Choosing Computer Training Online in 2009
February 27, 2009 by Jason Kendall
Filed under Online Colleges
With so many different choices of computer courses on offer these days, take the time to seek out a company that can help you decide on the right one for you. Reputable organisations will familiarise you with the types of jobs that might suit you, prior to deciding on a training program that will give you the knowledge you need. Should you be considering upgrading your IT skill-set, maybe with some office user skills, or even loftier ambitions, you have a choice of how to study.
State-of-the-art training techniques currently give students the chance to be educated on an interactive course, that is far less expensive than old-style courses. The economies of scale of the new courses puts them within everyone’s reach.
How can job security honestly exist anymore? Here in the UK, where industry can change its mind at alarming speeds, it seems increasingly unlikely. In times of rising skills deficits mixed with high demand areas of course, we almost always reveal a newly emerging type of market-security; where, fuelled by the constant growth conditions, businesses struggle to find the influx of staff needed.
Taking a look at the IT market, the most recent e-Skills investigation showed a more than 26 percent shortfall of skilled workers. Meaning that for each four job positions in existence around Information Technology (IT), we have only 3 certified professionals to fulfil that role. This single concept in itself highlights why the country requires so many more new trainees to enter the IT sector. Without a doubt, it really is a fabulous time to train for IT.
Without a doubt, the computing market provides outstanding prospects. But, to arm ourselves with the correct information, what kind of questions should we ask, and what are the most important factors?
Frequently, a typical IT hopeful has no idea where to start with Information Technology, or even what sector they should be considering getting trained in. Scanning lists of IT career possibilities is a complete waste of time. Most of us don’t really appreciate what our next-door neighbours do at work each day – so we’re in the dark as to the ins and outs of a particular IT career. Contemplation on many areas is imperative when you need to uncover the right answers:
* What nature of individual you consider yourself to be – which things you enjoy doing, and on the other side of the coin – what you hate to do.
* Are you hoping to re-train because of a particular motive – for instance, is it your goal to work at home (self-employment?)?
* What scale of importance is the salary – is it of prime importance, or is job satisfaction a lot higher on your priority-list?
* Always think in-depth about the time expected to gain all the necessary accreditation.
* You should also think long and hard about the level of commitment you’re going to invest in gaining your certifications.
In all honesty, you’ll find the only real way to gain help on these matters is via a conversation with an experienced advisor who understands computing (and more importantly it’s commercial needs.)
Most trainers typically provide a bunch of books and manuals. It’s not a very interesting way to learn and not really conducive to taking things in. Recent studies into the way we learn shows that memory is aided when we involve as many senses as possible, and we get practically involved in what we’re studying.
Interactive full motion video featuring instructor demo’s and practice lab’s beat books hands-down. And you’ll find them fun and interesting. Don’t take any chances and look at examples of the courseware provided before you make your decision. The minimum you should expect would be instructor demonstrations, video tutorials and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab’s.
You should avoid purely online training. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where available, enabling them to be used at your convenience – and not be totally reliant on your internet connection always being ‘up’ and available.
The way in which your courseware is broken down for you isn’t always given the appropriate level of importance. How many parts is the training broken down into? What is the specific order and how fast does each element come? Usually, 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 if for some reason you don’t get to the end of every section? What if you don’t find their order of learning is ideal for you? Without any fault on your part, you mightn’t complete everything fast enough and not receive all the modules you’ve paid for.
For the perfect solution, you’d get ALL the training materials right at the beginning – meaning you’ll have all of them to return to any point – as and when you want. You can also vary the order in which you complete each objective if another more intuitive route presents itself.
Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always 24×7 round-the-clock support through trained professional instructors and mentors. It’s an all too common story to find providers that only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support. Try and find training with proper support available at all hours of the day and night (no matter if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend!) You want direct access to tutors, and not a message system as this will slow you down – constantly waiting for a call-back when it’s convenient for them.
We recommend looking for colleges that utilise many support facilities from around the world. Each one should be integrated to provide a single interface together with 24×7 access, when it suits you, with no fuss. Always pick a training school that is worth purchasing from. As only true 24×7 round-the-clock live support provides the necessary backup.
One interesting way that colleges make a lot more is via an ‘exam inclusive’ package and offering an exam guarantee. It looks like a good deal, but let’s just examine it more closely:
Everybody’s aware that they’re still footing the bill for it – it’s obviously been added into the overall figure from the course provider. It’s absolutely not free (it’s just marketing companies think we’ll fall for anything they say!) People who enter their exams one by one, funding them one at a time are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They are conscious of their investment and take the necessary steps to ensure they are ready.
Isn’t it in your interests to not pay up-front, but at the time, not to pay the fees marked up by the training company, and to take it closer to home – instead of the remote centre that’s convenient only to the trainer? Why tie up your cash (or borrow more than you need) for examinations when you don’t need to? Huge profits are secured by training companies getting money in early for exam fees – and then hoping that you won’t take them all. Pay heed to the fact that, in the majority of cases of ‘exam guarantees’ – the company decides when you can re-take the exam. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.
Spending hundreds or even thousands extra on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is foolish – when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.
Make sure that all your certifications are current and what employers are looking for – don’t even consider courses that only give in-house certificates. From the perspective of an employer, only the major heavyweights such as Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe (for instance) will get you short-listed. Nothing else makes the grade.