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Networking Training - Some Thoughts (300409)

May 17th, 2009

With hundreds of computer training courses on the market today, it can be mind-boggling to find the right one. Find one that corresponds with your character and abilities, and one that is in demand commercially. There’s a massive choice when it comes to training - starting with user skills and going up to training programs for programmers, networkers, web designers etc. Share your ideas before you take the plunge - speak to someone with knowledge of the market sector. Someone who can help you select the right career path for you - that’s both relevant to industry and will give you a stimulating career.

With a great variety of well priced, easily understood training programs and help, you’re sure to find a course that will get you into the commercial world.

Coming across job security nowadays is very rare. Businesses frequently remove us from the workplace at a moment’s notice - whenever it suits. Of course, a quickly growing market-place, where there just aren’t enough staff to go round (due to a growing shortfall of fully trained workers), opens the possibility of proper job security.

The Information Technology (IT) skills deficit in Great Britain falls in at approx twenty six percent, according to the 2006 e-Skills analysis. So, for each 4 job positions in existence in computing, organisations can only source trained staff for three of them. This single reality on its own reveals why Great Britain is in need of many more workers to get trained and enter the industry. In actuality, retraining in Information Technology over the next few years is very likely the greatest career choice you could ever make.

How are we supposed to make the right decisions then? With such prospects, it’s important to know where to dig - and what we should be investigating.

A expert and specialised consultant (in direct contrast to a salesman) will cover in some detail your current experience level and abilities. This is paramount to establishing your starting point for training. If you’ve got any real-world experience or some accreditation, you could discover that your appropriate starting-point is very different to someone completely new. If this is your opening attempt at IT study then you should consider whether to begin with user-skills and software training first.

Trainees looking at this market are usually quite practically-minded, and aren’t really suited to the classroom environment, and slogging through piles of books. If you identify with this, opt for more involving, interactive learning materials, where learning is video-based. If we’re able to involve all our senses in the learning process, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Top of the range study programs now offer easy-to-use DVD or CD ROM’s. Real-world classes from the instructors will mean you’ll find things easier to remember via the expert demonstrations. You can then test yourself by interacting with the software and practicing yourself. You’ll definitely want a training material demonstration from your training provider. The materials should incorporate slide-shows, instructor-led videos and lab’s for you to practice your skills in.

It’s folly to go for purely on-line training. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across all internet service providers, it makes sense to have actual CD or DVD ROM’s.

The way a programme is physically sent to you isn’t always given the appropriate level of importance. How many parts is the training broken down into? What is the specific order and at what speed is it delivered? Most companies will sell you a 2 or 3 year study programme, and deliver each piece one-by-one as you complete each section or exam. If you think this sound logical, then consider this: Sometimes the steps or stages offered by the provider doesn’t suit. It may be difficult to get through all the sections within the time limits imposed?

To avoid any potential future issues, many trainees now want to insist that all study materials are delivered immediately, and not in stages. You can then decide how fast or slow and in what order you want to finish things.

A lot of training companies only provide support available from 9-6 (office hours) and sometimes later on specific days; not many go late into the evening (after 8-9pm) or cover weekends properly. Try and find training with help available at any time of the day or night (irrespective of whether it’s the wee hours on Sunday morning!) You want direct access to tutors, and not simply some messaging service that means you’re consistently being held in a queue for a call-back during office hours.

If you look properly, you’ll find professional companies which provide their students direct-access support around the clock - even in the middle of the night. Don’t accept second best when it comes to your support. The majority of IT hopefuls that fall by the wayside, are in that situation because of a lack of support.

Consider the points below in detail if you’re inclined to think that over-used sales technique about examination guarantees seems like a good idea:

These days, we are a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks - and most of us grasp that it is something we’re paying for - it’s not because they’re so generous they want to give something away! Qualifying on the first ‘go’ is what everyone wants to do. Progressively working through your exams in order and funding them one at a time has a marked effect on pass-rates - you prepare appropriately and are aware of the costs involved.

Look for the very best offer you can when you take the exam, and keep hold of your own money. In addition, it’s then your choice where to take your exam - meaning you can choose a local testing centre. Paying in advance for examination fees (and interest charges if you’re borrowing money) is bad financial management. Don’t line companies bank accounts with extra money of yours only to please their Bank Manager! Some will be pinning their hopes on the fact that you won’t get to do them all - so they don’t need to pay for them. The majority of organisations will insist on pre-tests and hold you back from re-takes until you’ve completely proven that you’re likely to pass - so an ‘Exam Guarantee’ comes with many clauses in reality.

Splashing out often many hundreds of pounds extra on an ‘Exam Guarantee’ is naive - when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is actually the key to your success.

Be careful that the qualifications you’re considering doing will be recognised by employers and are up-to-date. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are often meaningless. Unless your qualification is issued by a big-hitter like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe or CompTIA, then you’ll probably find it won’t be commercially viable - because no-one will recognise it.

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