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Just ten percent of adults in this country are claiming to be happy in their job. The vast majority of course will take no action. The fact that you’ve got this far at least means that you’re considering or may be ready for a change.

When looking at training, it’s vital that you have in mind what you want and don’t want from the position you’re looking to get into. It’s important to discover if a new career would suit you better before you put a lot of energy into re-directing your life. It’s good sense to regard the big picture first, to make an informed decision:

* Is working with other people your thing? Are you better with new people or those you know well? Maybe you like to deal with tasks that you deal with by yourself?

* Do you have a preference which market sector you could be employed in? (In this economy, it’s vital to choose carefully.)

* Is this the final time you envisage re-training, and if so, do you believe this career choice will allow you to do that?

* Would it be useful for the course you’re re-training in to be in an area where you believe your chances of gainful employment are high up to retirement age?

We would advise you to consider the IT industry - there are greater numbers of jobs than staff to fill them, because it’s a rare career choice where the sector is expanding. Contrary to the opinions of certain people, IT isn’t all techie people lost in their PC’s the whole day (though those jobs exist.) The majority of jobs are taken by people like you and me who like receiving larger than average salaries.

Starting with the idea that it’s good to home-in on the market that sounds most inviting first and foremost, before we’re even able to contemplate which method of training ticks the right boxes, how can we choose the way that suits us?

What are the chances of us grasping what is involved in a particular job if we’ve never been there? Often we don’t even know anybody who does that actual job anyway.

The key to answering this dilemma in the best manner stems from a full conversation around a variety of topics:

* Your personality can play an important part - what gets you ‘up and running’, and what are the activities that really turn you off.

* Is it your desire to reach a key dream - like working from home as quickly as possible?

* The income requirements you may have?

* Learning what the normal IT roles and markets are - and what differentiates them.

* How much time you’re prepared to spend on the training program.

Ultimately, the best way of checking this all out is via a meeting with a professional that knows the industry well enough to give you the information required.

An advisor that doesn’t ask many questions - it’s likely they’re just a salesperson. If they’re pushing towards a particular product before learning about your history and current experience level, then it’s definitely the case.

Don’t forget, if you’ve got any qualifications that are related, then you will often be able to pick-up at a different starting-point to someone who is new to the field.

Commencing with a basic PC skills program first can be the best way to get into your computer studies, depending on your skill level at the moment.

Students often end up having issues because of a single courseware aspect very rarely considered: The method used to ’segment’ the courseware before being delivered to your home.

Delivery by courier of each element stage by stage, as you pass each exam is the usual method of releasing your program. This sounds sensible, but you might like to consider this:

Maybe the order of study pushed by the company’s salespeople doesn’t suit all of us. And what if you don’t finish all the elements at the speed required?

Truth be told, the best solution is to obtain their recommendation on the best possible order of study, but to receive all the materials up-front. You’re then in possession of everything should you not complete it at their required pace.

A useful feature that many training companies provide is a programme of Job Placement assistance. This is designed to steer you into your first IT role. Ultimately it isn’t a complex operation to get a job - as long as you’re correctly trained and certified; because there’s still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.

Get your CV updated straight-away though - look to your training company for advice on how to do this. Don’t put it off till you’ve finished your exams.

It’s possible that you won’t have even qualified when you will get your initial junior support role; yet this isn’t going to happen if interviewers don’t get sight of your CV.

If you’d like to keep travelling time and costs to a minimum, then you may well find that an independent and specialised local employment service can generally serve you better than the trainer’s recruitment division, for they’re far more likely to be familiar with the local job scene.

Just be sure that you don’t spend hundreds of hours on your training and studies, only to stop and imagine someone else is miraculously going to secure your first position. Take responsibility for yourself and make your own enquiries. Put as much energy and enthusiasm into securing the right position as you did to gain the skills.

(C) 2009 - S. Edwards. Pop over to www.it-training–uk.co.uk or Click Here.

If you’re considering a career in web design, find a course in Adobe Dreamweaver.

We’d also suggest that you learn all about the complete Adobe Web Creative Suite, including Flash and Action Script, in order to use Dreamweaver as a commercial web-designer. This knowledge can mean later becoming an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) or Adobe Certified Professional (ACP).

