1 Ski Boot

As you’re looking to study a course to qualify for an MCSE, it’s likely you’ll come into one of two categories. You’re either just starting to enter the computer sector, and you’ve found the IT industry has a huge demand for people with the right qualifications. Instead you could be a knowledgeable person ready to formalise your skills with an MCSE.

We’d recommend you check that your provider is educating you on the latest Microsoft version. A number of trainees become very demoralised when it turns out they have been studying for an outdated MCSE program which now needs updating. Don’t be pushed into a computer course without the right advice. Look for a training company that will ensure you are on an appropriate training track for your needs.

Your training program should always include the latest Microsoft (or relevant organisation’s) accredited exam simulation and preparation packages. Make sure that the practice exams haven’t just got questions from the right areas, but also asking them in the way that the actual final exam will formulate them. It really messes up trainees if they’re met with completely different formats and phraseologies. Always ask for testing modules in order to test your knowledge along the way. Practice exams help to build your confidence - then you won’t be quite so nervous at the actual exam.

It’s important to understand: the training program or a qualification is not what you’re looking for; the job or career that you want to end up in is. A lot of colleges seem to over-emphasise just the training course. You may train for one year and then end up doing a job for a lifetime. Ensure you avoid the fatal error of taking what may be an ‘interesting’ training program only to spend 20 years doing something you don’t even enjoy!

It’s a good idea to understand what expectations industry may have of you. Which particular certifications you’ll be required to have and how you’ll build your experience level. It’s also worth spending time considering how far you’d like to get as it may force you to choose a particular set of certifications. It’s worth seeking guidance from a professional that can best explain the industry you’re hoping to qualify in, and who can offer ‘A typical day in the life of’ type of explanation of the job being considered. All of these things are very important as you’ll need to fully understand if you’re barking up the wrong tree.

Watch out that all qualifications that you’re considering are commercially relevant and are up-to-date. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are often meaningless. From an employer’s viewpoint, only the major heavyweights like Microsoft, Adobe, CompTIA or Cisco (to give some examples) will open the right doors. Anything less won’t make the grade.

We need to make this very clear: You have to get round-the-clock 24×7 instructor support. We can tell you that you’ll strongly regret it if you don’t. You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and telephone support is usually to a call-centre who will make some notes and then email an advisor - who will call back over the next day or so (assuming you’re there), at a time suitable for them. This is all next to useless if you’re sitting there confused over an issue and only have a specific time you can study.

We recommend that you search for study programmes that have multiple support offices across multiple time-zones. Each one should be integrated to enable simple one-stop access and also 24×7 access, when it’s convenient for you, without any problems. Always choose a training provider that offers this level of study support. As only true round-the-clock 24×7 support truly delivers for technical programs.

It’s usual for students to get confused with a single training area which doesn’t even occur to them: How the training is broken down and delivered to your home. Training companies will normally offer a 2 or 3 year study programme, and deliver each piece one-by-one as you finish each section. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: Maybe the order of study offered by the provider doesn’t suit. It may be difficult to get through every element within their timetable?

In a perfect world, you’d get ALL the training materials right at the beginning - giving you them all to come back to in the future - at any time you choose. Variations can then be made to the order that you complete each objective where a more intuitive path can be found.

With so many different choices of computer courses on the market now, it’s advisable to find a company who can help you settle on a good match for you. Professional companies will talk thoroughly through the types of jobs that might suit you, before offering you a training path that can educate you in the relevant field. Whether you’re hoping to be a whiz with office user skills, or want to advance your career and attain IT qualifications at a professional level, there are user-friendly courses and support to give you the chance you’ve been looking for.

By taking advantage of the latest training methods and getting rid of wasteful procedures, there’s a new style of course provider supplying a better brand of teaching and assistance for very competitive prices.

Many training providers are still using a now out-dated method of training - classroom days. Often sold as a benefit, if you talk to a student who has had to attend a few, don’t be surprised to be lectured on several if not all of these:

* Many round journeys - quite often hundreds of miles at a time.

* Monday to Friday access for events can be usual, and trying to take several days leave in a single chunk causes a lot of problems for most working students.

* Lost holiday days - a lot of workers are given only twenty days of leave annually. If you give up at least half to your study classes, vacation time is going to be quite short for students and their families.

* In a situation where running costs are very high, most colleges make the classes quite large - not ideal (and far less personal).

* There is often tension in mixed classes as students want to progress at their own pace.

* The cost of travel - travelling backwards and forwards to the training college together with several days accommodation can really add up each time you attend. With only five to ten workshops at about thirty-five pounds for one over-night room, plus 40 pounds for petrol and food at 15 pounds, that equates to four to nine hundred pounds of hidden costs that we now have to fund.

* Most trainees want their studies to remain private to avoid any kind of repercussions whilst in their current job.

* Most of us feel awkward about asking questions in a room full of other trainees - because none of us wants to look like we don’t understand.

