There are a range of options available for people who’d like to enter the world of IT. To find the right one for you, seek out a training provider that will work with you to identify which job will suit your characteristics, and then run through the details of the job, in order for you to know you’re going to enjoy it. Should you be thinking of upgrading your IT skill-set, perhaps with some Microsoft Office skills, or even becoming an IT professional, your study options are plentiful.
By reducing overhead structures, training companies now exist with up-to-the-minute courses that feature outstanding training and guidance for much lower prices than those charged by traditional establishments.
Including examinations with the course fee and offering an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is common for a good many training companies. But look at the facts:
Patently it isn’t free - you’re still being charged for it - it’s just been included in your package price. It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Progressively working through your exams in order and funding them as you go sees you much better placed to get through first time - you revise thoroughly and think carefully about the costs.
Why pay the college at the start of the course for examinations? Find the best deal you can when you take the exam, don’t pay mark-ups - and sit exams more locally - instead of miles away at the college’s beck and call. Big margins are made by many training colleges who get money for exam fees in advance. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons but the company keeps the money. Amazingly, there are training companies who depend on students not taking their exams - and that’s how they increase their profits. Re-takes of previously unsuccessful exams through companies who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ inevitably are heavily regulated. They’ll insist that you take mock exams first to make sure they think you’re going to pass.
Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is foolish - when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will get you through.
Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always proper direct-access 24×7 support via expert mentors and instructors. Too many companies only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually). Locate training schools with proper support available at all hours of the day and night (irrespective of whether it’s the wee hours on Sunday morning!) You’ll need direct-access to qualified mentors and tutors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages - so you’re parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back when it’s convenient for them.
As long as you look hard, you will find the top providers who recommend and use online direct access support around the clock - at any time of day or night. Never make the mistake of compromise when it comes to your support. The vast majority of IT hopefuls who give up, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.
It’s essential to have an authorised exam preparation system as part of your training package. Students regularly can get confused by practicing questions for their exams that are not from official boards. Often, the terminology in the real exams can be quite different and it’s important to prepare yourself for this. Obviously, it’s very crucial to ensure that you’re completely ready for your actual certification exam prior to going for it. Revising ‘mock’ exams adds to your knowledge bank and saves you time and money on unsuccessful attempts at exams.
The way a programme is physically sent to you is often missed by many students. How many stages do they break the program into? What is the order and at what speed is it delivered? Many companies enrol you into a program typically taking 1-3 years, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you complete each section or exam. On the surface this seems reasonable - until you consider the following: How would they react if you didn’t complete each and every module at the speed they required? And maybe you’ll find their order of completion won’t fit you as well as another different route may.
In an ideal situation, you’d ask for every single material to be delivered immediately - meaning you’ll have all of them to come back to in the future - at any time you choose. This allows a variation in the order that you complete each objective as and when something more intuitive seems right for you.
Students who consider this area of study are usually quite practically-minded, and won’t enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and slogging through piles of books. If you identify with this, go for more modern interactive training, where learning is video-based. Learning psychology studies show that we remember much more when we receive multi-sensorial input, and we take action to use what we’ve learned.
Locate a program where you’ll receive a library of CD and DVD ROM’s - you’ll start with videos of instructor demonstrations, followed by the chance to hone your abilities through virtual lab’s. You really need to look at courseware examples from each company you’re contemplating. Be sure that they contain video, demonstrations and various interactive elements.
You’ll find that many companies will only provide purely on-line training; and although this is okay the majority of the time, imagine the problems if you lose your internet access or you get a slow connection speed. A safer solution is the provision of actual CD or DVD ROMs that removes the issue entirely.
