Online Colleges

As there are a plethora of computer study programs to be had, it’s not always easy to know what to look for. Select one that’s on a par with your personality and your level of ability, and that’s needed in the working environment. Pick out training for office skills packages from Microsoft, or become a specialist IT professional. Plain speaking courses will help you to realise your dreams.

By maximising state-of-the-art training techniques and keeping costs to a minimum, you will start to see a new kind of training company supplying a superior brand of training and mentoring for hundreds of pounds less.

How are we supposed to go about making an informed decision then? With all these possibilities, we have to know where we should look – and what to be looking for.

In most cases, a everyday trainee doesn’t have a clue what way to go about starting in a computing career, let alone what area they should be considering getting trained in. Because with no commercial background in computing, in what way could we understand what any job actually involves? Reflection on several factors is essential when you want to dig down the right answers:

* Your personality type and interests – what work-centred jobs you enjoy or dislike.

* Do you want to re-train because of a certain motive – e.g. do you aim to work based at home (self-employment possibly?)?

* Any personal or home needs you may have?

* Understanding what the main Information technology types and markets are – including what sets them apart.

* The time and energy you will commit getting qualified.

For the majority of us, dissecting so much data will require meeting with an advisor who has direct industry experience. Not only the certifications – you also need to understand the commercial expectations and needs also.

Traditional teaching in classrooms, involving piles of reference textbooks, is usually pretty hard going. If this describes you, check out study materials which feature interactive and multimedia modules. Studies have consistently shown that getting into our studies physically, is far more likely to produce long-lasting memories.

Interactive audio-visual materials with demonstrations and practice sessions will beat books every time. And they’re a lot more fun to do. Always insist on a demonstration of the study materials from your training provider. You should ask for expert-led demonstrations, slideshows and fully interactive skills-lab’s.

Avoid training that is purely online. You want physical CD/DVD ROM course materials where obtainable, enabling them to be used at your convenience – ISP quality varies, so you don’t want to be totally reliant on a good broadband connection all the time.

Workshop days can be portrayed as a strong aspect by many certification companies. After chatting with many IT hopefuls who have partaken in a couple, you’ll begin to see a common thread – they are viewed as a difficulty to be ‘got round’ as they hadn’t properly considered the following:

* Loads of journeys to the workshops – sometimes quite a distance away.

* Access to classes; often Mon-Fri and two or three days in a row. It’s never convenient to take the required time off work.

* Most of us discover 20 days holiday per year is not really enough. Sacrifice a big chunk of this for study events and see how much more difficult it makes things.

* With the high costs involved, many schools make the classes quite large – which is not ideal (increasing the ratio of students to teachers).

* Class pace – workshops typically feature students of varied abilities, consequently there is often tension between students with more background knowledge and those who want to go a little slower.

* Count the cost of all the fares or petrol, accommodation, parking and food and you may be surprised (and not pleasantly). Attendees have reported extra costs mounting to several hundred and sometimes thousands of pounds. Work it out – and understand where they’re coming from.

* Not wanting employers to know about the training can be very important to many students. There’s no need to give up any job advancement, income boosts or achievement at your current job because you’re getting trained in a different area. When your boss discovers you’re taking steps towards qualification in a different industry, what do you think they’ll do?

* Asking questions in front of other class-mates can make us feel nervous. Ever avoided asking a question just because you were worried it might make you look silly?

* Typically, days in-centre become virtually unreachable, in cases where you live away for some part of the year.

The best possible solution comes from viewing a pre-filmed lesson – having instructor-led teaching on hand whenever you’d like. You can study anywhere you want. Got a laptop?… Then you could catch some sunshine in your garden at the same time. Any difficulties and logon to the 24×7 support facility. You can repeat the study modules as often as you need to prep for an exam. And of course, you don’t have to write any notes as the teaching is yours forever. What could be simpler: A lot of money is saved and you avoid all the travelling; and of course you get a more comfortable study atmosphere.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always full 24×7 support with dedicated instructors and mentors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually). You’ll be waiting ages for an answer with email based support, and phone support is usually just a call-centre who will make some notes and then email an advisor – who will attempt to call you within 24-48 hrs, at a suitable time to them. This is no good if you’re stuck with a particular problem and can only study at specific times.

