A very small number of men and women in this country are pleased and contented with their working life. Inevitably, huge numbers will do nothing about it. You\’ve reached this paragraph, which at least suggests that change is beckoning.
We\’d politely request that in advance of taking a course of training, you discuss your plans with a person who has knowledge of the industry and can give you advice. The right person will be able to assess your personal likes and dislikes and help you sort out a role to fit you:
* Do you hope for interaction with others? If so, do you want a team or are you more comfortable dealing with strangers? Or are you better working in isolation?
* What elements are you looking for from the area of industry you choose? – We all know that things have changed, look at building and banking for instance.
* After re-training, how long a career do you hope for, and can the industry you choose give you the confidence that will happen?
* Would you like your study to be in an industry where you\’re comfortable you\’ll have a job up to retirement age?
A predominant industry in the UK to tick all of the above boxes is the computer industry, particularly IT. There is a requirement for greater numbers of knowledgeable workers in IT, just check out any jobs website and you\’ll discover what we mean. Don\’t misunderstand and think it\’s full of techie geeks sitting in front ofscreens all the time – there are many more roles than that. Large numbers of workers in the industry are people of average intelligence, but they enjoy their work and get well paid.
A lot of training companies will only provide office hours or extended office hours support; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly.
Don\’t buy training courses that only support students via a message system when it\’s outside of usual working hours. Training companies will defend this with all kinds of excuses. The bottom line is – you want support at the appropriate time – not when it suits them.
Be on the lookout for training programs that incorporate three or four individual support centres from around the world. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to offer a simple interface together with 24 hours-a-day access, when it suits you, with the minimum of hassle.
Never ever take second best where support is concerned. The vast majority of IT hopefuls that can\’t get going properly, are in that situation because they didn\’t get the support necessary for them.
Looking around, we find a myriad of professional positions up for grabs in the IT industry. Finding the particular one out of this complexity is a mammoth decision.
How can we possibly grasp what is involved in a particular job when we\’ve never done it? Often we have never met anyone who performs the role either.
Often, the key to unlocking this problem appropriately stems from an in-depth chat, covering several different topics:
* Personalities play a significant part – what gets you \’up and running\’, and what are the things that really turn you off.
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* Why you want to consider moving into Information Technology – maybe you want to triumph over a life-long goal such as working from home for instance.
* What are your thoughts on travelling time and locality vs salary?
* Some students don\’t fully understand the amount of work required to achieve their goals.
* Taking a good look at how much time and effort you can give.
To bypass the barrage of jargon, and reveal what\’ll really work for you, have an informal chat with an industry-experienced advisor; an individual who appreciates and can explain the commercial realities as well as each qualification.
Validated exam preparation packages are vital – and absolutely ought to be sought from your training company.
Because a lot of examination boards in IT tend to be American, you must be prepared for the way exams are phrased. It\’s no use simply understanding random questions – it\’s essential that you can cope with them in the proper exam format.
A way to build self-confidence is if you test your knowledge through tests and practice exams to get you ready for the real deal.
It\’s not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees – this always means you have to pay for the exams before you\’ve even made a start on the course. Before you jump at a course with such a promise, why not think about this:
These days, we tend to be a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks – and most of us know that for sure it is something we\’re paying for – it\’s not because they\’re so generous they want to give something away!
If it\’s important to you to pass first time, evidence suggests you must pay for one exam at a time, give it the necessary attention and give the task sufficient application.
Why pay the college in advance for exam fees? Go for the best offer when you\’re ready, rather than pay marked up fees – and take it closer to home – not at somewhere of their bidding.
Is there a good reason to pay interest on a bigger loan than is necessary because you\’ve paid early for examination fees when there was no need to? Big margins are netted by organisations charging all their exam fees up-front – and hoping either that you won\’t take them, or it will be a long time before you do.
You should fully understand that re-takes through companies who offer an \’Exam Guarantee\’ are monitored with tight restrictions. They will insist that you take pre-tests first until you\’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass.
With average Prometric and VUE 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. Study, commitment and preparing with good quality mock and practice exams is what will really guarantee success.
(C) 2009 – S. Edwards. Check out Learn Programming or ccnatraining4.co.uk.
