Congratulations! Reading this subject matter means you’re likely to be contemplating your career, and if it’s new career training you’re deliberating over you’ve even now progressed more than the majority of people will. Can you believe that just one in ten of us are contented at work – but most won’t do a thing about it. Why don’t you break free and move forward – you have the rest of your life to enjoy it.
Prior to considering specific training programs, look for an advisor who will be able to guide you on which area will be right for you. An advisor who will take time to get an understanding of your personality, and discover what type of job will be right for you:
* Do you operate better working alone or is being part of a team an essential criteria for you?
* What ideas are fundamentally important with regard to the industry you’ll be employed in?
* Is this the final time you want to study, and based on that, do you believe this career choice will give you scope to do that?
* Do you believe that retraining in your chosen sector will offer you employment opportunities, and provide the facility to be employed until your pension kicks in?
Pay attention to the IT sector, that will be time well spent – it’s one of the few growth areas in the UK and Europe. In addition, salaries and benefits exceed most other industries.
Getting your first commercial position sometimes feels easier to handle if you’re supported with a Job Placement Assistance program. Don’t get overly impressed with this service – it isn’t unusual for companies marketing departments to make it sound harder than it is. The fact of the matter is, the huge shortage of staff in Great Britain is the reason you’ll find a job.
Update your CV at the beginning of your training though (advice can be sought on this via your provider). Don’t delay until you’ve graduated or passed any exams.
Quite often, you’ll land your first position while still studying (sometimes when you’ve only just got going). If your CV doesn’t say what you’re learning – or it’s not getting in front of interviewers, then you’re not even going to be known about!
Generally, you’ll receive better results from a specialist independent regional employment service than you’ll get from a training course provider’s recruitment division, because they’ll know the local area and commercial needs better.
Various students, it seems, spend evenings and weekends on their training and studies (sometimes for years), and then just stop instead of attempting to secure their first job. Market yourself… Work hard to get in front of employers. A job isn’t just going to bump into you.
The best type of training program will have fully authorised simulation materials and exam preparation packages.
Because the majority of examining boards for IT are American, it’s essential to understand how exam questions will be phrased and formatted. It’s not sufficient simply answering any old technical questions – it’s essential that you can cope with them in the proper exam format.
Ensure that you analyse whether you’re learning enough by doing tests and mock ups of exams to get you ready for the proper exam.
A ridiculously large number of organisations only concern themselves with gaining a certificate, and avoid focusing on what it’s all actually about – getting yourself a new job or career. You should always begin with the end in mind – too many people focus on the journey.
It’s not unheard of, in some situations, to thoroughly enjoy one year of training only to end up putting 20 long years into a tiresome job role, as an upshot of not doing the correct research at the outset.
You also need to know how you feel about career development, 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, which particular exams are needed and in what way you can develop commercial experience.
Take advice from an experienced industry advisor, even if you have to pay – it’s much safer and cheaper to investigate at the start if your choices are appropriate, rather than realise after several years of study that you aren’t going to enjoy the job you’ve chosen and have to start from the beginning again.
Students who consider this area of study are usually quite practically-minded, and don’t really enjoy classrooms, and slogging through piles of books. If you identify with this, try the newer style of interactive study, where learning is video-based.
Many studies have proved that memory is aided when all our senses are involved, and we get physically involved with the study process.
Study programs now come in disc format, where your computer becomes the centre of your learning. Through video streaming, you are able to see your instructors showing you how it’s all done, with some practice time to follow – in a virtual lab environment.
Always insist on a demonstration of the study materials from the school that you’re considering. The package should contain expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and interactive labs where you get to practice.
Purely on-line training should be avoided. Ideally, you should opt for CD and DVD ROM courseware where offered, as you need to be able to use them whenever it’s convenient for you – and not be totally reliant on a good broadband connection all the time.
(C) Scott Edwards 2010. Check out MCDST Courses or www.Alternative-Careers.co.uk/AltCarL.html.
