In today’s high speed society, support workers who can fix PC’s and networks, along with giving ongoing assistance to users, are vital in every part of the workplace. Industry’s need for better qualified personnel multiplies, as we turn out to be vastly more reliant on computers in today’s environment.

Including exams as an inclusive element of the package price and offering an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is popular with a number of training colleges. But let’s examine why they really do it:

Thankfully, today we’re a bit more aware of hype – and generally we cotton on to the fact that we are actually being charged for it – it’s not because they’re so generous they want to give something away!

It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Taking your exams progressively one by one and paying as you go has a marked effect on pass-rates – you prepare appropriately and are conscious of what you’ve spent.

Do your exams at a local pro-metric testing centre and don’t pay up-front, but seek out the best deal for you when you’re ready.

Considerable numbers of so-called credible training course providers net big margins through getting paid for exam fees early then hoping either that you won’t take them, or it will be a long time before you do.

Re-takes of previously unsuccessful exams with training course providers with an ‘Exam Guarantee’ are always heavily controlled. You’ll be required to sit pre-tests until you’ve proven that you’re likely to pass.

Due to typical VUE and Prometric tests costing in the region of 112 pounds in this country, it’s common sense to fund them one by one. There’s no sense in throwing away maybe a thousand pounds extra at the start of your studies. Commitment, effort and practice with quality exam preparation systems are the factors that really get you through.

So, why should we consider commercially accredited qualifications instead of traditional academic qualifications taught at schools, colleges or universities?

As we require increasingly more effective technological know-how, the IT sector has moved to specific, honed-in training that can only come from the vendors – in other words companies such as CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA. This usually turns out to involve less time and financial outlay.

Essentially, only that which is required is learned. It’s not quite as straightforward as that, but the principle objective is to focus on the exact skills required (including a degree of required background) – without overdoing the detail in everything else (as academia often does).

As long as an employer understands what areas they need covered, then all they have to do is advertise for the exact skill-set required to meet that need. Commercial syllabuses are set to exacting standards and do not vary between trainers (in the way that degree courses can).

A lot of commercial training providers will only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly.

Beware of institutions that use ‘out-of-hours’ call-centres – where you’ll get called back during the next ‘working’ day. It’s no use when you’re stuck on a problem and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.

The most successful trainers utilise several support facilities around the globe in several time-zones. They use an online interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, any time of the day or night, help is at hand, avoiding all the delays and problems.

If you accept anything less than direct-access 24×7 support, you’ll very quickly realise that you’ve made a mistake. You may avoid using the support during the night, but you may need weekends, evenings and early mornings at some point.

Doing your bit in the cutting-edge of new technology really is electrifying. You’re involved with shaping the next few decades.

Computer technology and communication on the web is going to spectacularly shape our lives in the future; overwhelmingly so.

The money in IT isn’t to be sniffed at also – the average salary in Great Britain for the usual IT employee is considerably higher than remuneration packages in other sectors. Chances are that you’ll earn a much greater package than you could reasonably hope to get in other industries.

Because the IT market sector is still increasing nationally and internationally, it’s predictable that the search for appropriately qualified IT professionals will continue actively for years to come.

(C) 2010 – S. Edwards. Look at CCNA Certification or www.ITCourse4PC.co.uk.

Training for your CompTIA A+ covers four specialised areas – you need to pass exams in two of these areas to be seen as competent in A+. This is why, the majority of colleges limit their course to 2 of the 4 sectors. Our opinion is this is selling you short – yes you’ll have qualified, but knowing about the others will give you a distinct advantage in your working life, where knowledge of all four will be necessary. This is why you need education in all four areas.

CompTIA A+ training programs cover fault-finding and diagnostics – via hands on and remote access, as well as learning to build, repair and fix and having knowledge of antistatic conditions.

If you would like to be the person who works for a larger company – fixing and supporting networks, you should include CompTIA Network+ to your training package, or alternatively look at doing an MCSA or MCSE with Microsoft in order to have a deeper understanding of the way networks work.

Accredited exam preparation packages are essential – and must be offered by your course provider.

Avoid depending on non-official exam papers and questions. The type of questions asked can be completely unlike authorised versions – and this leads to huge confusion once in the actual exam.

A way to build self-confidence is if you test how much you know by doing tests and practice exams to prepare you for taking the proper exam.

A competent and specialised advisor (in direct contrast to a salesman) will ask questions and seek to comprehend your abilities and experience. This is useful for calculating your study start-point.

If you have a strong background, or even a touch of live experience (some industry qualifications maybe?) then it’s likely the point from which you begin your studies will be very different from a student that is completely new to the industry.

Working through a basic PC skills program first will sometimes be the most effective way to get into your IT program, depending on your skill level at the moment.

The somewhat scary thought of finding your first IT job can be eased because some trainers offer a Job Placement Assistance facility. Ultimately it’s not as difficult as you may be led to believe to secure your first job – once you’re trained and certified; the growing UK skills shortage sees to that.

Bring your CV up to date as soon as possible however – look to your training company for advice on how to do this. Don’t wait till the exams have actually been passed.

Quite often, you will get your first job whilst still on the course (even in the early stages). If you haven’t updated your CV to say what you’re studying – or it’s not getting in front of interviewers, then you won’t even be considered!