Top training providers provide an internet-based 24×7 facility utilising a variety of support centres throughout multiple time-zones. You’ll have an easy to use interface that seamlessly selects the best facility available at any time of day or night: Support on demand. Never settle for less than you need and deserve. Direct-access 24×7 support is the only way to go for IT courses. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; often though, we’re out at work at the time when most support is available.

It would be wonderful to believe that our jobs will always be secure and our work prospects are protected, however, the truth for the majority of jobs around England right now appears to be that there is no security anymore. Where there are escalating skills deficits coupled with increasing demand however, we almost always find a newly emerging type of security in the marketplace; as fuelled by the constant growth conditions, businesses just can’t get the influx of staff needed.

Recently, a British e-Skills survey demonstrated that over 26 percent of all available IT positions haven’t been filled because of a chronic shortage of trained staff. That means for each 4 job positions that exist in Information Technology (IT), we’ve only got three properly trained pro’s to do them. Well trained and commercially educated new professionals are correspondingly at an absolute premium, and it seems it will continue to be so for a long time. Unquestionably, it really is a fabulous time for retraining into the computing industry.

Tags: online college by Jason Kendall
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Everybody is busy these days, and usually if we want to improve our career prospects, training alongside a job is the only option open to us. Training tracks certified by Microsoft can be the way to do it. You might like to have a chat about jobs with an advisor – and if you’re not sure, then have some guidance on whereabouts in industry would work for you, dependent on your abilities and personality. Once you’ve decided on the job you’d like to get into, an appropriate course must be chosen that’s suits your ability level and skill set. This can be personally tailored for you.

It’s incontrovertible, the computing industry shows incomparable potential. However, to fully investigate, what kind of questions should we be asking, and what are the most important factors?

Remember: a training course or an accreditation isn’t the end-goal; a job that you’re getting the training for is. Many trainers unfortunately over-emphasise the certificate itself. It’s quite usual, in some situations, to thoroughly enjoy one year of training only to end up putting 20 long years into a career that does nothing for you, simply because you did it without some quality research at the outset.

It’s essential to keep your focus on where you want to go, and formulate your training based on that – don’t do it back-to-front. Stay on target and study for something you’ll still be enjoying many years from now. As a precursor to beginning a study course, it’s good advice to talk through the specific market requirements with a professional advisor, to ensure the study course covers all that is required.

We’d hazard a guess that you probably enjoy fairly practical work – the ‘hands-on’ type. Typically, the world of book-reading and classrooms would be considered as a last resort, but it’s not really your thing. Consider interactive, multimedia study if you’d really rather not use books. Long-term memory is enhanced when we use multiple senses – this has been an accepted fact in expert circles for decades now.

Top of the range study programs now offer interactive CD and DVD ROM’s. Instructor-led tutorials will mean you’ll absorb the modules, one by one, through the expert demonstrations. Then you test your knowledge by practicing and interacting with the software. It would be silly not to view some examples of the kind of training materials you’ll be using before you sign the purchase order. The minimum you should expect would be instructor-led video demonstrations and a variety of audio-visual and interactive sections.

Go for CD or DVD ROM based materials in all circumstances. You can then avoid all the difficulties of broadband outages, failure and signal quality issues etc.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always full 24×7 support via dedicated instructors and mentors. Far too often we see trainers who only seem to want to help while they’re in the office (9am till 6pm, Monday till Friday usually) and nothing at the weekends. Find a good quality service where you can access help at any time of day or night (no matter if it’s in the middle of the night on a weekend!) You’ll need 24×7 direct access to mentors and instructors, and not access to a call-in service which takes messages – so you’re parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back – probably during office hours.

The very best programs opt for an online access 24 hours-a-day system utilising a variety of support centres throughout multiple time-zones. You will be provided with a simple interface which seamlessly accesses whichever office is appropriate irrespective of the time of day: Support when it’s needed. Look for an educator that cares. Only proper 24×7 round-the-clock live support truly delivers for technical programs.