Designing the website is only the beginning of the learning required by professional web-designers today. You’d be wise to look for a program with a range of specialist features, for example E-Commerce, SEO (Search Engine Optimisation,) to enable you to appreciate the way to drive traffic, maintain content and program dynamic sites that are database driven.

Far too many companies focus completely on the certification process, and forget what you actually need - which will always be getting the job or career you want. Always start with the final destination in mind - don’t make the journey more important than where you want to get to.

You could be training for only a year and end up doing the actual job for 10-20 years. Don’t make the error of taking what may be a very ‘interesting’ program only to waste your life away with something you don’t even enjoy!

It’s essential to keep your focus on where you want to go, and build your study action-plan from that - don’t do it the other way round. Keep your eyes on your goals and ensure that you’re training for an end-result that’ll reward you for many long and fruitful years.

The best advice for students is to speak with an industry professional before they embark on a training course. This is essential to ensure it contains the commercially required skills for the chosen career.

We’d hazard a guess that you’re a practical sort of person - the ‘hands-on’ individual. If you’re like us, the trial of reading reference books and manuals is something you’ll force on yourself if you absolutely have to, but it’s not really your thing. Check out video-based multimedia instruction if book-based learning really isn’t your style.

Our ability to remember is increased when multiple senses are involved - learning experts have been saying this for years now.

Study programs now come via DVD-ROM discs, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Using video-streaming, you will be able to see the instructor presenting exactly how to perform the required skill, with some practice time to follow - in a virtual lab environment.

Always insist on a training material demonstration from any training college. You’ll want to see expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and virtual practice lab’s for your new skills.

Some companies only have access to just online versions of their training packages; and while this is acceptable much of the time, imagine the problems if internet access is lost or you only get very a very slow connection sometimes. It is usually safer to have physical CD or DVD discs which removes the issue entirely.

An effective training course package will also offer accredited exam simulation and preparation packages.

Sometimes people can get thrown by going through practice questions that aren’t from authorised sources. Often, the terminology in the real exams can be completely unlike un-authorised versions and it’s vital that you know this.

You should make sure you test how much you know by doing tests and practice exams prior to taking the real thing.

Can job security truly exist anywhere now? In a marketplace like the UK, with industry changing its mind whenever it suits, there doesn’t seem much chance.

In actuality, security now only emerges through a swiftly increasing market, driven forward by work-skills shortages. It’s this shortage that creates just the right conditions for a higher level of market-security - definitely a more pleasing situation.

The 2006 British e-Skills survey demonstrated that twenty six percent of all IT positions available are unfilled mainly due to an appallingly low number of trained staff. This shows that for each 4 job positions in existence around Information Technology (IT), we’ve only got three properly trained pro’s to perform that task.

This one fact alone clearly demonstrates why the United Kingdom needs considerably more new trainees to enter the IT industry.

In actuality, gaining new qualifications in IT as you progress through the coming years is likely the best career choice you could ever make.

Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Go to HERE or www.dreamweavercs4training.co.uk.

Should you be considering getting into the web design industry, an Adobe Dreamweaver course is essential for getting professional credentials that are recognised around the world.

We’d also suggest that you learn all about the entire Adobe Web Creative Suite, which includes Flash and Action Script, to be able to utilise Dreamweaver professionally as a web designer. This knowledge can result in you subsequently becoming either an Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) or an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE).

The building of the website only scratches the surface of the skill set required though - in order to drive traffic, update content, and work on dynamic sites that are database driven, you’ll need to bolt on more programming skills, for example HTML and PHP, and database engines like MySQL. You should also have an excellent grasp of Search Engine Optimisation and E Commerce.

A ridiculously large number of organisations focus completely on the certification process, and avoid focusing on why you’re doing this - getting yourself a new job or career. Always begin with the end goal - don’t make the journey more important than where you want to get to.

It’s a terrible situation, but thousands of new students commence training that sounds fabulous in the sales literature, but which delivers a career that doesn’t fulfil at all. Speak to a selection of university leavers and you’ll see where we’re coming from.

