by Jason Kendall
In the fast-paced world we live in, support workers who can fix PC’s and networks, and offer regular assistance to users, are vital in every sector of the economy. As we’re all becoming massively more reliant on advanced technology, we in turn emerge as more reliant on the commercially qualified networking professionals, who keep the systems going.
Most of us would love to think that our jobs will remain secure and our work prospects are protected, but the growing likelihood for most jobs in England today is that security may be a thing of the past. Now, we only experience security through a swiftly increasing marketplace, fuelled by a shortfall of trained staff. This shortage creates the appropriate background for market-security - a far better situation.
Offering the computing business as an example, the 2006 e-Skills survey showed a skills gap in Great Britain of over 26 percent. To put it another way, this clearly demonstrates that the UK can only find three properly accredited workers for each 4 positions available at the moment. This one idea alone underpins why the UK urgently requires many more new trainees to get into the IT sector. Undoubtedly, it really is such a perfect time to retrain into IT.
Getting to the most fitting career option is fraught with stress - so what research do we need to do and what sort of questions should we ask?
Any advisor who doesn’t ask many questions - the likelihood is they’re just a salesperson. If they’re pushing towards a particular product before getting to know your background and current experience level, then you know it’s true. With a strong background, or maybe some work-based experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then it’s likely the point from which you begin your studies will vary from a student that is completely new to the industry. If this is going to be your first effort at an IT exam then you might also want to cut your teeth on some basic PC skills training first.
At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be full 24×7 support through trained professional instructors and mentors. 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). Never buy certification programs which can only support students via a call-centre messaging system when it’s outside of usual working hours. Trainers will give you every excuse in the book why you don’t need this. The simple fact of the matter is - you need support when you need support - not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it.
World-class organisations offer an online access 24×7 service utilising a variety of support centres from around the world. You get a single, easy-to-use interface that seamlessly selects the best facility available any time of the day or night: Support when you need it. If you fail to get yourself direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll regret it. It may be that you don’t use it late in the night, but you’re bound to use weekends, early mornings or even late evenings at some point.
Most trainers typically provide a shelf full of reference manuals. This isn’t very interesting and not ideal for taking things in. Years of research and study has always demonstrated that connecting physically with our study, will more likely produce memories that are deeper and longer-lasting.
Fully interactive motion videos with demonstrations and practice sessions will forever turn you away from traditional book study. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. All companies must be able to demonstrate a few examples of the materials provided for study. You should hope for instructor-led videos and many interactive sections.
Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where offered, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you - and not be totally reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.
Commercial certification is now, undoubtedly, already replacing the traditional routes into the industry - why then is this the case? With university education costs spiralling out of control, plus the IT sector’s general opinion that accreditation-based training most often has much more commercial relevance, there has been a great increase in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA accredited training programmes that educate students at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time. Clearly, a reasonable amount of associated detail has to be learned, but core specialisation in the particular job function gives a commercially trained student a distinct advantage.
If an employer knows what areas they need covered, then all it takes is an advert for a person with the appropriate exam numbers. Syllabuses are set to exacting standards and do not vary between trainers (in the way that degree courses can).
You’ll come across courses which guarantee examination passes - they always involve paying for the exam fees up-front, at the very beginning of your studies. However, prior to embracing this so-called guarantee, be aware of the facts:
Clearly it isn’t free - you’re still being charged for it - the price has simply been included in the whole thing. Passing first time is everyone’s goal. Taking your exams progressively when it’s appropriate and funding them as you go puts you in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt - you put the effort in and are mindful of the investment you’ve made.
Do your exams at a local pro-metric testing centre and look for the very best offer you can at the time. Big margins are made by many companies who get money upfront for exam fees. Many students don’t take them for one reason or another and so the company is quids-in. Surprising as it sounds, there are providers that actually rely on students not sitting all the exams - as that’s very profitable for them. Re-takes of any failed exams with training course providers who offer an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are tightly controlled. You’ll be required to sit pre-tests till you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass.
With the average price of Pro-metric and VUE tests in the United Kingdom costing around 112 pounds, by far the best option is to pay for them as you take them. It’s not in the student’s interests to fork out hundreds or thousands of pounds for exams when enrolling on a course. A commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.
Ensure all your exams are current and commercially required - you’re wasting your time with programs which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. The main industry leaders such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco all have globally acknowledged skills programmes. Huge conglomerates such as these will give some sparkle to your CV.