread over 1-3 years, and send out each piece as you pass each exam. On the surface this seems reasonable - until you consider the following: What if you find the order prescribed by the provider doesn’t suit you. And what if you don’t finish all the sections inside their defined time-scales?

To avoid any potential future issues, it’s not unusual for students to have all their training materials (which they’ve now paid for) posted to them in one go, with nothing held back. It’s then your own choice at what speed and in which order you’d like to take your exams.

Some trainers will only offer support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. Many only provide email support (too slow), and phone support is often to a call-centre that will just take down the issue and email it over to their technical team - who will attempt to call you within 24-48 hrs, at a suitable time to them. This is not a lot of use if you’re sitting there confused over an issue and have a one hour time-slot in which to study.

The very best programs offer an online access 24×7 service combining multiple support operations over many time-zones. You get an easy to use interface that seamlessly selects the best facility available no matter what time of day it is: Support when you need it. Look for a training company that goes the extra mile. Only true live 24×7 round-the-clock support delivers what is required.

Always expect the very latest Microsoft (or Cisco, CompTIA etc.) accredited exam simulation and preparation packages. Make sure that your practice exams haven’t just got questions on the correct subjects, but additionally ask them in the exact format that the real exams will formulate them. This can really throw some people if they’re faced with unrecognisable phrases and formats. Simulations and practice exams will prove enormously valuable for confidence building - so that when you come to take the real thing, you won’t be worried.

A useful feature that several companies offer is a programme of Job Placement assistance. It’s intention is to assist your search for your first position. The honest truth is that it’s not as hard as some people make out to secure employment - as long as you’re correctly trained and certified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.

CV and Interview advice and support may be available (if not, see one of our sites for help). It’s essential that you polish up your CV straight away - don’t leave it till you pass the exams! You’ll often find that you will be offered your first position while still studying (even in the early stages). If your CV doesn’t say what you’re learning (and it hasn’t been posted on jobsites) then you won’t even be considered! You can usually expect quicker results from an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy than you will through a training company’s centralised service, because they’ll know the area better.

Not inconsiderable numbers of trainees, apparently, put a great deal of effort into their studies (sometimes for years), and just give up when it comes to looking for the right position. Introduce yourself… Work hard to get yourself known. A job isn’t just going to bump into you.