Be honest with yourself about what you want to earn and the level of your ambition. Usually, this will point the way to which exams will be expected and what’ll be expected of you in your new role.

Before you embark on a particular learning course, trainees are advised to discuss the exact job requirements with an industry professional, to be absolutely sure the retraining program covers everything needed.

A lot of training academies still use a now out-dated method of training - classroom lessons. 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 the following problems:

* Many back and forth visits - usually hundreds of miles each and every time.

* Asking for constant holidays or time off - typical trainers can only give Mon-Fri workshop availability and group several days in a chunk. This isn’t ideal for most people who work, even more so when you add the travel time on.

* Let’s not overlook the lost vacation days. We typically get four weeks vacation allowance. If half of that is used up on workshops, then we aren’t going to be doing much vacationing.

* With the high costs involved, a lot of schools have to put on larger classes - which is not ideal (increasing the ratio of students to teachers).

* Tension can run high in mixed classes because most students want to move at a pace comfortable for them.

* Many attendees report that the (not inconsiderable) costs of getting transport to and from the training school while covering the cost of accommodation and food gets very high.

* Do you really want the chance of letting yourself be ignored for potential advancement or wage increases just because you’re retraining.

* Asking questions around our class-mates will often make us feel uncomfortable. Have you ever left a question un-asked because you didn’t want to appear stupid?

* For students working away from home occasionally, you face the added difficulty that days in-centre now become very hard to attend - and yet, the fees were paid along with everything else at the start.

The best possible solution is watching a videoed workshop - with instructor-led learning available at a time that’s convenient to you alone.

Study from home on your desktop computer or out in the garden on your laptop. If you’ve got questions, then get onto the live 24×7 support (that you should have insisted on for any technical study.)

You can go back and re-cover all the modules whenever you need to. And of course, you don’t have to write any notes as you’ll have direct access to the instruction whenever you want to go back to it.

What could be more straightforward: Time and money is saved and travelling is avoided altogether; and of course you end up with a more comfortable study environment.

(C) 2009 - S. Edwards. Browse around www.adobecs4training.co.uk or HERE.

If you want Cisco training, it’s most likely that the CCNA is what you’ll need. Cisco training is fundamentally for those who want to learn about network switches and routers. Routers hook up networks of computers to another collection of computer networks via dedicated lines or the internet.

It’s very probable you’ll get a job with an internet service provider or perhaps a national or international corporation that is on many locations but still needs contact. This specialised skill set is highly paid.

You’ll need a specially designed course that will systematically go through everything to ensure that you have comprehensive skills and knowledge prior to commencing your Cisco training.

Far too many companies only look at the plaque to hang on your wall, and forget why you’re doing this - which will always be getting the job or career you want. Always begin with where you want to get to - don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle.

You could be training for only a year and end up doing a job for a lifetime. Don’t make the mistake of taking what may be an ‘interesting’ course and then put 10-20 years into a job you don’t like!

It’s well worth a long chat to see the expectations of your industry. What particular qualifications you’ll need and in what way you can gain some industry experience. It’s definitely worth spending time thinking about how far you’d like to progress your career as it will often control your selection of certifications.

It’s worth seeking guidance from someone who understands the sector you think may suit you, and is able to give you ‘A day in the life of’ synopsis of the job being considered. This really is essential because you need to know if this change is right for you.

A useful feature that several companies offer is a programme of Job Placement assistance. It’s intention is to assist your search for your first position. It can happen though that too much is made of this feature, as it is actually not that hard for any motivated and trained individual to get a job in the IT industry - as employers are keen to find appropriately trained staff.

Having said that, it’s important to have advice and support about your CV and interviews though; additionally, we would recommend any student to update their CV as soon as they start a course - don’t put it off until you’ve qualified.

It’s possible that you won’t have even qualified when you land your first junior support role; yet this is not possible if interviewers don’t get sight of your CV.

Generally, an independent and specialised local employment service (who will, of course, be keen to place you to receive their commission) will be more pro-active than a division of a training company. Also of course they should be familiar with the area and local employers better.

Do make sure you don’t put hundreds of hours of effort into your studies, and then do nothing more and expect somebody else to land you a job. Get off your backside and start looking for yourself. Channel the same focus into securing a good job as it took to pass the exams.

