IT Career Training – Some Thoughts 2009
April 27, 2009 by Jason Kendall
Filed under Online Colleges
Good for you! As you’re reading this article it’s likely you’re thinking about retraining for a new career – that means you’ve already taken one more step than the majority. Only one in ten of us are pleased to go to work each day, but no action is ever taken. You could be a member of the few who actually do something about it.
Prior to considering any career courses, seek out someone who will give you advice on which area will be right for you. An advisor who will take time to ask questions about your likes and dislikes, and discover what type of job will be right for you:
* Are you hoping to be involved with others in the workplace? Would that be with a small ‘tightly-knit’ team or with many new people? Perhaps working alone in isolation would be more your thing?
* What criteria are fundamentally important with regard to the sector of industry you hope to work in?
* Is this the last time you envisage re-training, and therefore, will your chosen career path service that need?
* Do you believe that your chosen retraining will make you employable, and provide the facility to be employed up to the time you want to stop?
We would advise you to have a good look at the computer industry – there are a larger number of roles than staff to fill them, plus it’s one of the few choices of career where the market sector is expanding. Despite the beliefs of some, it isn’t just geeks lost in their PC’s all day long (if you like the sound of that though, they do exist.) The majority of jobs are filled by ordinary men and women who enjoy a very nice lifestyle due to better than average wages.
Listening to all the debate about computer technology nowadays, how is it possible to know what exactly to look for?
There are an excess of work available in Information Technology. Arriving at the correct choice out of this complexity often proves challenging. Because without any commercial skills in IT, how could any of us be expected to understand what any job actually involves? To attack this, we need to discuss a variety of unique issues:
* The kind of individual you are – what kind of jobs you get enjoyment from, plus of course – what makes you unhappy.
* Do you want to re-train for a precise raison d’etre – e.g. are you pushing to work based at home (maybe self-employment?)?
* Have you thought about travelling time and locality vs salary?
* With everything that the IT industry encapsulates, you really need to be able to take in the differences.
* The time and energy you’ll spend on getting qualified.
The best way to avoid all the jargon and confusion, and reveal what’ll really work for you, have a good talk with an industry expert and advisor; an individual who will cover the commercial realities and truth as well as each certification.
The old fashioned style of teaching, utilising reference manuals and books, is usually pretty hard going. If this sounds like you, look for learning programmes that are on-screen and interactive. Our ability to remember is increased when all our senses are brought into the mix – this has been an accepted fact in expert circles for as long as we can remember.
Courses are now available via DVD-ROM discs, so you can study at your own computer. Utilising the latest video technology, you are able to see your instructors showing you how something is done, followed by your chance to practice – via the interactive virtual lab’s. You really need to look at some example materials from your chosen company. It’s essential they incorporate video demo’s and interactive elements such as practice lab’s.
You should avoid purely online training. Physical CD or DVD ROM materials are preferable where possible, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you – ISP quality varies, so you don’t want to be totally reliant on your broadband being ‘up’ 100 percent of the time.
Most commercial training providers will only provide support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; most won’t answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends. Beware of institutions which use ‘out-of-hours’ messaging systems – where you’ll get called back during office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and could do with an answer during your scheduled study period.
We recommend that you search for providers that use several support centres active in different time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to offer a simple interface and access round-the-clock, when it’s convenient for you, without any problems. Never make do with less than this. Direct-access round-the-clock support is the only way to go when it comes to technical courses. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; often though, we’re at work during the provided support period.
If you’re considering a training company who still utilises ‘in-centre’ days as part of their program, then you should know about these typical downsides experienced by almost all trainees:
* Frequent driving or public transport – quite a distance away in more cases than not.
* Weekday availability for workshops is typically the case, and with 2-3 days to book off work, this can represent quite a problem for the majority of students who work.
* Holiday days lost – many workers only get 4 weeks annual leave. If you use up half of that with study days, you haven’t got a great deal of holiday time remaining for most student’s families.
* Taking into account the costs associated with delivering a workshop, most schools fill the classes up to the brim – certainly not ideal (and far less personal).
* Maybe you like to work at a different pace to others in the class. This creates a lot of tension amongst the class.
* And don’t disregard the added cost of travelling or several days accommodation either. This may well run to hundreds and even thousands of pounds extra. Do the maths yourself – it’ll shock and surprise you.
* The majority of trainees would like to keep their training completely private to avoid any kind of repercussions in their job.
* Posing questions in the presence of other class-mates will often make any one of us feel awkward. Ever avoided asking a question just because you were worried it might make you look silly?
* Working away from home – many students find they have to work or live somewhere else for part of their training. Classes are therefore hard to get to, but you’ve already paid for them in your initial payment.
Many students discover a more flexible approach is to utilise filmed classes at home, in comfort – at a time that’s convenient to you – not someone else. Study can happen anywhere that suits. If you have a laptop, you could get some sun in your garden as you work. If any problem raises its head then get onto the live 24×7 support. Repeat lessons and modules when you’re preparing for exams – repetition is good for memory. And you’ll never have to write notes again – everything is already prepared ready. What could be simpler: A lot of money is saved and you avoid all the travelling; and of course you end up with a more relaxed training atmosphere.
Many folks don’t comprehend what IT can do for us. It is thrilling, changing, and puts you at the fore-front of developments in technology that will impact the whole world for generations to come. Technology, computers and dialogue via the web is going to dramatically shape our lives over the coming years; to a vast degree.
Wages in the IT sector aren’t to be ignored either – the typical remuneration in the United Kingdom for the usual IT worker is considerably better than in other market sectors. It’s likely you’ll bring in a much greater package than you would in most other jobs. There is a great country-wide demand for trained and qualified IT technicians. And as the industry constantly develops, it appears this will be the case for years to come.