Normally you’ll get quicker results from an independent and specialised local recruitment consultancy than you’ll get from a training company’s recruitment division, because they’ll know the area better.

Many trainees, apparently, conscientiously work through their course materials (sometimes for years), and then just stop instead of finding the right position. Sell yourself… Do everything you can to get yourself known. Good jobs don’t just knock on your door.

Wouldn’t it be great to know for sure that our jobs will always be safe and our work futures are protected, but the growing reality for most sectors in the UK right now seems to be that there is no security anymore.

Now, we only experience security through a swiftly rising market, fuelled by a shortfall of trained staff. It’s this alone that creates the appropriate environment for a secure marketplace – a far better situation.

The computing Industry skills shortfall throughout the country clocks in at over twenty six percent, according to the most recent e-Skills investigation. Showing that for every four jobs that are available throughout the computer industry, there are barely three qualified workers to do them.

This one concept on its own reveals why the UK needs so many more people to get into the industry.

Undoubtedly, this really is a fabulous time to retrain into Information Technology (IT).

(C) Scott Edwards 2010. Browse around IT Certification or www.CareerChangeJob.co.uk/ccachjo.html.

Congratulations! By landing here you’re probably toying with the idea of retraining for a new career – that means you’ve already taken one more step than the majority. A small minority of us are happy and fulfilled in our work, but most just moan and do nothing about it. You could be a member of the few who decide to make the change.

For those thinking of re-training, it’s vital to first define what you DO want and DON’T want from the position you’re looking to get into. Be sure that the grass actually is greener before you put a lot of energy into re-directing your life. We recommend looking at the whole story first, to avoid disappointment:

* Do you like working on your own or do you find company is an important option?

* Banking and building are none too stable today, so which industry would suit you best?

* Having completed your retraining, would you like this skill to serve you till you retire?

* Do you think being qualified will give you the opportunity to discover new employment possibilities, and remain in employment until you wish to retire?

We would strongly recommend that your number one choice is the IT industry – it’s well known that it is one of the few growth sectors. It’s not full of geeky individuals staring at computers constantly – we know those jobs exist, but most jobs are filled with ordinary people who earn considerably more than most.

It would be wonderful to believe that our careers are safe and our future is protected, but the growing reality for most sectors in the UK at the moment is that security may be a thing of the past.

It’s possible though to reveal security at the market sector level, by looking for high demand areas, tied with a lack of qualified workers.

The 2006 United Kingdom e-Skills survey demonstrated that over 26 percent of all available IT positions remain unfilled due to an appallingly low number of trained staff. Put simply, we’re only able to fill three out of 4 positions in the computer industry.

This single notion alone is the backbone of why Great Britain urgently requires a lot more new trainees to join the IT sector.

Actually, retraining in Information Technology during the years to come is almost definitely the safest career choice you could ever make.

Commercial certification is now, undoubtedly, starting to replace the traditional routes into the IT sector – so why should this be?

With an ever-increasing technical demand on resources, industry has had to move to the specialised training that can only come from the vendors – that is companies like Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA. This usually turns out to involve less time and financial outlay.

In a nutshell, only that which is required is learned. It’s slightly more broad than that, but the principle remains that students need to cover the precise skills needed (with some necessary background) – without attempting to cover a bit about everything else (as academia often does).

The crux of the matter is this: Commercial IT certifications give employers exactly what they’re looking for – the title is a complete giveaway: as an example – I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Managing and Maintaining Windows Server 2003′. Consequently companies can identify exactly what they need and which qualifications are required to fulfil that.

Commencing from the viewpoint that it makes sense to home-in on the employment that excites us first, before we can even mull over what training program fulfils our needs, how can we choose the correct route?

How can most of us possibly understand the tasks faced daily in an IT career when we haven’t done that before? Most likely we haven’t met someone who does that actual job anyway.

Reflection on these factors is imperative if you want to reveal a solution that suits you:

* Which type of person you reckon you are – what kind of jobs you enjoy, plus of course – what makes you unhappy.

* Why it seems right starting in computing – maybe you’d like to conquer a long-held goal such as firing your boss and working for yourself maybe.

* What salary and timescale requirements that are important to you?

* With so many different sectors to gain certifications for in the IT industry – you will have to get a basic understanding of what differentiates them.

* Taking a cold, hard look into the effort, commitment and time that you can put aside.

When all is said and done, the only real way of checking this all out is through a long chat with an advisor or professional that knows the industry well enough to lead you to the correct decision.

The way a programme is physically sent to you is usually ignored by most students. How many stages do they break the program into? And in what sequence and at what speed is it delivered?

Often, you’ll join a programme staged over 2 or 3 years and receive a module at a time. While this may sound logical on one level, consider this:

What would their reaction be if you find it difficult to do each section at the speed they required? And maybe you’ll find their order of completion won’t be as easy as some other order of studying might.

The ideal circumstances are to get all the learning modules packed off to your address right at the beginning; every single thing! Then, nothing can hinder your progress.

(C) 2010 – S. Edwards. Browse around ECDL Courses or www.CareerSkillsAdvice.co.uk/ocaskadv.html.