Students often end up having issues because of a single training area very rarely considered: How the training is broken down and packaged off through the post.

Often, you’ll enrol on a course requiring 1-3 years study and receive a module at a time. It seems to make sense on one level, but consider these issues:

What if there are reasons why you can’t finish all the sections or exams? What if you don’t find their order of learning is ideal for you? Due to no fault of yours, you may go a little slower and not receive all the modules you’ve paid for.

In a perfect world, you’d get ALL the training materials right at the beginning - meaning you’ll have all of them to return to any point - whenever it suits you. Variations can then be made to the order that you complete each objective where a more intuitive path can be found.

A so-called advisor who doesn’t ask many questions - chances are they’re really a salesperson. If someone pushes specific products before learning about your history and current experience level, then it’s very likely to be the case.

With a little commercial experience or base qualifications, your starting-point of learning is now at a different level to a new student.

Consider starting with some basic Microsoft package and Windows skills first. This can set the scene for your on-going studies and make the transition to higher-level learning a less steep.

Author: Scott Edwards. Try www.cisco-training-london.co.uk or Computer Training Courses.

Those searching for education to get in the IT industry will notice the variety of courses in existence. Before starting a training program, seek out a training organisation with a team of advisors, so you can be fully informed on the job roles your course will lead you to. You could uncover employment opportunities you weren’t aware of.

There’s a wide range of courses to choose from. Some people are just looking for Microsoft user skills, whilst others want to get their teeth into Programming, Web Design, Networking or Databases - and all can be catered for. However, don’t pluck a course out of the air. We recommend you talk to a company who has knowledge of the IT industry, and can help you arrive at the right destination.

Currently, there are a variety of user-friendly and well priced courses available that will give you all the tools you need.

Many trainers will provide a useful Job Placement Assistance service, to help you into your first commercial role. Often, too much is made of this feature, as it’s really not that difficult for any focused and well taught person to secure work in this industry - because there’s a great need for trained staff.

Whatever you do, don’t leave it until you have completed your exams before polishing up your CV. As soon as you start studying, enter details of your study programme and tell people about it!

It’s not unusual to find that you will get your first position while still studying (even when you’ve just left first base). If your CV doesn’t show your latest training profile (and it’s not being looked at by employers) then you aren’t even in the running!

The most reliable organisations to help get you placed are normally specialist locally based employment services. Because they get paid commission to place you, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.

Just ensure you don’t invest a great deal of time on your training course, just to give up and leave it in the hands of the gods to sort out your employment. Stand up for yourself and make your own enquiries. Channel as much focus into getting the right position as it took to get qualified.

Authorised exam preparation packages are crucial - and must be sought from your training supplier.

Be sure that the practice exams aren’t just asking you the right questions in the right areas, but also asking them in the way the real exams will pose them. This completely unsettles people if they’re met with completely different formats and phraseologies.

Always have some simulated exam questions in order to test your knowledge at any point. Practice exams help to build your confidence - so you’re much more at ease with the real thing.

So many training providers only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and forget what you actually need - which will always be getting the job or career you want. You should always begin with the end in mind - don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle.

You could be training for only a year and end up doing a job for a lifetime. Don’t make the mistake of taking what may be an ‘interesting’ course only to waste your life away with a job you hate!

You must also consider your feelings on career development, earning potential, and if you’re ambitious or not. It’s vital to know what will be expected of you, what certifications are required and how to develop your experience.

Seek advice from an experienced industry advisor, even if you have to pay - it’s considerably cheaper and safer to find out at the beginning if a chosen track will suit, rather than find out following two years of study that you aren’t going to enjoy the job you’ve chosen and now need to go back to square one.

Sometimes, people don’t understand what IT is about. It is stimulating, innovative, and puts you at the fore-front of developments in technology affecting everyones lives in the 21st century.

We’ve only just begun to get an inclination of how technology is going to shape our lives. Computers and the web will massively revolutionise the way we regard and interrelate with the rest of the world over the coming decades.

If making decent money is around the top on your list of priorities, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to hear that the regular income of IT employees in general is considerably greater than salaries in the rest of the economy.

