If you’re reading this then it’s likely that either you want to get into networking and you fancy taking your MCSE, or you could already be in IT and you’re aware that the next stage is the Microsoft qualification.
Always make sure you prove conclusively that the training company you use is actually training you on the latest Microsoft level. Many students are left in a mess when they find that they’ve been studying for an outdated version which inevitably will have to be up-dated.
A company’s mission statement should be on doing the best thing for their clients, and they should care greatly about their results. Career study isn’t just about the certification – it should initially look at helping you to decide on the best action plan for your future.
Review the facts below carefully if you believe that over-used sales technique about a guarantee for your exam looks like a reason to buy:
Obviously it isn’t free – you’re still coughing up for it – it’s just been wrapped up in the price of the package.
Should you seriously need to qualify first ‘go’, evidence suggests you must avoid exam guarantees and pay when entering exams, give it the necessary attention and be ready for the task.
Isn’t it outrageous to have to pay a training college up-front for exam fees? Find the best exam deal or offer at the appropriate time, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance – and sit exams more locally – not at somewhere of their bidding.
Why tie up your cash (or borrow more than you need) for exams when there was no need to? A great deal of money is netted by organisations charging upfront for all their exams – and hoping either that you won’t take them, or it will be a long time before you do.
Don’t forget, in the majority of cases of ‘exam guarantees’ – you are not in control of when you are allowed to have another go. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.
Average exam fees were 112 pounds or thereabouts in the last 12 months via Prometric or VUE centres around the United Kingdom. So don’t be talked into shelling out hundreds or thousands of pounds more to have ‘an Exam Guarantee’, when it’s obvious that the responsible approach is consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software.
In most cases, your normal trainee doesn’t know what way to go about starting in a computing career, let alone what sector to focus their retraining program on.
I mean, if you have no know-how of the IT market, how could you possibly know what a particular IT employee actually does day-to-day? Let alone decide on which accreditation path provides the best chances for you to get there.
To get to the bottom of this, there should be a discussion of several unique issues:
* Our personalities play an important role – what gets you ‘up and running’, and what are the activities that put a frown on your face.
* Are you hoping to re-train due to a specific raison d’etre – e.g. are you pushing to work at home (being your own boss?)?
* Where is the salary on a scale of importance – is it of prime importance, or is enjoying your job a little higher on your priority-list?
* There are many ways to train in IT – there’s a need to get some key facts on what separates them.
* Having a cold, hard look at the level of commitment, time and effort that you’re going to put into it.
For the majority of us, sifting through all these ideas needs a long talk with an experienced pro who can investigate each area with you. And not just the qualifications – but also the commercial requirements and expectations besides.
Finding your first job in the industry is often made easier with the help of a Job Placement Assistance service. Because of the growing shortage of skills in Great Britain today, there’s no need to make too much of this option though. It really won’t be that difficult to land the right work once you’re properly qualified.
Having said that, it’s important to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; also we would encourage any student to update their CV as soon as they start a course – don’t delay until you’ve graduated or passed any exams.
It’s not unusual to find that you will get your first position while you’re still a student (sometimes when you’ve only just got going). If you haven’t updated your CV to say what you’re studying (and it’s not being looked at by employers) then you don’t stand a chance!
Generally, a specialist independent regional employment agency (who will get paid by the employer when they’ve placed you) should get better results than any division of a training company. It also stands to reason that they’ll know local industry and the area better.
To bottom line it, if you put as much hard work into finding a position as into studying, you’re not going to hit many challenges. A number of men and women bizarrely spend hundreds of hours on their learning program and just give up once qualified and appear to be under the impression that jobs will come to them.
Massive developments are about to hit technology over the next few decades – and it only gets more exciting every day.
We’re barely beginning to understand what this change will mean to us. How we interact with the world will be massively affected by technology and the internet.
Wages in the IT sector aren’t to be ignored moreover – the average salary in the United Kingdom for an average person working in IT is considerably more than in the rest of the economy. It’s likely that you’ll earn a much better deal than you’d expect to earn doing other work.
The good news is there’s not a hint of a downturn for IT industry increases in the UK. The sector continues to develop rapidly, and as we have a significant shortage of skilled professionals, it’s not likely that there’ll be any kind of easing off for years to come.
Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Go to Basic Web Design or www.RetrainingCourses.co.uk/trecourse.html.