by Jason Kendall
Good for you! As you’re looking at this you’ve doubtless been pondering on retraining for a new career - that means you’ve already taken one more step than the majority. A small minority of us are content with our jobs, but most just moan and do nothing about it. So, why not be one of the few who take responsibility for their future.
With regard to individual training courses, look for an advisor who will give you advice on the right type of training for you. An advisor who will take time to get an understanding of your personality, and find out what types of work suit you:
* Is it your preference to work in isolation or perhaps being around others is an essential criteria for you?
* What do you require from the market sector you work in? - We all know that things have changed, look at building and banking for instance.
* Is this the final time you envisage re-training, and therefore, do you believe this career choice will allow you to do that?
* Do you think being qualified will make it easier to find new work easily, and stay employable until your retirement plans kick in?
The biggest industry in the United Kingdom that fulfils the above criteria is the IT sector. There’s a demand for more qualified people in the industry, simply have a look at a local jobsite and there’ll be a long list. Don’t let people tell you it’s full of techie geeks gazing towards theirscreens all day - there are loads more jobs than that. The majority of employees in the computer industry are just like the rest of us, with jobs they enjoy and better than average salaries.
Trainees hoping to get a career in IT generally have no idea of which path to follow, let alone what sector to build their qualifications around.
What are the chances of us grasping the many facets of a particular career when it’s an alien environment to us? Most likely we have never met anyone who does that actual job anyway.
To get through to the essence of this, we need to discuss many unique issues:
* What hobbies you’re involved with in your spare-time - often these define what possibilities will give you the most reward.
* Are you aiming to pull off a specific objective - like being your own boss in the near future?
* What scale of importance is the salary - is it very important, or is enjoying your job a lot higher on the scale of your priorities?
* Learning what the main IT roles and markets are - and what makes them different.
* You should also think long and hard about what kind of effort and commitment you’ll put into gaining your certifications.
To be honest, it’s obvious that the only real way to gain help on these matters is through a chat with an advisor or professional that has years of experience in IT (and chiefly the commercial needs.)
Review the facts below and pay great regard to them if you’re inclined to think the sales ploy of an ‘Exam Guarantee’ sounds great value:
Certainly it’s not free - you’re still footing the bill for it - the price has simply been included in the whole thing.
People who enter their exams one by one, funding them as they go are much better placed to get through first time. They’re aware of their investment and prepare more appropriately to make sure they’re ready.
Don’t pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you take the exam, and save having to find the money early. You’ll then be able to select where you sit the exam - so you can choose somewhere closer to home.
Why tie up your cash (or borrow more than you need) for examination fees when there was no need to? Big margins are secured by training companies getting money in early for exam fees - and banking on the fact that many won’t be taken.
Remember, with the majority of Exam Guarantees - you are not in control of when you can do your re-takes. You will have to demonstrate an excellent pass-rate before they’ll approve a re-take.
On average, exams cost approximately 112 pounds in the last 12 months when taken at VUE or Pro-metric centres in the UK. Therefore, why splash out often many hundreds of pounds extra to have ‘Exam Guarantees’, when common sense dictates that the responsible approach is consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software.
Full support is of the utmost importance - locate a good company that includes 24×7 access, as anything less will frustrate you and could impede your ability to learn.
Locate training schools where you can receive help at any time of day or night (no matter if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend!) Make sure it’s always direct-access to qualified mentors and tutors, and not simply some messaging service that means you’re consistently being held in a queue for a call-back when it’s convenient for them.
The very best programs offer an online round-the-clock service pulling in several support offices throughout multiple time-zones. You’re offered an interface which seamlessly accesses whichever office is appropriate at any time of day or night: Support when you need it.
Always choose a training school that offers this level of study support. Only true live 24×7 round-the-clock support gives you the confidence to make it.
The somewhat scary thought of finding your first job is often made easier by some training providers because they offer a Job Placement Assistance facility. At the end of the day it isn’t so complicated as you might think to secure your first job - once you’re trained and certified; the growing UK skills shortage sees to that.
One important thing though, don’t leave it until you’ve completed your exams before bringing your CV up to date. As soon as your training commences, enter details of your study programme and tell people about it!
Having the possibility of an interview is more than not being regarded at all. A decent number of junior positions are bagged by trainees (sometimes when they’ve only just got going.)
Actually, a specialist independent regional recruitment consultant or service (who will get paid commission to place you) is going to give you a better service than a division of a training company. Also of course they should be familiar with the area and local employers better.
A slight aggravation of many training course providers is how hard people are focused on studying to become certified, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the position they’re qualified for. Don’t give up when the best is yet to come.