In first place for the biggest issue to be got round across all IT training is usually having to turn up to ‘In Centre’ days or workshops. A lot of training schools wax lyrical on the ‘benefits’ of going in to their classes, usually though, they end up as a burden to be carried because of:

* The amount of travel required – frequent trips and sometimes 100’s of miles at a go.

* Availability of classes; usually weekdays only and sometimes 2-3 days at a time. This can be difficult to get the leave of absence.

* Lost holiday days – most students get just four weeks holiday each year. If over half of it is swallowed up by training events, that isn’t going to leave much vacation time for students and their families.

* Training events normally reach their maximum intake very quickly, giving us the only option of something that we don’t really want.

* Tension can be created in many classes because the right pace for one student is not the same as another.

* The cost of travel – driving or taking public transport backwards and forwards to the training premises together with several days accommodation can start to get expensive over several visits. If you only assumed a basic 5-10 classes at about thirty-five pounds for one over-night room, plus 40 pounds petrol and 15 pounds for food, that becomes a minimum of four to nine hundred pounds of extra costs to cover.

* Study privacy is often very important to quite a lot of trainees. Why would you want to lose potential advancement, wage increases or accomplishment in your job because of your studies. When your boss discovers that you’re undertaking certification in another area entirely, what do you think they’ll do?

* How many of us have avoided posing that question we were dying to ask, just because we didn’t want to look stupid?

* Living away for part of your working week – some attendees find themselves working or living somewhere else for certain parts of their study. Classes end up being problematic to attend, yet the monies have already been handed over as part of your fees.

The most elegant solution is to watch a videoed workshop – enabling you to learn whenever it’s convenient for you. Ponder this… If you have a laptop you can study in the garden, a park, or just outside. And 24×7 support is an online click away if you hit challenges. Modules and lessons can be repeated when you’re preparing for exams – repetition is good for memory. And you don’t have to worry about any note-taking – everything is provided. Though it’s impossible to avoid every problem, it undoubtedly reduces stress and eases things. Plus you’ve got less hassle, costs and travel.

IT has become one of the more exciting and ground-breaking industries to be involved in today. Being up close and personal with technology means you’re a part of the huge progress that will impact the whole world for generations to come. We’re only just beginning to understand how this will truly impact our way of life. How we interrelate with the rest of the world will be significantly affected by technology and the internet.

Incomes in IT are not a problem either – the average salary in the UK for a typical man or woman in IT is much better than remuneration packages in other sectors. It’s likely that you’ll receive a much better deal than you would in most other jobs. Apparently there’s no end in sight for IT jobs development in Great Britain as a whole. The market is still growing hugely, and as we have a skills gap that means we only typically have three IT workers for every four jobs it’s most unlikely that it will even slow down for the significant future.

Tags: online college by Jason Kendall
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In today’s high speed society, support workers who are qualified to fix networks and PC’s, plus give daily solutions to users, are hugely valuable in every part of the workplace. Our country’s need for better technically qualified people is growing, as society becomes ever more dependent on computers in the modern world.

What are the questions we need to be raising so as to get the understanding we need? As it’s evident there are some rather impressive opportunities for us to think about.

Throw out the typical salesperson who pushes one particular program without an in-depth conversation to assess your abilities as well as experience level. Always check they have access to a wide-enough range of products so they can solve your training issues. An important point to note is that, if you’ve got any work-experience or certification, then you may be able to commence studying further along than someone new to the industry. Working through a basic PC skills course first can be the best way to start into your computer training, but depends on your skill level.

Make sure that all your qualifications are current and what employers are looking for – you’re wasting your time with courses which provide certificates that are worthless because they’re ‘in-house’. To an employer, only the major heavyweights like Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe (to give some examples) provide enough commercial weight. Nothing else hits the mark.

One thing you must always insist on is full 24×7 support through dedicated instructors and mentors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide support to you inside of office hours (typically 9am-6pm) and sometimes a little earlier or later (but not weekends usually). some companies only provide email support (slow), and telephone support is usually to a call-centre that will chat nicely with you for 5 minutes to ask what the issue is and then simply send an email to an instructor – who’ll call back sometime over the next 1-3 days, when it’s convenient to them. This is no use if you’re stuck and can’t continue and only have certain times available in which to do your studies.

