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Saturday, November 28, 2009

Training in Computer Support - Update

By Jason Kendall

Congratulate yourself that you're on the right track! A fraction of the population enjoy their work and find it stimulating, but vast numbers simply moan about it and take no action. Because you've done research we have a hunch that you're at least considering retraining, so you've already stood out from the crowd. Take your time now to research and follow-through.

When considering retraining, it's vital to first define your requirements from the position you'd like to train for. You need to know that things would be a lot better before much time and effort is spent re-directing your life. It's good sense to regard the big picture first, to make an informed decision:

* Is having company at work important to you? Are you better with new people or those you know well? Or you may prefer task-orientated work that you can complete alone?

* Do you have a preference which market sector you would be suited to? (In this economy, it's essential to choose well.)

* Would you like this to be the last time you'll have to retrain?

* Would you like your study to be in an industry where you believe your chances of gainful employment are high until retirement?

We would advise that you consider Information Technology - it's well known that it is one of the few growth sectors. It's not all nerdy people looking at computer screens constantly - naturally some IT jobs demand that, but the majority of roles are carried out by people like you and me who get on very well.

Finding your first job in the industry is often made easier with a Job Placement Assistance program. At the end of the day it isn't so complicated as you might think to land a job - as long as you're correctly trained and certified; the shortage of IT personnel in Britain looks after that.

Having said that, it's important to have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; also we would encourage any student to get their CV updated right at the beginning of their training - don't put it off till you've finished your exams.

Getting your CV considered is more than not being known. A surprising amount of junior positions are bagged by trainees (sometimes when they've only just got going.)

If you don't want to travel too far to work, then you'll often find that a local (but specialised) recruitment consultancy may serve you better than the trainer's recruitment division, for they're going to be familiar with local employment needs.

A big frustration for a number of training providers is how much people are focused on studying to get top marks in their exams, but how un-prepared they are to work on getting the role they've acquired skills for. Get out there and hustle - you might find it's fun.

Don't get hung-up, as many people do, on the certification itself. Training is not an end in itself; you should be geared towards the actual job at the end of it. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.

Students often train for a single year but end up performing the job-role for decades. Don't make the mistake of choosing what sounds like an 'interesting' training program only to spend 20 years doing a job you hate!

You must also consider your feelings on earning potential, career development, plus your level of ambition. It makes sense to understand what (if any) sacrifices you'll need to make for a particular role, what exams are required and where you'll pick-up experience from.

Talk to an experienced industry advisor who understands the work you're contemplating, and who can give you a detailed run-down of what you actually do in that role. Getting all these things right well before beginning a training course makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

Starting with the idea that we have to locate the market that sounds most inviting first and foremost, before we're able to chew over what method of training would meet that requirement, how do we decide on the right path?

How can we possibly grasp the tasks faced daily in an IT career if we've never been there? Often we have never met anyone who performs the role either.

Consideration of the following issues is most definitely required when you want to reveal the right answers:

* Personality plays an important role - what things get your juices flowing, and what are the areas that really turn you off.

* Why you're looking at starting in Information Technology - it could be you're looking to overcome a particular goal such as working for yourself maybe.

* Does salary have a higher place on your priority-scale than some other areas.

* Learning what the main work types and markets are - plus how they're different to each other.

* It's wise to spend some time thinking about the level of commitment you'll put into your training.

The best way to avoid the industry jargon, and discover what'll really work for you, have an informal meeting with an advisor with years of experience; someone who understands the commercial reality whilst covering all the qualifications.

You have to be sure that all your exams are current and what employers are looking for - you're wasting your time with programmes which provide certificates that are worthless because they're 'in-house'.

Unless your qualification is issued by a company like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe, then it's likely it will be commercially useless - because it won't give an employer any directly-useable skills.

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