Experts agree that there’s a considerable country-wide requirement for certified IT specialists. And as the industry constantly develops, it appears this will be the case for a good while yet.

(C) 2009 Scott Edwards. Go to Programming Training Courses or A+ Training.

Were it not for a continuous flood of trained network and computer support staff, commercial enterprise in the United Kingdom (as elsewhere) could well be brought to its knees. We have an on-going demand for technicians to support both users and the systems they work with. As we get to grips with the multifaceted levels of technology, growing numbers of trained staff are needed to run the various different areas we need to be sure will work effectively.

Now, why is it better to gain commercially accredited qualifications and not the usual academic qualifications taught at schools and Further Education colleges?

With fees and living expenses for university students spiralling out of control, and the industry’s growing opinion that key company training often has more relevance in the commercial field, there’s been a great increase in Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe certified training programmes that educate students for considerably less.

University courses, for example, often get bogged down in vast amounts of loosely associated study - and much too wide a syllabus. Students are then prevented from getting enough specific knowledge about the core essentials.

As long as an employer knows what work they need doing, then they just need to look for someone with a specific qualification. The syllabuses are set to exacting standards and can’t change from one establishment to the next (as academic syllabuses often do).

One useful service that several companies offer is a Job Placement Assistance program. This is designed to steer you into your first IT role. The fact of the matter is it isn’t a complex operation to find employment - as long as you’ve got the necessary skills and qualifications; because there’s still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.

Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV should be offered (if not, see one of our sites for help). Ensure you work on your old CV today - don’t wait until you’ve finished your exams!

A good number of junior support jobs have been bagged by people who are still learning and have yet to take their exams. This will at least get your CV into the ‘possible’ pile and not the ‘no’ pile.

Most often, an independent and specialised local employment service (who will, of course, be keen to place you to receive their commission) will be more pro-active than a recruitment division from a training organisation. In addition, they will no doubt be familiar with the local industry and employment needs.

Essentially, if you put as much hard work into getting a position as into training, you’re not likely to experience problems. A number of trainees strangely invest a great deal of time on their learning program and just give up once they’ve got certified and seem to expect employers to find them.

All programs you’re considering really needs to work up to a nationally (or globally) recognised certification as an end-goal - not a useless ‘in-house’ diploma - fit only for filing away and forgetting.

If your certification doesn’t come from a big-hitter like Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA, then it’s likely it will be commercially useless - because it won’t give an employer any directly-useable skills.

Always expect the current Microsoft (or Cisco, CompTIA etc.) accredited exam simulation and preparation packages.

Avoid depending on non-official exam preparation systems. The terminology of their questions is often somewhat different - and often this creates real issues when the proper exam time arrives.

Obviously, it’s essential to ensure that you’re completely ready for your final certified exam before taking it. Revising ‘mock’ exams logs the information in your brain and helps to avoid failed exams.

(C) S. Edwards 2009. Pop over to Microsoft Training or learninglolly.com/Network_Training_Courses.html.

Well Done! As you’re looking at this it’s likely you’re thinking about retraining for a new career - that means you’ve already taken one more step than the majority. Less of us than you’d think are content with our jobs, but most just moan and do nothing about it. You could be a member of the few who decide to make the change.

We suggest that you discuss your ideas first - find someone who knows the industry; someone who’ll give you career advice based on what works best for you, and offer only the training programs you may be suited to:

* Do you like to work collaborating with people? Would you prefer to work with a small team or with a lot of new people? Perhaps working alone in a task-based situation would be more your thing?

* Building and Banking are facing difficulties at the moment, so which sector will answer your needs?

* Having completed your retraining, would you like this skill to serve you till you retire?

* Are you happy that retraining in your chosen sector will offer you employment opportunities, and offer the chance to allow you to work until retirement?

We ask you to find out more about the computer industry - there are more jobs than employees, and it’s one of the few choices of career where the sector is expanding. In contrast to what some people believe, it isn’t just geeks gazing at their computer screens the whole day (if you like the sound of that though, they do exist.) The vast majority of roles are done by ordinary men and women who want to earn a very good living.

