Good for you! As you’re reading this article you’ve doubtless been pondering on re-training to work in a different industry – that means you’ve already taken one more step than the majority. Very few of us are pleased to go to work each day, but most just moan and do nothing about it. You could be a member of the few who actually do something about it.
We recommend you seek advice first – talk to someone who’s familiar with your chosen field; a guide who can really get to know you and find the best job role for you, and work out what learning programs that will suit you:
* Is having company at work important to you? Do you like to deal with the public? Or you may prefer task-orientated work that only you know how to deal with?
* What elements are you looking for from the industry your job is in? (Building and banking – not so stable as they once were.)
* When you’ve done all your re-training, would you like your skills to serve you till you retire?
* Do you think being qualified will make it easier to find the work you’re looking for, and stay employable until you wish to retire?
We would advise that your number one choice is Information Technology – it’s common knowledge that it is one of the few growth sectors. IT isn’t all techie people looking at computer screens the whole time – we know there are those roles, but most jobs are done by people like you and me who do very well out of it.
Which sort of questions should we pose if we’d like to gain the understanding necessary? After all, it seems there are some pretty excellent opportunities for everyone to investigate.
A proficient and professional consultant (vs a salesperson) will cover in some detail your current experience level and abilities. This is vital for establishing the starting point for your education. If you have a strong background, or perhaps a bit of real-world experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then it could be that the level you’ll need to start at will be very different from a student that is completely new to the industry. For students starting IT studies and exams from scratch, it can be helpful to avoid jumping in at the deep-end, kicking off with a user-skills course first. This can be built into any educational course.
Some training providers will only offer office hours or extended office hours support; It’s rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and phone support is usually just a call-centre which will make some notes and then email an advisor – who will then call back sometime over the next 24hrs, when it’s convenient to them. This isn’t a lot of good if you’re stuck with a particular problem and have a one hour time-slot in which to study.
As long as you look hard, you will find professional training packages that recommend and use online direct access support 24×7 – even in the middle of the night. Never make do with less than you need and deserve. Direct-access round-the-clock support is the only kind to make the grade with IT study. Maybe burning the midnight-oil is not your thing; usually though, we’re working at the time when most support is available.
We’d hazard a guess that you’re a practical sort of person – a ‘hands-on’ personality type. Usually, the trial of reading reference books and manuals is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but you’d hate it. Check out video-based multimedia instruction if books just don’t do it for you. If we can get all of our senses involved in our learning, then we often see hugely increased memory retention as a result.
Locate a program where you’re provided with an array of CD and DVD ROM’s – you’ll be learning from instructor videos and demo’s, and then have the opportunity to fine-tune your skills in fully interactive practice sessions. It’s wise to view some examples of the kind of training materials you’ll be using before you purchase a course. Always insist on instructor-led video demonstrations and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab’s.
Some companies only have access to training that is purely available online; and although this is okay the majority of the time, imagine the problems when you don’t have access to the internet or you get slow speeds and down-time etc. It’s much safer to rely on physical CD or DVD discs that removes the issue entirely.
Typically, a new trainee will not know to ask about something that can make a profound difference to their results – how their company segments the physical training materials, and into how many separate packages. A release of your materials piece by piece, as you complete each module is the usual method of releasing your program. While seeming sensible, you might like to consider this: What if there are reasons why you can’t finish all the sections or exams? What if you don’t find their order of learning is ideal for you? Through no fault of your own, you may not meet the required timescales and therefore not end up with all the modules.
In all honesty, the perfect answer is to obtain their recommendation on the best possible order of study, but get all the study materials at the start. You then have everything in the event you don’t complete everything quite as quick as they’d want.
It’s not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees – this always means you have to pay for the exams at the very beginning of your studies. Before you get carried away with the chance of a guarantee, consider this:
These days, we are a bit more aware of hype – and most of us know that for sure it is actually an additional cost to us – it’s not because they’re so generous they want to give something away! The honest truth is that when trainees fund their relevant examinations, one at a time, the chances are they’re going to qualify each time – as they are conscious of their investment in themselves and their application will be greater.
Why should you pay the training course provider at the start of the course for exam fees? Go for the best offer at the appropriate time, instead of paying a premium – and sit exams more locally – rather than possibly hours away from your area. A lot of extra profit is made by some training companies who take the exam money up-front. For various reasons, many students don’t take their exams but the company keeps the money. Surprising as it sounds, there are providers who depend on students not taking their exams – and that’s how they increase their profits. It’s also worth noting that many exam guarantees are worthless. Most companies won’t be prepared to pay for re-takes until you’re able to demonstrate an excellent mock pass rate.
With average prices for VUE and Pro-metric examinations costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, it makes sense to pay as you go. It’s not in the student’s interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.
A service offered by some training providers is a programme of Job Placement assistance. This is designed to help you get your first commercial position. The need for this feature can be bigged up out of proportion though – it’s quite easy for eager sales people to overplay it. Ultimately, the need for well trained IT people in the UK is what will make you attractive to employers.
Work on polishing up your CV right away however – you should get plenty of help from your training provider on this. Don’t put it off till you’ve finished your exams. You’ll often find that you’ll land your initial job while you’re still a student (even in the early stages). If your course details aren’t on your CV (and it hasn’t been posted on jobsites) then you’re not even going to be known about! Actually, a specialist locally based employment agency (who will, of course, be keen to place you to receive their commission) should get better results than any sector of a centralised training facility. Also of course they should be familiar with the local area and commercial needs.
Essentially, as long as you put the same commitment into finding a job as into studying, you won’t find it too challenging. Some trainees strangely spend hundreds of hours on their training and studies and then just stop once they’ve got certified and seem to suppose that interviewers know they’re there.
Often, people don’t really get what IT is doing for all of us. It is thrilling, changing, and means you’re a part of the huge progress of technology that will impact the whole world for generations to come. We’re barely starting to understand what this change will mean to us. How we communicate and interact with everyone around us will be massively affected by technology and the internet.
If earning a good living is high on your scale of wants, then you’ll be happy to know that the regular income of the majority of IT staff is significantly greater than salaries in other market sectors. The need for properly certified IT professionals is a fact of life for a good while yet, because of the constant increase in the marketplace and the vast deficiency that we still have.