* For those of us who need to occasionally live away for part of the week, imagine the increased difficulty in making the required workshops, when time is at a premium.

The perfect situation is to watch a videoed workshop - providing direct instruction whenever it’s convenient for you. Training can take place wherever it suits you. Got a laptop?… Then why not catch some sun in your garden while you learn. If any problem raises its head then make use of the 24×7 support. Note-taking is a thing of the past - all the lessons are prepared and laid out for you - ready to go. Any time you want to repeat something, just do it. Could it be more straightforward: You avoid travelling and wasting time and money; plus you get a more stress-free study atmosphere.

Make sure that all your qualifications are what employers want - don’t even consider studies which end up with a useless in-house certificate or plaque. If your certification doesn’t come from a company like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe, then you’ll probably find it will be commercially useless - because no-one will recognise it.

It’s quite a normal occurrence for students not to check on something of absolutely vital importance - the way their training provider divides up the physical training materials, and into how many parts. Students often think it makes sense (with a typical time scale of 1-3 years to pass all the required exams,) that a training provider will issue the training stage by stage, until you’ve passed all the exams. But: Many students find that their training company’s ’standard’ path of training isn’t ideal for them. You may find that it’s more expedient to use an alternative order of study. And what if you don’t get to the end inside of the expected timescales?

In a perfect world, you want everything at the start - giving you them all to come back to in the future - at any time you choose. This also allows you to vary the order in which you attack each section as and when something more intuitive seems right for you.

In today’s high speed society, support workers who are able to mend PC’s and networks, and offer constant help to users, are essential in all areas of the business environment. Because of the multifaceted levels of technology, greater numbers of competent professionals are required to specialise in the smooth operation of functions we’ve come to rely on.

Trainees looking at this market can be very practical by nature, and won’t enjoy sitting at a desk in class, and slogging through piles of books. If you identify with this, try the newer style of interactive study, where everything is presented via full motion video. Learning psychology studies show that much more of what we learn in remembered when we receive multi-sensorial input, and we get physically involved with the study process.

Learning is now available on CD and DVD discs, where everything is taught on your PC. Using video-streaming, you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how to do something, and then practice yourself - in an interactive lab. It’s imperative to see some example materials from any company that you may want to train through. Be sure that they contain full motion videos of instructors demonstrating the topic with lab’s to practice the skills in.

Often, companies will only use just online versions of their training packages; and although this is okay the majority of the time, imagine the problems if you lose your internet access or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. A safer solution is the provision of CD and DVD ROM materials which don’t suffer from these broadband issues.

A valuable training program will undoubtedly have fully authorised exam preparation packages. Avoid depending on non-official exam preparation questions. The type of questions asked is often somewhat different - and this could lead to potential problems in the actual examination. Be sure to ask for testing modules so you can test your knowledge at any point. Practice exams help to build your confidence - then you’re much more at ease with the real thing.

Don’t forget: the actual training or a certification is not what you’re looking for; a job that you want to end up in is. A lot of colleges seem to completely prioritise the certificate itself. Never let yourself become one of those unfortunate students who select a program which looks like it could be fun - only to end up with a qualification for a job they hate.

Get to grips with earning potential and whether you’re an ambitious person or not. Sometimes, this affects which certifications you’ll need to attain and what’ll be expected of you in your new role. Obtain help from an industry professional who ‘gets’ the commercial realities of the area you’re interested in, and will be able to provide ‘A typical day in the life of’ understanding of what kinds of tasks you’ll be undertaking with each working day. It’s sensible to understand whether or not this is right for you before you start on any retraining programme. There’s little point in starting to train only to find you’ve taken the wrong route.

Looking at the myriad of choice out there, does it really shock us that a large percentage of trainees don’t really understand the best career path they could be successful with. Scanning a list of IT job-titles is a complete waste of time. The vast majority of us have no idea what our next-door neighbours do at work each day - so what chance do we have in understanding the subtleties of a new IT role. Often, the key to unlocking this question in the best manner stems from a thorough talk over some important points:

* Personality plays a significant part - what kind of areas spark your interest, and what are the areas that you really dislike.

* What time-frame are you looking at for your training?

* What scale of importance is the salary - is it of prime importance, or is job satisfaction a little higher on the priority-scale?

* Considering the huge variation that Information Technology covers, you really need to be able to take in the differences.

* You should also think long and hard about the level of commitment you’re going to give to your education.

For most people, getting to the bottom of all these ideas needs a long talk with a professional who can investigate each area with you. And we don’t just mean the certifications - but also the commercial expectations and needs besides.

We need to make this very clear: You have to get round-the-clock 24×7 instructor support. You will have so many problems later if you let this one slide. Many only provide email support (too slow), and telephone support is usually to a call-centre which will make some notes and then email an advisor - who will attempt to call you within 24-48 hrs, when it’s convenient to them. This is not a lot of use if you’re stuck with a particular problem and have a one hour time-slot in which to study.

