Computer Career Training And Study – How Do You Choose 2009
April 5, 2009 by Jason Kendall
Filed under Online Colleges
Good for you! Discovering this piece means you’re likely to be pondering over your options, and if it’s new career training you’re deliberating over you’ve already done more than most. Did you know that surprisingly few of us are fulfilled and satisfied with our jobs – but the majority will take no corrective action. Why not liberate yourself and do something – think about how you could enjoy Monday mornings.
We’d politely request that before you start any study program, you discuss your plans with a person who knows the industry and can give you advice. Such a person will go through personality profiling with you and give you guidance on the right role for you:
* Are you hoping to be involved with others in the workplace? Would that be with a small ‘tightly-knit’ team or with a lot of new people? Maybe working on your own in isolation may be your preference?
* Are you thinking carefully about which industry you maybe could work in? (With the economic downturn, it’s more important than ever to be selective.)
* And how many years do you want to get out of your retraining, and will the market sector provide you with that possibility?
* Are you happy that the training program you’ve chosen can help you find employment, and will provide the facility to be employed up to the time you want to stop?
The biggest industry in the UK that can satisfy a trainee’s demands is the IT industry. There’s a demand for more knowledgeable workers in this market, just search any job site and you will find them yourself. But don’t think it’s all techie people staring at theirscreens all the time – there’s a lot more to it than that. The majority of the people in the computer industry are just like you and me, with well paid and stimulating jobs.
Bearing in mind all this talk about IT at present, how is it possible to recognize what precisely to look for?
Get rid of any salesman that pushes one particular program without an in-depth conversation to assess your abilities and also your level of experience. Always check they have access to a large array of training from which they could give you an appropriate solution. If you’ve got a strong background, or perhaps a bit of work-based experience (possibly even some previous certification?) then it’s more than likely your starting point will be quite dissimilar from someone with no background whatsoever. If this is your initial stab at studying for an IT examination then you may want to start with a user-skills course first.
Traditional teaching in classrooms, involving piles of reference textbooks, is an up-hill struggle for the majority of us. If this sounds like you, check out study materials that are multimedia based. Long-term memory is enhanced when all our senses are brought into the mix – educational experts have expounded on this for as long as we can remember.
Fully interactive motion videos featuring instructor demo’s and practice lab’s will beat books every time. And they’re far more fun. You really need to look at the type of training provided by the company you’re considering. You’ll want to see that they include video demo’s and interactive elements such as practice lab’s.
Avoiding training that is delivered purely online is generally a good idea. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where offered, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you – you don’t want to be reliant on your internet connection always being ‘up’ and available.
Training support for students is an absolute must – look for a package that includes 24×7 access, as anything less will frustrate you and could hold up your pace and restrict your intake. Find a good quality service with proper support available at any time you choose (even 1am on Sunday morning!) You want direct access to tutors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages – so you’re parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back when it’s convenient for them.
The best training colleges tend to use an online 24 hours-a-day service utilising a variety of support centres over many time-zones. You will have an easy to use interface that seamlessly accesses whichever office is appropriate no matter what time of day it is: Support available as-and-when you want it. You can’t afford to accept less than you need and deserve. Online 24×7 support is the only way to go for IT study. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; often though, we’re working when traditional support if offered.
Some training companies are still maintaining a now out-dated method of training – classroom days. Quite often pushed as a positive point, if you talk to a student who has had to attend a few, you’ll find them listing some or all of these:
* Many round journeys – quite often hundreds of miles each and every time.
* If you’re working, then Mon-Fri classes cause problems at work. More than likely you will be having to deal with 2-3 days at a time as well.
* Lost holiday days – the majority of employed people only get 4 weeks annual leave. If you use up half of that with training workshops, vacation time is going to be quite short for most student’s families.
* Training events can fill up very quickly and can sometimes be too big – so they’re not personal enough.
* Class pace – classes often consist of students of varied talent, so tension can be created between the quicker-learners and those with less experience.
* The growing costs associated with travel – driving or taking public transport to and from the training premises and of course over-night bed and breakfast can really add up every time you have to go. If you only assumed five to ten classes costing 35 pounds for one over-night room, plus 40 pounds for petrol and food at 15 pounds, that equates to 450-900 pounds of hidden costs that we now have to fund.
* We all enjoy our privacy. We don’t want to risk giving up any possible promotion that we’re owed because we’re getting trained in a different area.
* Many of us find that, at times, it’s uncomfortable to raise questions in a class full of our fellow trainees – because none of us wants to look like we don’t understand.
* For those of us who need to sometimes live or work away from home, consider the added problems of getting to the needed days in-centre, as time becomes even more scarce.
To find a more flexible route, exploit filmed classes in the comfort of your own home – taking them when it’s convenient to you – not someone else. Consider… Utilising a laptop you have the ability to study wherever you want. And 24×7 support is only a web-click away in case you get challenged. It doesn’t matter how often you need to repeat a module, video tutors aren’t ever likely to rush you! Also, in this situation, you’ll never have to write notes again. It’s already there for immediate use. Put simply: You avoid a bunch of hassle, save money and time, and altogether avoid polluting the environment.
Sometimes, people don’t really get what IT is doing for all of us. It is thrilling, changing, and means you’re working on technology affecting everyones lives in the 21st century. We’re at the dawn of beginning to get a handle on how all this will mould and change our lives. How we interrelate with the rest of the world will be profoundly affected by technology and the internet.
Let’s not forget that typical remuneration in IT over Britain as a whole is much greater than in the rest of the economy, so you’ll most likely receive much more once qualified in IT, than you’d get in most other industries. Because the IT market sector is still increasing with no sign of a slow-down, the chances are that demand for certified IT specialists will remain buoyant for a good while yet.