CompTIA Network Plus Retraining Schemes 2009
April 29, 2009 by Jason Kendall
Filed under Online Colleges
PC and network support staff are ever more sought after in the UK, as businesses are becoming more reliant upon their knowledge and skills. Whilst our society becomes growingly reliant on technology, we simultaneously become more dependent on the well trained network engineers, who ensure the systems function properly.
Without a doubt, the IT industry shows unparalleled opportunities. However, to investigate fully, which questions should we pose, and which are the most important considerations?
Far too many companies only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and forget the reasons for getting there – getting yourself a new job or career. Always begin with the end goal – too many people focus on the journey. Students often train for a single year but end up doing a job for a lifetime. Ensure you avoid the fatal error of finding what seems like an ‘interesting’ training program and then spend decades in an unrewarding career!
Stay focused on what you want to achieve, and formulate your training based on that – not the other way round. Stay on target and ensure that you’re training for an end-result that’ll reward you for many long and fruitful years. It’s worth seeking help from someone who can explain the market you think may suit you, and is able to give you ‘A day in the life of’ outline of what you actually do on the job. All of these things are essential because you obviously have to know if this change is right for you.
There is no way of over emphasising this: It’s essential to obtain proper 24×7 round-the-clock instructor support. You will have so many problems later if you don’t heed this. Beware of institutions that use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – where you’ll get called back during normal office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and want support there and then.
It’s possible to find professional companies which offer online support 24×7 – including evenings, nights and weekends. You can’t afford to accept less than you need and deserve. Support round-the-clock is the only kind that ever makes the grade when it comes to computer-based study. Maybe burning the midnight-oil is not your thing; often though, we’re out at work while the support is live.
We’d hazard a guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work – the ‘hands-on’ personality type. If you’re like us, the world of book-reading and classrooms can be just about bared when essential, but it’s not ideal. You should use video and multimedia based materials if book-based learning really isn’t your style. Years of research and study has time and time again confirmed that connecting physically with our study, will more likely produce memories that are deeper and longer-lasting.
Learning is now available in disc format, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Video streaming means you can sit back and watch the teachers showing you precisely how it’s all done, and then have a go at it yourself – in a virtual lab environment. It’s wise to view some of the typical study materials provided before you sign the purchase order. You should expect video tutorials, instructor demo’s and audio-visual elements backed up by interactive lab’s.
Opt for physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s if possible. You’re then protected from broadband ‘downtime’ or slow-speeds.
Workshops are often touted as a major benefit by a lot of training schools. If you talk to most IT hopefuls who’ve attended a few, you’ll begin to see a common thread – they are viewed as a major negative due to many reasons:
* Loads of journeys to the workshop centre – sometimes quite a distance away.
* Asking for frequent time off work – a lot of schools provide weekday availability and link several days together. This isn’t ideal for most people who work, especially if you include the travel time on top.
* Annual leave lost – many working people only have 20 days holiday. If over half of it is swallowed up by training classes, vacation time is going to be quite short for the student.
* Training events fill up fast and can sometimes be too big – so they’re not personal enough.
* Tension can be created in mixed classes because most students want to move at a pace comfortable for them.
* The growing costs associated with travel – driving or taking public transport to the training centre and of course several days bed and breakfast can mount up with each visit. If you only assumed 5-10 classes costing around 35 pounds for one over-night room, plus a petrol cost of 40 pounds and food at 15 pounds, that equates to four to nine hundred pounds of add-on cost.
* Is it worth any chance of getting passed-over for potential advancement or pay-rises while you’re training.
* Asking questions in front of other class-mates sometimes makes us feel uncomfortable. Have you ever left a question un-asked just because you didn’t want to look foolish?
* It’s a fact; classes are pretty much undoable, where you work or live away for days at a time.
Many students discover a more flexible approach is to exploit pre-made lessons at the location of your choice – taking them when it’s convenient to you – not some other person. You can train wherever you want. If you have a laptop, why not catch a bit of sunshine outside as you work. Any difficulties and utilise the 24×7 Support. Modules and lessons can be repeated whenever you feel you need to – repetition aids memory. And you’ll never have to write notes again – it’s all provided. The final outcome: Reduced stress, more money in the bank, and travelling is removed.
Let’s face it: There really is absolutely no individual job security available anymore; there’s only industry and sector security – any company is likely to let anyone go if it suits the business’ trade needs. Security only exists now in a swiftly rising marketplace, driven by a lack of trained workers. It’s this alone that creates the appropriate setting for a secure market – definitely a more pleasing situation.
Reviewing the computing industry, the 2006 e-Skills survey highlighted a more than 26 percent shortage in trained professionals. Therefore, for every four jobs existing across computing, organisations are only able to locate properly accredited workers for three of them. Accomplishing proper commercial computing accreditation is consequently a fast-track to achieve a long-lasting as well as pleasing career. For sure, this really is such a perfect time to consider retraining into the IT industry.