Keep looking and you’ll come across the top providers who give students direct-access support around the clock – no matter what time of day it is. Never settle for a lower level of service. Support round-the-clock is the only viable option with technical courses. Maybe late-evening study is not your thing; often though, we’re at work when traditional support if offered.

We can guess that you’ve always enjoyed practical work – a ‘hands-on’ type. Typically, the painful task of reading endless manuals is something you’ll make yourself do if you have to, but it’s not ideal. Consider interactive, multimedia study if you’d really rather not use books. We see a huge improvement in memory retention when we use multiple senses – educational experts have expounded on this for years now.

Find a course where you’ll get a host of CD and DVD based materials – you’ll begin by watching videos of instructors demonstrating the skills, with the facility to use virtual lab’s to practice your new skills. It’s wise to view some examples of the kind of training materials you’ll be using before you sign on the dotted line. What you want are videoed instructor demonstrations and interactive audio-visual sections with practice modules.

Often, companies will only use just online versions of their training packages; and while this is acceptable much of the time, consider how you’ll deal with it when you don’t have access to the internet or you get intermittent problems and speed issues. It’s much safer to rely on physical CD or DVD discs that will not have these problems.

Exam ‘guarantees’ are sometimes offered as part of a training package – inevitably that means paying for the exams before you’ve even made a start on the course. Before you jump at this so-called guarantee, think about this:

It’s become essential these days that we are a tad more knowledgeable about sales gimmicks – and most of us realise that of course it is actually an additional cost to us (it isn’t free or out of the goodness of their hearts!) Evidence shows that when trainees fund each examination, one by one, they’ll be in a better position to pass every time – because they’re aware of their investment in themselves and will therefore apply themselves appropriately.

Do your exams somewhere local and go for the best offer you can find when you’re ready. A great deal of money is made by a number of companies who get money for exam fees in advance. A number of students don’t take them for various reasons but no refunds are given. Surprising as it sounds, there are providers who actually rely on students not sitting all the exams – and that’s how they increase their profits. In addition to this, you should consider what an ‘exam guarantee’ really means. Most companies won’t be prepared to pay again for an exam until you can prove to them you’re ready to pass.

VUE and Prometric examinations are currently clocking in at an average of 112 pounds in Great Britain. What’s the point of paying huge charges for ‘Exam Guarantees’ (usually wrapped up in the course package price) – when good quality study materials, the proper support and a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools are actually the key to your success.

Many people assume that the state educational track is the way they should go. So why is commercial certification becoming more in demand? Accreditation-based training (as it’s known in the industry) is most often much more specialised. Industry has become aware that specialisation is essential to service the demands of a technologically complex world. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA dominate in this arena. Obviously, a certain portion of associated knowledge needs to be covered, but core specialised knowledge in the particular job function gives a commercially educated student a real head start.

If an employer understands what areas they need covered, then they just need to look for the particular skill-set required. Syllabuses are set to meet an exact requirement and don’t change between schools (like academia frequently can and does).

Have you recently questioned your job security? Normally, this issue only becomes a talking point when something goes wrong. But really, the lesson often learned too late is that job security simply doesn’t exist anymore, for the vast majority of people. It’s possible though to locate security at market-level, by looking for high demand areas, tied with shortages of trained staff.

Investigating the Information Technology (IT) industry, a recent e-Skills study showed a 26 percent skills deficit. This shows that for every 4 jobs existing across computing, we’ve only got three properly trained pro’s to perform that task. This basic certainty shows the requirement for more commercially qualified computer professionals throughout Great Britain. Unquestionably, now really is a critical time to join Information Technology (IT).

Tags: online college by Jason Kendall
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It’s no surprise that many people are frightened of doing anything right now. Almost every piece of information we get from the media seems to be another dash to our hopes and dreams – and our input of daily doom and gloom keeps the vicious circle spinning. Small wonder that confusion reigns, and we’re not sure whether we should risk doing something new, or just hang in tight until 2012!

