Training For a Career in Networking Simplified
Monday, September 7th, 2009If we didn’t have a continuous flood of trained PC and network support personnel, commerce in the United Kingdom (along with most other places) would be likely to run into problems. Consequently, there’s a constantly increasing requirement for technicians to support both users and the systems they work with. Our desire for such skilled and qualified members of the workforce is growing at an impressive rate, as everywhere we work becomes more and more dependent upon technology.
Potential trainees looking to begin a career in computers and technology often have no idea of what route to follow, or even what market to obtain accreditation for.
How likely is it for us to understand the many facets of a particular career when we’ve never done it? We normally don’t know someone who works in that sector anyway.
Generally, the way to deal with this predicament correctly lies in a full talk over several different topics:
* What hobbies you’re involved with in your spare-time – as they can highlight what possibilities will satisfy you.
* For what reasons you’re stepping into computing – it could be you’re looking to achieve a life-long goal like being self-employed maybe.
* What salary and timescale needs that guide you?
* Understanding what the normal job roles and markets are – and what differentiates them.
* You have to understand the differences across all the training areas.
In all honesty, the only way to seek advice on these issues tends to be through a good talk with an advisor or professional that has a background in IT (and more importantly it’s commercial requirements.)
The best type of training course package will undoubtedly also include fully authorised exam simulation and preparation packages.
Ensure that the simulated exams aren’t just asking you the right questions on the correct subjects, but ask them in the way that the actual final exam will phrase them. This can really throw some trainees if they’re met with completely different formats and phraseologies.
As you can imagine, it is vital to know that you’ve thoroughly prepared for your actual certification exam prior to doing it. Rehearsing mock-up tests adds to your knowledge bank and will save a lot of money on thwarted exam entries.
Any advisor who doesn’t dig around with lots of question – it’s likely they’re really a salesperson. If they push a particular product before getting to know your background and whether you have any commercial experience, then you know it’s true.
Where you have a strong background, or even a touch of work-based experience (maybe some existing accreditation?) then obviously the level you’ll need to start at will be very different from a trainee who has no experience.
If this is going to be your initial effort at IT study then it may be wise to begin with some basic PC skills training first.
A sneaky way that training companies make more money is through up-front charges for exams and offering an exam guarantee. It looks impressive, until you think it through:
Patently it’s not free – you’re still coughing up for it – the cost has just been rolled into the whole training package.
The honest truth is that when trainees fund each examination, one after the other, there’s a much better chance they’ll pass first time – as they’ll be conscious of their investment in themselves and so will prepare more thoroughly.
Isn’t it outrageous to have to pay the training course provider up-front for exam fees? Find the best deal you can when you take the exam, instead of paying a premium – and do it in a local testing centre – rather than in some remote place.
Why borrow the money or pay in advance (plus interest of course) on examination fees when there’s absolutely nothing that says you have to? Huge profits are made because training colleges are getting money in early for exam fees – and then cashing in when they’re not all taken.
The majority of organisations will require you to do mock exams and prohibit you from re-taking an exam until you’ve proven conclusively that you can pass – which actually leaves you with no guarantee at all.
The cost of exams was approximately 112 pounds twelve months or so ago when taken at Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So what’s the point of paying maybe a thousand pounds extra to have ‘Exam Guarantees’, when it’s no secret that the most successful method is a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools.
Commercial qualifications are now, without a doubt, starting to replace the older academic routes into IT – so why is this the case?
The IT sector now recognises that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, the right accreditation from such organisations as Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe most often has much more specialised relevance – for much less time and money.
Vendor training works through concentrating on the particular skills that are needed (along with an appropriate level of related knowledge,) instead of covering masses of the background detail and ‘fluff’ that degree courses often do – to fill a three or four year course.
The crux of the matter is this: Recognised IT certifications tell an employer precisely what skills you have – it says what you do in the title: for example, I am a ‘Microsoft Certified Professional’ in ‘Designing Security for a Windows 2003 Network’. Consequently companies can identify exactly what they need and what certifications are required to fulfil that.
(C) Jason Kendall. Go to LearningLolly.com for intelligent career advice on IT Training Course and Comptia Network+ Certification.
