Congratulate yourself that you’re reading this article! A fraction of the population say they enjoy their work, but vast numbers complain to each other and that’s it. As you’ve reached this page we have a hunch that you’ve a personal interest in re-training, so well done to you. Take your time now to research and follow-through.
On the subject of training, it’s important to initially know what you want and don’t want from the career you’re looking to get into. Ensure that the grass actually is greener before you spend time and effort taking a new turn. Prudence suggests looking at the destination you’re hoping for, to make the right judgements:
* Are you happier left to your own devices at work or is being in a team environment an essential criteria for you?
* The building trade and the banking industry are facing difficulties today, so which sector would suit you best?
* Should this be a one off time that you’ll need to re-qualify?
* Is it important for the course you’re re-training in to be in an area where you’re comfortable you’ll have a job up to the time you want to stop?
A predominant industry in this country to tick all of the above boxes is the computer industry, particularly IT. There’s a need for more skilled technicians in the industry, just search any jobs website and you’ll see for yourself. But don’t think it’s only geeky nerds looking at their computerscreens all the time – there are many more roles than that. Most of workers in IT are people of average intelligence, and they have very interesting and well paid jobs.
Far too many companies are all about the certification, and completely miss what it’s all actually about – which will always be getting the job or career you want. Always begin with the end goal – don’t get hung-up on the training vehicle.
It’s not unheard of, for instance, to find immense satisfaction in a year of study and then spend 20 miserable years in something completely unrewarding, simply because you did it without the correct research when you should’ve – at the outset.
Prioritise understanding what expectations industry may have of you. What accreditations you’ll be required to have and in what way you can gain some industry experience. Spend some time considering how far you wish to go as it will often force you to choose a particular set of certifications.
You’d also need help from a professional who can explain the market you’ve chosen, and who can offer ‘A day in the life of’ synopsis of what you actually do on the job. These things are essential because you need to know whether or not you’ve chosen correctly.
A service offered by some training providers is job placement assistance. This is to help you get your first commercial position. Sometimes, people are too impressed with this facility, as it is actually not that hard for any motivated and trained individual to find work in this industry – as employers are keen to find appropriately skilled employees.
Help with your CV and interview techniques is sometimes offered (if not, see one of our sites for help). It’s essential that you polish up your CV today – not after you’ve qualified!
It’s possible that you won’t have even qualified when you’ll secure your initial junior support role; however this is not possible unless your CV is with employers.
The most reliable organisations to help you land that job are usually local IT focused employment agencies. As they’re keen to place you to receive their commission, they have the necessary incentive to try that bit harder.
Do be sure that you don’t put hundreds of hours of effort into your studies, just to give up and imagine someone else is miraculously going to find you a job. Get off your backside and get on with the job. Invest as much energy and enthusiasm into landing a good job as you did to get trained.
Looking around, we find a plethora of professional positions up for grabs in computing. Deciding which one could be right for yourself is a mammoth decision.
What is our likelihood of grasping the day-to-day realities of any IT job when we haven’t done that before? Maybe we don’t even know anybody who performs the role either.
Achieving any kind of right decision can only grow through a systematic investigation of several shifting key points:
* Personality plays a significant part – what gets you ‘up and running’, and what are the areas that put a frown on your face.
* Are you hoping to get qualified due to a specific raison d’etre – for example, do you aim to work at home (working for yourself?)?
* Have you thought about salary vs job satisfaction?
* Learning what the main work types and sectors are – including what sets them apart.
* The level of commitment and effort you will set aside for getting qualified.
The best way to avoid the industry jargon, and uncover the most viable option for your success, have an in-depth discussion with an experienced professional; a person who can impart the commercial reality as well as the certifications.
One thing you must always insist on is comprehensive 24×7 direct-access support through trained professional instructors and mentors. It’s an all too common story to find providers that only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually).
Don’t buy certification programs which can only support you through a message system after office-staff have gone home. Trainers will always try to hide the importance of this issue. Essentially – you want support at the appropriate time – not as-and-when it’s suitable for their staff.
The best trainers utilise several support facilities active in different time-zones. By utilising an interactive interface to seamlessly link them all together, at any time you choose, help is just seconds away, without any problems or delays.
Don’t under any circumstances take anything less. Support round-the-clock is the only way to go when it comes to IT training. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; usually though, we’re working when traditional support if offered.
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