Many training companies offer a Job Placement Assistance facility, designed to steer you into your first job. But don’t place too much emphasis on it - it isn’t unusual for their marketing department to make it sound harder than it is. The fact of the matter is, the need for well trained IT people in Britain is the reason you’ll find a job.

However, what is relevant is to have help and assistance with preparing a CV and getting interviews though; and we’d encourage all students to get their CV updated as soon as training commences - don’t delay until you’ve graduated or passed any exams.

Quite frequently, you’ll secure your initial job whilst still on the course (even when you’ve just left first base). If your CV doesn’t say what you’re learning (and it hasn’t been posted on jobsites) then you won’t even be considered!

Actually, a specialist locally based employment service (who will get paid commission to place you) will perform better than any division of a training company. In addition, they will no doubt know the local area and commercial needs.

A constant frustration of various course providers is how hard people are prepared to study to get qualified, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the job they have studied for. Have confidence - the IT industry needs YOU.

Often, individuals don’t really get what IT can do for us. It’s thrilling, changing, and puts you at the fore-front of developments in technology affecting everyones lives in the 21st century.

We’re only just starting to get an inclination of how technology will influence everything we do. Computers and the Internet will massively revolutionise how we see and interact with the world as a whole over the years to come.

And it’s worth remembering that the average salary in the world of IT throughout this country is much higher than the national average salary, so you’ll probably receive much more in the IT sector, than you would in most typical jobs.

Excitingly, there is no end in sight for IT sector growth throughout this country. The sector is continuing to expand quickly, and as we have a significant shortage of skilled professionals, it’s not showing any signs that there’ll be any kind of easing off for the significant future.

Considering the amount of options that are available, is it any wonder that nearly all trainees have no idea which career they could be successful with.

As with no commercial background in the IT industry, how could any of us know what anyone doing a particular job actually does?

Ultimately, the right answer will only come from a careful study of many changing key points:

* The type of personality you have as well as your interests - the sort of work-centred jobs you enjoy or dislike.

* What sort of time-frame do you want for your training?

* Is the money you make further up on your wish list than some other areas.

* When taking into account all that Information Technology encapsulates, it’s obvious you’ll need to be able to absorb what is different.

* You have to understand what differentiates each individual training area.

The best way to avoid the barrage of jargon, and reveal the best path to success, have an informal chat with an experienced professional; a person who will cover the commercial realities and truth as well as each certification.

Be careful that the exams that you’re considering will be recognised by employers and are the most recent versions. Training companies own certificates are generally useless.

From an employer’s perspective, only the major heavyweights such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Adobe or Cisco (for instance) will make the right impression. Anything less won’t make the grade.

(C) Scott Edwards 2009. Look at Comptia Certification or www.learninglolly.com/MCSE_Training_Courses.html.

Should you be wanting to study to get an MCSE, it’s likely you’ll come into one of two categories. You might be ready to come into the computer world, and you’ve discovered that the industry has lots of demand for those with appropriate certifications. On the other hand you possibly are someone with a certain amount of knowledge looking to consolidate your skill-set with the Microsoft qualification.

When researching training companies, be sure to avoid those that compromise their offerings by not upgrading their courses to the most up-to-date Microsoft version. This will only hamper the trainee because they’ll have been studying an out-of-date syllabus which doesn’t fall in with the current exam syllabus, so they’ll probably fail.

Steer clear of providers who are only trying to make a sale. You deserve time, expertise and advice to make sure you’re on the best program for your needs. Resist being forced into some generic product by some pushy sales person.

Authorised exam simulation and preparation software is a must - and should definitely be offered by your training company.

Due to the fact that many IT examination boards come from the United States, you need to become familiar with their phraseology. It’s not sufficient merely answering any old technical questions - they have to be in the same format as the actual exams.

Mock exams will prove enormously valuable in helping you build your confidence - so when it comes to taking your actual exams, you won’t be worried.

You should remember: a training itself or the accreditation is not the ultimate goal; the job or career you’re training for is. Far too many training organisations place too much importance on the course or the qualification.

You may train for one year and then end up doing a job for a lifetime. Avoid the mistake of finding what seems like an ‘interesting’ training program and then put 10-20 years into a job you don’t like!