Why now is absolutely the right time for IT Training…

Recessions come and go. However, whilst inevitably a lot of people take a hit during a downturn, many others thrive by doing the right thing at the right time. But how do we identify what the right thing is, and when the right time is to start it? Hindsight is a great thing, but not there at the time we wish to benefit from it!

What we can say is look at the facts, steer clear of the obvious losers, and pro-actively prepare for the up-turn, for it will surely arrive, just as spring bursts forth after winter. You then will be hailed as one of those ‘lucky ones’ who successfully weathered the storm.

Not doing anything won’t put off the inevitable. Many sectors are already going through a very hard time (take the car industry for example), and our society is very inter-dependent. What affects one part of the economy today, bounces over to another tomorrow.

Even prior to the recession hitting, we knew really that many traditional industries in the UK were doomed, as overseas manufacturing can be done so much more cheaply. But the one thing that ALL areas of our public and private sector are desperate for is more commercially qualified and skilled IT workers.

A Point Of Interest: Men and women with professional IT qualifications can work in ANY market sector.

Very few areas of industry need plumbers, electricians or driving instructors, yet every industry needs PC support, network administrators and web designers etc. Demand is industry wide – there are currently over one million core IT jobs in the country as a whole, and around a quarter of those are not filled. Even with the inevitable cut-backs that some sectors are temporarily making, that still leaves massive numbers of jobs available for trained professionals.

Since 1998, IT jobs have enjoyed an average growth rate of 4.5% – 5.5% – that’s approximately 55,000 new potential jobs every year. UK companies are becoming ever more dependent on computer systems, and the government predicts that by 2012, vacancies in IT positions will rise to around 500,000.

With or without a recession, there’s no moving on for the economy of the UK unless very substantial numbers of people train to fill those positions. Are you going to be one of the ‘lucky ones’?

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We all have a great number of demands on our time, and usually if we desire to study for a new career, training at the same time as holding down a job is the only option open to us. Microsoft authorised training could be the answer. Perhaps you’d hope to get advice on the careers to be had when you’ve finished studying, and what sort of person such positions would appeal to. Many people prefer to discuss what the best route is for them. When you’ve settled on the job you’d like to get into, a suitable training program must be singled out that’s a match for your needs. This can be personally tailored for your requirements.

Being at the forefront of the cutting-edge of new technology is as thrilling as it comes. Your actions are instrumental in defining the world to come. There are people who believe that the technological revolution we’ve had over recent years is easing off. This couldn’t be more wrong. We have yet to experience incredible advances, and the internet in particular will be the biggest thing to affect the way we live.

Incomes in IT are not a problem moreover – the typical remuneration in Great Britain for an average IT professional is significantly more than in the rest of the economy. Odds are you’ll make quite a bit more than you could reasonably hope to get in other industries. The requirement for appropriately qualified IT professionals is a fact of life for many years to come, thanks to the ongoing expansion in IT dependency in commerce and the vast skills gap still present.

So, what are the questions we need to raise so as to get the understanding we need? Because there seems to be a good many pretty outstanding opportunities for everyone to consider.

Ask almost any capable advisor and you’ll be surprised by their many awful tales of salespeople ripping-off unsuspecting students. Make sure you deal with someone who quizzes you to find out what’s appropriate to you – not for their wallet! You need to find the right starting point of study for you. Of course, if in the past you’ve acquired any work-experience or certification, then you can sometimes expect to pick-up at a different starting-point to someone who is new to the field. Working through a user skills program first can be the best way to get into your computer program, but really depends on your level of familiarity with computers.

If you’re like many of the students we talk to then you’re a practical sort of person – the ‘hands-on’ type. Usually, the painful task of reading endless manuals can be just about bared when essential, but it doesn’t suit your way of doing things. Consider interactive, multimedia study if books just don’t do it for you. Research over recent years has repeatedly verified that becoming involved with our studies, to utilise all our senses, is much more conducive to long-term memory.