We recommend looking for colleges that utilise many support facilities active in different time-zones. These should be integrated to enable simple one-stop access together with round-the-clock access, when you need it, without any problems. Don’t under any circumstances take a lower level of service. Online 24×7 support is the only way to go for technical courses. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; but for most of us, we’re at work while the support is live.

The CompTIA A+ course comprises of 4 specialised sectors - the requirement is exam passes in 2 specialities to be considered A+ competent. This is why, most colleges only offer two of the training options. We think this is selling you short - certainly you’ll have the qualification, but knowledge of every section will give you greater confidence in industry, where knowledge of all four will be necessary. That’s the reason why you deserve training in all 4 specialities.

A+ computer training courses cover fault-finding and diagnostics - both remote access and hands-on, in addition to building, fixing, repairing and working in antistatic conditions. You may also want to think about doing Network+ as you can then also work with networks, which is where the bigger salaries are.

Usually, your normal student doesn’t know where to start with IT, or even which area to focus their retraining program on. Since without any solid background in the IT industry, how can most of us be expected to understand what anyone doing a particular job actually does? To get through to the essence of this, a discussion is necessary, covering several definitive areas:

* Your hobbies and interests - often these point towards what things will provide a happy working life.

* For what reasons you’re moving into computing - it could be you’re looking to overcome a long-held goal such as working for yourself maybe.

* Does salary have a higher place on your wish list than some other areas.

* Looking at the many markets that the IT industry encompasses, you’ll need to be able to see what’s different.

* It makes sense to understand the differences across the myriad of training options.

The best way to avoid the industry jargon, and uncover the most viable option for your success, have an informal chat with an industry-experienced advisor; a person who will cover the commercial realities and truth while explaining the accreditations.

Review the following facts carefully if you believe the marketing blurb about ‘guaranteeing’ exams sounds like a benefit to the student:

You’re paying for it ultimately. One thing’s for sure - it isn’t free - it’s simply been shoe-horned into the price as a whole. It’s everybody’s ambition to qualify on the first attempt. Going for exams in order and funding them one at a time makes it far more likely you’ll pass first time - you put the effort in and are mindful of the investment you’ve made.

Don’t you think it’s more sensible to go for the best offer when you take the exam, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance to a training college, and also to sit exams more locally - rather than possibly hours away from your area? Paying in advance for examinations (plus interest - if you’re financing your study) is a false economy. It’s not your job to boost the training company’s account with additional funds simply to help their cash-flow! A lot bank on the fact that you won’t get to do them all - so they don’t need to pay for them. You should fully understand that re-takes with organisations with an ‘Exam Guarantee’ inevitably are heavily regulated. You will be required to do mock exams until you’ve demonstrated an excellent ability to pass.

Exam fees averaged approximately 112 pounds twelve months or so ago through Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So don’t be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more to get ‘Exam Guarantees’, when common sense dictates that what’s really needed is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.

If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you probably enjoy fairly practical work - the ‘hands-on’ individual. If you’re like us, the world of book-reading and classrooms would be considered as a last resort, but it doesn’t suit your way of doing things. So look for on-screen interactive learning packages if books just don’t do it for you. Research has time and time again demonstrated that connecting physically with our study, is proven to produce longer-lasting and deeper memory retention.

Locate a program where you’ll receive a library of DVD-ROM’s - you’ll be learning from instructor videos and demo’s, with the facility to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. You’ll definitely want a study material demo’ from the training company. You should ask for expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and interactive labs where you get to practice.

It doesn’t make sense to opt for on-line only training. Because of the variable quality and reliability of all internet service providers, ensure that you have access to CD or DVD ROM based materials.

Most of us would love to think that our careers will remain secure and the future is protected, but the growing likelihood for most sectors throughout England at the moment is that there is no security anymore. Where there are rising skills shortfalls coupled with increasing demand however, we generally locate a newly emerging type of market-security; as fuelled by the constant growth conditions, organisations find it hard to locate the number of people required.

The computing Industry skills shortfall throughout the United Kingdom falls in at approx twenty six percent, as reported by the latest e-Skills analysis. It follows then that for each four job positions that exist in the computer industry, employers can only source trained staff for three of the four. This single notion alone clearly demonstrates why the country needs considerably more workers to get trained and enter the IT industry. Actually, acquiring professional IT skills as you progress through the years to come is probably the safest career move you’ll ever make.

Students often end up having issues because of a single courseware aspect which doesn’t even occur to them: The way the training is divided into chunks and delivered to your home. Delivery by courier of each element one piece at a time, taking into account your exam passes is how things will normally arrive. This sounds sensible, but you might like to consider this: What if you don’t finish every single exam? And what if the order provided doesn’t meet your requirements? Because of nothing that’s your fault, you may not meet the required timescales and not receive all the modules you’ve paid for.

In all honesty, the very best answer is to have a copy of their prescribed order of study, but get everything up-front. You then have everything in the event you don’t complete everything inside of their required time-scales.