It’s well worth a long chat to see what expectations industry may have of you. Which precise exams you’ll be required to have and how you’ll go about getting some commercial experience. It’s definitely worth spending time thinking about how far you wish to go as it will force you to choose a particular set of accreditations.

Seek out help from an experienced industry advisor who understands the sector you wish to join, and who can give you ‘A typical day in the life of’ outline of what kinds of tasks you’ll be undertaking with each working day. It just makes sense to ensure you’re on the right track well before you commence your studies. After all, what is the reason in starting your training only to realise you’ve made a huge mistake.

Several companies offer a Job Placement Assistance program, to assist your search for your first position. In reality it’s not as difficult as you may be led to believe to land a job - once you’re trained and certified; because there’s still a great need for IT skills in the UK today.

Advice and support about getting interviews and your CV might be provided (if not, see one of our sites for help). Make sure you update that dusty old CV straight away - not after you’ve qualified!

Various junior support roles have been offered to people who are still studying and have still to get qualified. At least this will get you on your way.

You can usually expect better results from a specialist independent regional employment service than you will through a training company’s national service, as they’ll know local industry and the area better.

A constant aggravation of various course providers is how hard trainees are focused on studying to pass exams, but how little effort that student will then put into getting the role they’ve trained for. Don’t give up when the best is yet to come.

Typically, a new trainee will not know to ask about something that can make a profound difference to their results - the way their training provider actually breaks down and delivers the training materials, and into how many parts.

The majority of training companies will set up a 2 or 3 year study programme, and courier the materials in pieces as you complete each section or exam. This sounds reasonable until you consider the following:

Maybe the order of study prescribed by the provider doesn’t suit you. What if you find it hard to complete each and every section at the speed required?

An ideal situation would be to have all your study materials sent to you right at the start; the complete package! This way, nothing can happen down the line which could affect your capacity to get everything done.

Author: Scott Edwards. Pop over to MCSA MCSE or Click HERE.

PC and network support staff are ever more sought after in Great Britain, as companies become progressively more dependent upon their knowledge and fixing and repairing abilities. Because of the complex nature of technology, growing numbers of IT professionals are being sought to dedicate themselves to the many areas we’ve come to rely on.

Locating job security these days is incredibly rare. Businesses often throw us from the workforce at the drop of a hat - whenever it suits.

Where there are growing skills shortages coupled with growing demand though, we can discover a new kind of market-security; where, fuelled by conditions of continuous growth, organisations struggle to find the number of people required.

The IT skills shortfall around the UK currently stands at approx twenty six percent, as reported by a recent e-Skills analysis. Essentially, we can only fill 3 out of every 4 jobs in IT.

This one reality on its own underpins why the UK is in need of so many more people to get into the industry.

We can’t imagine if a better time or market circumstances could exist for gaining qualification for this swiftly increasing and evolving sector.

Now, why might we choose commercially accredited qualifications as opposed to traditional academic qualifications gained through the state educational establishments?

With the costs of academic degree’s increasing year on year, together with the industry’s recognition that key company training is often far more commercially relevant, there’s been a big surge in CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA certified training paths that provide key skills to an employee at a much reduced cost in terms of money and time.

In essence, students are simply taught the necessary specifics in depth. It isn’t quite as lean as that might sound, but the principle objective is to focus on the exact skills required (with some necessary background) - without overdoing the detail in every other area (as academia often does).

Imagine if you were an employer - and you required somebody who had very specific skills. What is easier: Go through a mass of different academic qualifications from graduate applicants, trying to establish what they know and which commercial skills they’ve mastered, or choose particular accreditations that perfectly fit your needs, and then choose your interviewees based around that. The interview is then more about the person and how they’ll fit in - rather than on the depth of their technical knowledge.

Of course: a training course or the accreditation isn’t the end-goal; a job you’re training for is. Too many training companies put too much weight in the piece of paper.

Don’t let yourself become part of the group that choose a course that sounds really ‘interesting’ and ‘fun’ - only to end up with a qualification for something they’ll never enjoy.

You must also consider what your attitude is towards career progression and earning potential, and whether you intend to be quite ambitious. It’s vital to know what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what certifications are needed and how you’ll gain real-world experience.