You can now study via interactive CD and DVD ROM’s. Real-world classes from the instructors will mean you’ll find things easier to remember through their teaching and demonstrations. You can then test yourself by practicing and interacting with the software. It would be silly not to view some of the typical study materials provided before you sign on the dotted line. What you want are videoed instructor demonstrations and interactive modules with audio-visual elements.

Plump for physical media such as CD or DVD ROM’s every time. You can then avoid all the difficulties of broadband ‘downtime’ or slow-speeds.

At the top of your shopping list for a training program should be 24×7 round-the-clock support with professional mentors and instructors. It’s an all too common story to find providers that only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support. Email support is too slow, and so-called telephone support is normally just routed to a call-centre that will chat nicely with you for 5 minutes to ask what the issue is and then simply send an email to an instructor – who will then call back sometime over the next 24hrs, when it’s convenient to them. This is all next to useless if you’re stuck with a particular problem and can only study at specific times.

The best trainers incorporate three or four individual support centres active in different time-zones. An online system provides an interactive interface to provide a seamless experience, irrespective of the time you login, help is just seconds away, with no hassle or contact issues. Never ever take second best when you’re looking for the right support service. Many students that fall by the wayside, are in that situation because they didn’t get the support necessary for them.

You should look for an authorised exam preparation system as part of your training package. Sometimes people can find themselves confused by trying to prepare themselves with questions that aren’t recognised by authorised sources. Quite often, the question formats and phraseology can be quite different and it’s important to prepare yourself for this. Clearly, it’s essential to know that you’re completely ready for the real exam before embarking on it. Practicing ‘mock’ exams logs the information in your brain and will avoid you getting frustrated with wasted exam attempts.

What is the reason why qualifications from colleges and universities are less in demand than the more commercial certificates? With an ever-increasing technical demand on resources, industry has been required to move to the specialised core-skills learning only available through the vendors themselves – for example companies like Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA. This frequently provides reductions in both cost and time. Typically, only that which is required is learned. It’s not quite as straightforward as that, but the most important function is always to master the precisely demanded skill-sets (along with a certain amount of crucial background) – without overdoing the detail in every other area – in the way that academic establishments often do.

Just like the advert used to say: ‘It does what it says on the label’. All an employer has to do is know what they’re looking for, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. Then they know that anyone who applies can do the necessary work.

Only consider training programmes which progress to commercially accepted accreditations. There are loads of small companies suggesting ‘in-house’ certificates which are worthless in the real world. If your certification doesn’t come from a conglomerate such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA, then you may discover it will have been a waste of time – as it’ll be an unknown commodity.

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With so many computer courses on the market today, it can be mind-boggling to know what to look for. Select one that matches up with your abilities and personality, and one that is in demand in the commercial world. There’s a huge choice with these courses – from basic office skills up to training programs for programmers, networkers, web designers etc. Share your ideas before you dive in – discuss your options with somebody who has experience of the IT world. Someone who can help you select the right career path for you – one that’s both commercially relevant and leads to a job you’ll love.

By keeping costs to a minimum, computer training providers can now offer up-to-the-minute courses that blend the finest training and guidance for considerably less money than is expected from the traditional establishments.

Does job security honestly exist anymore? Here in the UK, where industry can change its mind on a whim, there doesn’t seem much chance. Wherever we find increasing skills shortfalls mixed with areas of high demand of course, we always discover a newly emerging type of security in the marketplace; where, fuelled by the conditions of constant growth, employers find it hard to locate the influx of staff needed.

Looking at the Information Technology (IT) business, a recent e-Skills analysis highlighted a 26 percent shortfall of skilled workers. Therefore, for every four jobs available across the computer industry, employers can only locate trained staff for three of them. This worrying concept shows the validity and need for more technically accredited computing professionals around the United Kingdom. It’s unlikely if a better time or market state of affairs is ever likely to exist for getting certified in this quickly emerging and blossoming business.

Making a sensible job option is fraught with stress – so what research do we need to do and what are the questions we need to seek the answer to?

Looking at the myriad of choice out there, it’s not really surprising that the majority of students don’t really understand the best career path they should even pursue. Flicking through long lists of different and confusing job titles is a complete waste of time. Most of us have no idea what our good friends do at work – let alone understand the intricacies of a particular IT career. Contemplation on many areas is required when you want to get to the right answers:

* Personality factors plus what interests you – what kind of work-oriented areas you like and dislike.

* What time-frame are you looking at for retraining?

* The income requirements you have?

* With everything that Information Technology encapsulates, you’ll need to be able to understand how they differ.

* What effort, commitment and time you’ll have available to set aside for your training.

To cut through the industry jargon, and find the best path to success, have an informal meeting with an industry expert and advisor; an individual who will cover the commercial realities and truth whilst covering each accreditation.

Those that are drawn to this type of work are often very practical, and don’t always take well to classrooms, and poring through books and manuals. If you’re thinking this sounds like you, use multimedia, interactive learning, where you can learn everything on-screen. Where possible, if we can utilise all of our senses into our learning, then the results are usually dramatically better.

Learning is now available in the form of CD and DVD ROM’s, where everything is taught on your PC. Utilising the latest video technology, you are able to see your instructors showing you how to perform the required skill, and then practice yourself – via the interactive virtual lab’s. All companies should be able to show you a few examples of their training materials. Expect video tutorials, instructor led classes and a wide selection of interactive elements.

It’s usually bad advice to select online only courseware. Connection quality and reliability varies hugely across the ISP (internet service provider) market, you should always obtain disc based courseware (On CD or DVD).

An important area that is sometimes not even considered by people weighing up a particular programme is the issue of ‘training segmentation’. This is essentially the method used to break up the program to be delivered to you, which can make a dramatic difference to the point you end up at. Students often think it makes sense (when study may take one to three years to achieve full certification,) for your typical trainer to courier the courseware in stages, as you pass each element. However: What if you find the order pushed by the company’s salespeople doesn’t suit all of us. It may be difficult to get through all the modules at the speed required?

For maximum flexibility and safety, it’s normal for most trainees to have all their training materials (which they’ve now paid for) delivered immediately, and not in stages. It’s then your own choice how fast or slow and in what order you want to go.

Of all the important things to consider, one of the most essential is always full 24×7 support from expert mentors and instructors. Far too often we see trainers who only provide office hours (or extended office hours) support. Avoid, like the plague, any organisations that use messaging services ‘out-of-hours’ – with the call-back coming in during typical office hours. This is no use if you’re stuck and want support there and then.

If you look properly, you’ll find the top providers that offer direct-access online support all the time – including evenings, nights and weekends. Never settle for anything less. Support round-the-clock is really your only option with technical training. Perhaps you don’t intend to study during the evenings; but for most of us, we’re working when traditional support if offered.

One interesting way that course providers make more money is by charging for exams up-front and offering an exam guarantee. This looks like a great idea for the student, till you look at the facts:

In this day and age, we’re a little more ‘marketing-savvy’ – and most of us know that for sure it is actually an additional cost to us (it’s not a freebie because they like us so much!) Should you seriously need to pass in one, then you should pay for each exam as you go, focus on it intently and give the task sufficient application.

Go for the best offer you can find at the time, and hang on to your cash. You’ll also be able to choose where to do your exams – meaning you can choose a local testing centre. Many questionable training colleges secure huge amounts of money because they’re getting paid for all the exam fees up-front then hoping that you won’t take them all. Pay heed to the fact that, with most ‘Exam Guarantees’ – the company decides when you are allowed to have another go. You’ll have to prove conclusively that you can pass before they’ll pay for another exam.

Paying maybe a thousand pounds extra on ‘Exam Guarantees’ is naive – when a commitment to studying and the use of authorised exam preparation tools is actually the key to your success.

Watch out that all qualifications you’re working towards are commercially relevant and are up-to-date. The ‘in-house’ certifications provided by many companies are not normally useful in gaining employment. From the viewpoint of an employer, only the major heavyweights such as Microsoft, Cisco, CompTIA or Adobe (for example) will get you short-listed. Anything less won’t make the grade.

Tags: online degree by Jason Kendall
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