Talk to a skilled professional that has a background in the industry you’re considering, and is able to give you a detailed description of what you actually do in that role. Contemplating this long before beginning a learning course will prevent a lot of wasted time and effort.

Always expect an authorised exam preparation system included in your course.

Be sure that your practice exams aren’t just asking you the right questions in the right areas, but are also posing them in the exact format that the real exams will ask them. This really messes up people if they’re met with completely different formats and phraseologies.

Mock exams are enormously valuable as a tool for logging knowledge into your brain - then when the time comes for you to take your actual exams, you won’t be worried.

Copyright Scott Edwards 2009. Try CLICK HERE or MCSE Training.

Thinking of taking an MCSE? If the answer’s ‘yes’, there’s a good chance that you’ll fall into one of two camps: You’re someone with a certain amount of knowledge and you’d like to consolidate your skill-set with the MCSE qualification. Or you could be completely new to the computer world, and research demonstrates that there are many opportunities for certified networking professionals.

When looking into training companies, avoid any that cut costs by failing to up-grade to the latest Microsoft version. In the long-run, this will frustrate and cost the student a great deal more as they will have been educated in an old version of MCSE which inevitably will have to be up-dated almost immediately.

Providers should be completely focused on establishing the best direction for their clients. Mentoring education is equally concerned with helping people to work out which direction to go in, as much as giving them help to get there.

Typically, a new trainee will not know to ask about a painfully important area - how their company segments the courseware sections, and into how many bits.

Delivery by courier of each element piece by piece, according to your exam schedule is how things will normally arrive. While sounding logical, you should take these factors into account:

What would their reaction be if you find it difficult to do every module at the speed they required? And maybe you’ll find their order of completion won’t be as easy as some other order of studying might.

For maximum flexibility and safety, many trainees now want to have all their training materials (which they’ve now paid for) sent immediately, and not in a piecemeal fashion. You can then decide in which order and at what speed you’d like to take your exams.

Beware of putting too much emphasis, like so many people do, on the accreditation program. Training for training’s sake is generally pointless; this is about employment. You need to remain focused on where you want to go.

Don’t let yourself become part of the group who select a program which looks like it could be fun - and get to the final hurdle of an accreditation for something they’ll never enjoy.

It’s a good idea to understand the expectations of your industry. What certifications you’ll be required to have and how you’ll go about getting some commercial experience. You should also spend a little time considering how far you’d like to get as often it can control your selection of exams.

Seek help from an experienced advisor who ‘gets’ the commercial realities of the area you’re interested in, and who can offer ‘A typical day in the life of’ outline of what kinds of tasks you’ll be undertaking day-to-day. It’s sensible to discover if this is the right course of action for you well before you jump into the study-program. There’s little point in starting to train only to find you’ve taken the wrong route.

Some training companies will only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later; most won’t answer after 8-9pm at the latest and frequently never at the weekends.

Don’t buy training that only supports students through an out-sourced call-centre message system after office-staff have gone home. Companies will try to talk you round from this line of reasoning. But, no matter how they put it - support is required when it’s required - not at times when they find it cheaper to provide it.

Keep your eyes open for training programs that have multiple support offices across multiple time-zones. Every one of them needs to be seamlessly combined to enable simple one-stop access and 24×7 access, when it’s convenient for you, with the minimum of hassle.

Never make do with a lower level of service. Online 24×7 support is the only kind to make the grade for IT courses. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; but for most of us, we’re at work during the provided support period.

OK, why is it better to gain commercially accredited qualifications rather than more traditional academic qualifications obtained from tech’ colleges and universities?

Industry is now aware that to learn the appropriate commercial skills, the right accreditation from the likes of Microsoft, CompTIA, CISCO and Adobe is far more effective and specialised - at a far reduced cost both money and time wise.

Patently, a necessary portion of background knowledge has to be learned, but essential specialised knowledge in the particular job function gives a vendor educated person a real head start.

When an employer knows what areas they need covered, then all it takes is an advert for the particular skill-set required. The syllabuses are all based on the same criteria and aren’t allowed to deviate (like academia frequently can and does).

Written by Scott Edwards. Navigate to MCSE Training or MCSE 2008.